Page 33 of A Lady in Name

From the hallway, Dion’s voice called out. “Are you two coming?”

Lucy felt as if she dragged her eyes away from Stefan. And then she was heading for the door.

“Lucy!”

She checked, one hand on the edge of the door and looked back. Stefan’s tone had been entirely different. “Yes?”

“Did you think to look if there was anything related to your mother? Papers? A notebook, perhaps?”

Lucy blinked. In the press of packing she had forgotten her despondent mood earlier in the day. She shook her head. “No, but there will be nothing. All Papa’s papers were taken by the executor. If there were anything it would be in here, but I packed this room before I came away. There is nothing.”

“No records of any kind?”

She shook her head and was surprised to see disappointment in his face. As if compelled, she looked for something to dissipate it. “There are only the parish records. She was not of this parish, but perhaps her death was set down somewhere.”

Stefan frowned. “Did you never think to look?”

Lucy gave a half-shrug. “There was no time. Besides, I was more exercised by Lord Pennington’s part in the business to begin with.”

“Yes.”

Dion appeared outside the door, arms akimbo and exasperation written all over her. “What in the world are you two doing?”

Stefan moved. “We are coming.” He reached Lucy’s side. “What about the church?”

A slow beat started up in Lucy’s pulses, a sliver of excitement running in her veins. “The vestry! We may try the vestry.”

The light was failing by the time the little party made its way into the church. The place was empty, but it stood open as it always had.

“We can’t go into the vestry without permission,” objected Dion as Lucy followed Stefan’s purposeful march down the aisle.

“There is no one here to give permission,” her brother pointed out. “Besides, if anyone has a right to go in there, it is the vicar’s daughter.”

“But what are you looking for?”

“We are not sure,” Lucy told her, glancing back. “Anything that may tell me something of my mother.”

Dion brightened. “Gracious, why did one of you not tell me we are unravelling a mystery? I am perfectly ready to invade any number of vestries in such a cause.”

Lucy’s laughter echoed hollowly in the empty building. “I hope we may not be obliged to invade more than one.”

By this time, Stefan had reached the door leading beyond the public area of the church into the domain of the priest. He pushed open the door and looked inside.

“No one here. And the light is better. Now all we need do is find the registers. Do you know where they are kept?”

“On the wooden shelf in that recess.” She pointed, excitement stirring in her breast. “Yes, look. There they are. I know Papa was wont to record everything that occurred in his church, but whether he set down everything in the same book I have no notion. We may have to search in several.”

It did not take above a moment for Stefan to extract the first of the big tomes, which proved to be a register of marriages. “Ah, now let us see.”

Dion peered over his shoulder. “We need a christening, don’t we?”

Stefan closed the volume. “This is too recent. How old are you exactly, Lucy?”

“Three and twenty. My birthday is on April the fifteenth.”

Dion’s eyes popped. “Gracious, Lucy, I did not realise you were as old as that.”

“I did tell you I was of age.”