A Crimson Warning

“Could the pages be the key to a code?” I asked.

“Perhaps, if we had anything that had been written in code,” Colin said.

“Maybe we just haven’t found it yet.” I sat down at the desk. “I’m convinced there’s something here we’re missing.” I looked around the domed room. General reference books stretched around three levels of its circumference. “What about the stacks themselves? Maybe it’s not a specific book that’s important, but its location.”

We hunted down our clerk, and asked him if we could be admitted to the famous Iron Library, the labyrinthine stacks that held the entire collection save the volumes of general reference that lined the walls of the reading room. He did not look entirely pleased, but agreed to again consult the deputy superintendant, who looked even less pleased than his employee. Nonetheless, he came over to us, inspected Colin’s credentials, and nodded.

“It’s highly unusual, sir,” he said. “But I wouldn’t stand in the way of Crown business.” He took the books from us, and led us himself through a door into what seemed to be an endless expanse of bookcases. The floor and the shelves were all fashioned from iron, hence the name. I had to walk carefully so the heels of my shoes wouldn’t slip through the metal grating of the floor.

“The first came from right there,” he said, climbing up and showing us the empty space on the shelf.

“May I?” Colin asked.

“Yes, but please be careful,” the deputy superintendant said.

Colin reached up and pulled the books to either side of the space from the shelf, cradling them in his arms.

“Nothing behind,” he said, replacing them.

“I’m happy to return them for you,” the deputy superintendant said.

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t dream of disrupting your order. I understand completely the chaos that would ensue,” Colin said. Once they’d all been returned, he removed the books from the neighboring shelves. “And still nothing.” He put them back and asked to be taken to the next location. We repeated this at the remaining spots.

“What are we missing?” I asked. “There must be something.”

“What, exactly, are you looking for?” the deputy superintendant asked.

“Are you familiar with the murder of Mr. Michael Dillman?” I asked.

“Yes, indeed. The papers were full of the story.”

“We have reason to believe Mr. Dillman hid something here,” I said. “Something that may help catch the man who killed him. We’re not sure precisely what, but it seemed that the numbers we showed you were a clue to the location.”

“Are you quite certain you want the library?” he asked. “Those numbers could also correspond to items in the museum catalog.”

“That was another theory we had,” I said. “But we thought we’d try the library first.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you?” he asked.

“No, thank you,” I said. “You’ve been most helpful.”

“Do not hesitate to ask for me should you require anything further. It will be my pleasure to assist you.”

Colin and I discussed our options, and quickly reached the conclusion that it would make sense to try the museum. As soon as we entered its hallowed halls, we were greeted with considerable enthusiasm. My first husband had donated many objects to the noble institution, and I’d continued to support it in every way I could. In short order, a gentleman came to assist us. I explained the situation and showed him the numbers and their corresponding letters.

“Yes, I see,” he said. “It’s difficult to say, Lady Emily. These don’t look as if they could be complete catalog numbers. There would be more digits.”

“Is it possible they’re meant to be combined?” I asked.

“Of course, but again, there’s really not enough to go by. Have you tried the library?”

“We’ve just come from there,” Colin said.

“If you’d like, I’ll see what I can come up with, but I can’t promise anything,” he said. “I may not be able to tell you anything but which departments the letters represent.”

“Even that would help,” I said.

“Very good. May I send you a note with the results?”

“Thank you,” I said. “I’d very much appreciate it.”

“And if you could, please go as quickly as possible,” Colin said. “Lives may depend upon it.”

“Of course, sir. I’ll do my best.”

4 July 1893

Belgrave Square, London

Cordelia is dead. I can hardly bear to write the words. And all this time I didn’t even know she’d gone missing! I understand why Emily couldn’t tell me, but I’m disturbed nonetheless. Mostly, though, I’m consumed with sadness to have lost a friend to so heinous a crime.

And I’m scared, as well. Is this paint business more sinister than it appears? Will there be more death? Or are we to take comfort in the fact that, beside Mr. Dillman and Lord Musgrave, none of our villain’s victims has suffered anything but humiliation? Poor Lord Musgrave. His death silenced all the rumors about him.

I had a most disturbing experience today while walking home from calling on the Duchess of Devonshire. Perhaps my nerves are getting the better of me, but I could have sworn someone was following me. I looked behind me, half convinced I’d see no one out of the ordinary, but that was not the case. There was a boy, most likely thirteen years old, who stopped walking just as I turned around. When he saw my gaze fall upon him, he ran.

He stood out amongst the fashionable people filling the pavement. His clothes weren’t tattered, but neither were they smart. He had that wan look of one suffering from consumption.

And I’m convinced he must be his son. The man who, through no fault of his own, stands between ruin and me. I’ve tried and tried to distract myself, but I cannot do it. I must find some way out of this mess.

In the meantime, I want to speak to Emily. I must find out everything she knows about what happened to Cordelia.

23

Ivy had been sitting, silent, in my library for nearly an hour when I told her we had to leave. She’d asked question after question about Cordelia, about the abduction, about what had been done to try to find her, about everything except the state of her body when Jeremy and I found it. After that, she’d gone quiet, very calm, and very still. I did not disturb her until the last possible moment.

Then, telling her that I was to meet Lady Glover to discuss what could be correspondence from the murderer himself, I asked her to accompany me, explaining that taking action to seek justice for Cordelia’s killer was the most important thing either of us could do. This snapped her to attention, and we made our way to Piccadilly, then cut down St. James’s Street to Pall Mall. I sighed as we passed Berry Bros. & Rudd, wishing we had time to pop in to see if they had any port I ought to be laying down. Trafalgar Square was full of people and pigeons—one of the feathery creatures had perched on top of Lord Nelson’s tricorn hat, lending an air of absurdity to the otherwise elegant admiral and his column.

We stepped into the museum, crossing through the portico’s graceful arches and to the stairs that led to the galleries. Halfway up I stepped carefully across the mosaic floor of the landing, not wanting to trod on Calliope or Apollo. From above, light filtered through the opaque glass of the dome, illuminating the elaborate plasterwork and its gilt decoration.