Two days later
Exhaustion tugged atLouisa’s eyes as she plopped onto her stepmother’s bed. They had been traveling hard to Ashford these past days, or perhaps it justfelthard because she hadn’t been able to sleep a wink since their evening in the carriage.
The very carriage they had traveled back in.
It was only natural for her to get distracted by the memories of their carnal night.
And imagine carnal days.
Nevertheless, she did drift off some of the time, but it could hardly be considered deep sleep. At best, she simply rested the heaviness of her eyelids. However, Oliver, the unescapable scent of sandalwood, thecarriage—her awareness of these things never abated. The moments she drifted off, she only floated between their dreamlike night and the present that would surface with the drone of Leo’s voice as he peppered the duke with questions and opinions.
Fortunately, that particular torture was over.
The mattress of the bed sank deeper, and Louisa glanced at Oliver, who lowered down beside her. His thumb traced beneath her eye. “You look tired.”
“Tired? My body is practically begging for my lavender-scented pillows. Though sadly, my best ones are in London.”
“Do they help you sleep?”
Louisa nodded. “But they will have to wait. First, we must try and find that ledger.” Her gaze swept the chamber that she purposely never entered. She’d imagined wallpaper and bedding would be blood red or charcoal black. But the room seemed entirely normal. EntirelyunlikeCamilla.
“Then where do you suppose we search first?”
Louisa pursed her lips in thought, her gaze falling on her stepmother’s writing desk. “I suppose it would be much too easy if she were to hide it in the same spot as Lady Havendish.” She rose and strode over, bending over to search for any hidden compartment. “But perhaps we will be lucky. You look under the bed and mattress.”
A few minutes later, they both had come up short.
Louisa strode over to the curtains and inspected them, then made her way over to the duchess’s dressing room and started to rifle through her clothing items. How could one woman have so many red items? Though, was she really all that surprised? Camilla might secretly be the devil’s bride. “It must be here somewhere.”
“Unless she took it with her.”
Louisa paused. Yes, that could very well be the case, but it would be an extreme loss. Unless they were to travel back to Worthing and hunt for that ledger. However, that would be a catastrophic blunder if Lady Havendish’s ledger had already been missed. But, then again, would her stepmother really trust her friends enough to take her ledger with her? Somehow Louisa didn’t think so. That woman was too shrewd to trust anyone blindly.
Also, many things could happen while traveling. Why, Theodosia had been robbed by highwaymen, who had absconded with the betting book. Her friend had been forced to chase them down and steal it back. Camilla wouldn’t be quick to risk that either.
No, it was here somewhere. Louisa was sure of it. It was just a matter of trying to step into her stepmother’s shoes.
If I were Camilla, where would I hide a ledger with detailed accounts of my criminal enterprise?
Her gaze fell on a stack of books on the bedside. She padded over and picked them up one by one, tossing the ones with titles and printed pages onto the bed, until the only two brown, leather bound journals were left. Or were they?
“I wonder.” Could it honestly be this simple? Would Camilla be this confident?
Oliver came up behind her, peering over her shoulder.
Louisa didn’t leave him in suspense. She opened one of the books to a random spot, revealing neat penmanship.
April 7: Today the scab on my leg...
Dear Lord, no. Louisa flung the journal onto the bed. She didn’t want to know about any scab on that woman’s body. Oliver chuckled but didn’t say anything. She inhaled a deep breath, opening the second journal, this one exposing an array of meticulously organized entries. Each page was filled with rows of dates, item descriptions, quantities, prices, and a column for Camilla’s notes.
Louisa’s eyes widened as she scanned the contents. The first entry read:
January 5: Silk bolts (imported from China): 20
Smuggled through Dover: 50 guineas
Notes: Silk received in excellent condition. Paid the customs officer to look the other way.
