When the two men arrived back at the station, it was quiet. A heavy rain was beating down as they entered the building and very few people were about.
“I’ll make us some tea,” Felix said disappearing down into the kitchen.
Val pulled off his wet jacket and hat and hung them on the coat rack to dry. He took the pages that Mr. Bridle had given him and smoothed them out on his desk. He turned the gas lamp up and looked outside as the grey light turned dark like an angry wound.
Running his finger down the list of names, he passed several that he knew either because they were titled or because they ran in his same circle, or at least his family’s. Moving his chair around, he pulled a volume from the bookcase behind him and placed it on his desk.
Burke’s Peerage was founded in 1826 when genealogist John Burke began releasing books devoted to the ancestry of the peerage of the United Kingdom. It was updated sporadically until 1847 when new editions were released every year. Val knew that his father kept a copy of the book in his library and most men in their circle did as well.
Whether men like his father kept the volume to fondly caress the pages they existed on or to peruse the book to pass the time, Val did not know. He flipped through the pages until he landed on his own families’ page. His father was listed, his brother, himself. He didn’t pay much attention to the titles and those that came before them.
He had been born into a family with a title, wealth, lands, houses, but none of them would ever be his. He knew well enough the fate of a second son and because of it he had found his way in the world. He enjoyed his work and when his brother finally settled down into domesticity, he would marry, beget heirs and that would be that.
He went through the list name by name. Some names were listed in the peerage book, others were not. He knew that some of the names might be wealthy men and women by their trade but not peerages. Felix returned with the tea as the sky darkened even more.
“Any luck yet?” Felix asked setting the cup before Val.
“Not yet. Some of the names are known to me and they are dead. We might have to obtain photographs of each of these men and bring them to Mr. Morris. The men at the Club used aliases so he’ll have to identify them by face.”
“That’s a tall order! There must be at least thirty names on the list!” Felix said.
“Forty-five,” Val sighed.
The lightning crashed outside and they both looked up. Returning to the handwritten names, Val continued moving down it.
“I’ll take the second page,” Felix offered.
“It’s getting late,” Val said hinting that Felix could head home if he wanted.
“Let’s push on. There may be something here. We won’t know until we get through the list.”
Val nodded. “Here’s the second page.”
Felix reviewed the page quickly as Val turned up the gas light in the office. It was almost dark outside and the heavy rain and lightning dominated the sky.
Val took his pencil and made some notes next to each name. The rain hit the windowpane again and again and it was soothing, though the thunder reminded him of Caroline and that night he told her of Thor.
Suddenly he saw a name on the page and he rubbed his eyes thinking he was seeing things. He felt himself grow cold as he pushed the page closer to the gas lamp. There was no mistaking it. The name was there in plain handwriting.
“I’ll be damned,” he said aloud.
“What is it? You’ve found something?” Felix said; both a question and a statement.
Val tapped the name and showed it to Felix.
“Damn.” He swore.
???
Lady Victoria Lyttleton had invited Caroline over to her home to hear about the latest updates on the second home, the Prudence Finch House. They enjoyed tea together as Caroline filled her in.
“It’s almost complete and Stella has been wonderful in finding the best tenants for the house. It’s so exciting. Two houses,” Caroline said happily.
“You do look worn, my dear.” Victoria told her.
Caroline nodded. “It has been a trying time. The housing project keeps me going. At night when everything is quiet and my day not so filled, I start to think. I think about my sister and her loss haunts my dreams.”
“Oh, my dear. I had no idea.”