Ghost of the Thames by May McGoldrick Read Free Book Online Page A

accounts Edward
knew there was no negligence involved. Amelia had never been wild.
She was an intelligent and prudent young woman, and barely knew the
young man. There had been no forewarning of what was to occur. No
one could have
suspected the sudden elopement.
    “Tell me,” he chided gently, “that you
two are up early this morning and did not wait up the entire
night.”
    “Just up, Captain,” the lanky old man
lied with a quick warning look at the housekeeper.
    The housekeeper spoke up for the first
time. “Please, Captain. Do you have any encouraging news of Miss
Amelia?”
    “No, Mrs. Perkins. Another blind
alley.” Shaking his head, Edward started toward his study. Tired as
he was, the dreaded letter needed to be written. It was time to
admit to his father, who was stationed on practically the other
side of the world, that Amelia was missing—and had been missing for
two months.
    “Will you be wanting your breakfast
now?”
    “Thank you, but no, Mrs. Perkins,”
Edward replied. “I am not hungry just now.”
    “Staying healthy requires nourishment
and sleep, Captain. You’ve forfeited sleep. And you are looking
pale.”
    “All right, Mrs. Perkins. I’ll have my
breakfast,” he said, surrendering. “But I should like to have it in
an hour. I’ve decided to write to the admiral about
Amelia.”
    “Oh my!” Mrs. Perkins visibly winced
and sent Edward a sympathetic look before turning toward the
kitchens.
    As Edward poured himself a glass of
Madeira, he watched the butler straighten unanswered correspondence
on the desk. Without comment, Reeves selected a specific note and
placed it on top.
    Edward moved around behind his desk.
“Is that letter of particular interest?”
    “An invitation to a party at the home
of Lord Beauchamp, sir. One event that is essential for you to
attend.”
    “How do you know what it is? The
letter is sealed.”
    “Lord Latham stopped by last
night.”
    “I see.” He shook his head, sitting
down at the desk.
    Wren Latham had been his closest
friend of more than two decades. A member of Parliament from
Yorkshire, Wren was determined to have Edward give up his
commission, retire from the Navy, and run for a seat. After he
received a shoulder wound that continued to plague him, his father,
Admiral Seymour, had made the same suggestion. But these were
decisions that Edward was not ready to make.
    Reeves put the invitation in front of
him. “The guest list includes other influential members of
Parliament. Perhaps it would be best not to think of it as a social
event, but as an investment of your time in a future career,
Captain.”
    Edward picked up the envelope and
studied the seal. Beauchamp’s fortune came from his vast
investments in shipping and his family connection with Queen
Victoria, herself. Not a person to snub, certainly.
    He glanced at the pile of other
invitations that sat ignored in the corner of his desk. Amelia’s
elopement might seem scandalous to the Seymour family, but London
society was ignoring the blunder. At least for now . . . and until
the rest of the truth was discovered. Somehow, he had to find the
right words to break the news to the old man. He knew he needed to
appease the admiral at the same time, when actually all he wanted
to say was that he wanted his niece back alive and well, regardless
of any mistake she might have already made.
    Edward tossed the sealed invitation on
the unanswered pile and began to write.
    “To Admiral Alexander
Seymour, Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Fleet and
China. ”
     

CHAPTER 7
     
     
    No one knew she’d been gone. No one
heard her when she got back. Sophy was more than happy to hide her
exhaustion, show up in the kitchen before being called, and offer
to do morning chores. She was eager to please.
    “We have very important guests coming
this morning,” Mrs. Tibbs told her. “The benefactors have expressed
an interest in speaking with you.”
    Three girls were already working in
the kitchen, and