He nodded. “Very well, very good.”
Julia took that as her cue to leave. She turned to go, and as she did, she suddenly wanted very much to know what Mr. Edgerton and her uncle might have to talk about. How could she listen in on them without them knowing? Her eye caught on a large wardrobe near the door. If she could conceal herself inside it, she could probably hear every word they said. And then when they left to go to the front drawing room, she could step out and follow them without them seeing her and be just a few seconds behind them.
But it would only work if her uncle left the study before Edgerton came.
Julia walked down the corridor and stepped quietly into the sitting room, which was across the hall and only a few feet from her uncle’s study. Finding a book lying on a table, she picked it up and started reading.
After several minutes, she heard footsteps. Julia approached the doorway and peeked out. Her uncle was walking toward the front of the house. In a moment, she heard masculine voices.
Julia darted into the corridor and scurried in through her uncle’s study door. She opened the large wardrobe, mentally rehearsing what she would say if she were caught, and then stepped inside the piece of furniture.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Julia squatted underneath the lowest shelf, where she was forced to stand on top of stacks of papers. She balanced herself with her hands against the side and back panels. Her heart pounded and her shallow breathing made her dizzy, but she concentrated on not moving, keeping every muscle taut. Breathe, Julia. Don’t faint.
The roaring in her ears was so loud, she wondered if she would even be able to overhear what her uncle and Hugh Edgerton were saying. She opened the door just a tiny crack and waited.
After a few moments, she heard voices.
“. . . She is softening. I think she can be persuaded.” She recognized her uncle’s voice. “Just don’t get drunk—you know she doesn’t like that. Say something flattering, and for goodness sake, smile at her and don’t look so despondent when you see her.” Her uncle went on. “She has always been a compliant girl, even timid and obedient. I was shocked when she stubbornly refused to give in. But she will accept you, I am sure. And once you are married, use a firm hand with her and she will submit to you. She has not the spirit to defy anyone.”
The roaring in Julia’s head suddenly grew too loud. I will never marry Edgerton. Never, she railed inwardly, her stomach churning. Compliant. Has not the spirit to defy. Wouldn’t he be surprised?
She had to calm herself and listen for something more important.
Mr. Edgerton mumbled something that Julia didn’t quite hear. She clenched her eyes shut, focusing on easing the slight cramp in her ankle by shifting her weight to her other foot.
“Now what do you have for me?” she heard her uncle say.
“We have the final man in place,” Edgerton said.
What did he mean by that? A rustle of paper and a brief silence, as if a document had been exchanged and her uncle was looking it over.
“The four of them will need money to bribe a few officials to get them to the front lines, to Wellington,” Edgerton said.
Wellington. “Mm, yes, I have it here. And each of them knows what to do?”
“They have their forged documents, and once the deed is done, they will scatter over the Continent, at least for a year or two.”
“Good.”
Once the deed is done. He must mean once they assassinate Wellington. Julia had to get their names! If she could get the names of these four men and get them to Mr. Langdon and the War Office, they could capture them before they set sail, thereby foiling the plot to kill Wellington. Were they named on the paper Edgerton had given her uncle?
Julia leaned her body slightly forward, trying to see through the tiny crack in the wardrobe door. There. Her uncle was folding a piece of paper and placing it on his desk.
“There’s extra money there for their ship passage. If everything else goes as planned, it should all be over very soon, and you’ll have your coinage. Still have your eye on that estate in Warwickshire?”
A mumbled reply.
“Julia and Phoebe will want to be settled near each other. It’s a good choice.” Her uncle affably slapped Mr. Edgerton on the back. “Come. Miss Grey is waiting for you in the drawing room. Remember, smile and be pleasant.”
As the two men walked toward the door, moving out of her line of vision, Julia eyed her uncle’s desk. She waited until she could no longer hear their footsteps and then pushed the wardrobe door open. She stepped out with one foot but tripped as she tried to pull her other foot out.