## Chapter 173: A Private Conversation
The night sky was adorned with a million twinkling stars. The grand gathering at General Codrington’s mansion was nearing its end.
Lady Cowper, with a lace-trimmed wide-brimmed hat perched jauntily on her head, gracefully accepted compliments from other ladies while being escorted out of the black iron gates by a servant.
Just as she was about to step into the carriage waiting for her, a middle-aged butler, sporting a neatly trimmed beard, white gloves, and short golden hair, hurried towards her.
With one hand placed on his chest, he bowed slightly and said, “Lady Cowper, our mistress has been waiting for you. It’s still early. Would you care to join her for a drink?”
Lady Cowper couldn’t help but look in the direction the butler was gesturing towards. A luxurious carriage was parked across the street, its curtains drawn. A gentle breeze swept through the streets, lifting the black strands of hair cascading down the lady’s ear behind the curtains. The soft night and dim streetlights only enhanced the beauty of the lady’s smile, a smile that had captivated countless figures who had stirred up the European landscape.
“Dorothea?”
Lady Cowper was slightly surprised, but she didn’t say anything more. Instead, she smiled at the butler and nodded, following him towards the carriage.
As she stepped inside, the butler swiftly closed the carriage door, adorned with the double-headed eagle emblem representing the Russian Imperial family.
The coachman, sitting upright on the driver’s seat, gave a tug on the reins, and the unassuming yet luxurious black carriage slowly rolled away.
Lady Cowper settled into the crimson velvet seat, her eyes drawn to the necklace adorning Lady Liven’s white chest, a cascade of blue topaz and green malachite stones arranged in a leaf pattern.
“What a beautiful piece of jewelry! From which master craftsman did this come?”
Lady Liven smiled faintly, “The specific master craftsman is no longer known, but the Tsar said last month when he graced me with this piece that it was once part of Catherine the Great’s collection. So, it was probably crafted by a royal artisan from that era.”
“Catherine the Great?”
Lady Cowper couldn’t help but gently lift the pendant hanging on Lady Liven’s chest and examine it further. “Looking closely, the style is quite similar to the one passed down in the Castelray family. Perhaps it was indeed crafted by the same royal artisan.”
Lady Liven chuckled and winked, “Now that you mention it, I recall that John Hobart, the Earl of Buckingham, father of the Castelray family, was once the British Ambassador to Russia.”
Lady Cowper smiled and nodded, “Yes, the old Earl of Buckingham stayed in Saint Petersburg from 1762 to 1765. He was present at Catherine II’s coronation ceremony. The emerald necklace in the Hobart family was bestowed upon them by Catherine II during that time.
I had the privilege of seeing the necklace once when I visited their home. If I remember correctly, the set consisted of an eight-corner cut emerald and a teardrop-shaped emerald as the centerpieces, surrounded by alternating 14 cushion-shaped diamonds and 13 rectangular emeralds. It also included a pair of emerald teardrop earrings.
The old Earl of Buckingham left the set to Lady Castelray when she married. However, perhaps because it was too valuable, she only wore it on extremely important occasions. It must be said, the necklace and earrings perfectly complement a low-cut evening gown!”
Once Lady Cowper started talking about jewelry, it was as if a floodgate had opened. Even her tone became more lively than it had been at the dinner party.
The two ladies moved from jewelry to clothing, then from clothing to the latest fashion trends.
Speaking of which, Lady Liven took out a bottle of red wine from the carriage’s wine cabinet and poured a small amount into the goblet in front of her.
“It’s rather curious, though. You didn’t attend the dinner party hosted by Henry at the club today, but instead came to General Codrington’s to attend the Blue Stockings’ gathering. Was there something particularly interesting that caught your attention here?”
Lady Cowper chuckled helplessly, “Lady Codrington has invited me several times before. It would be rude to keep making excuses. Moreover, due to the complicated relationship between my troublemaking sister-in-law, a member of the Blue Stockings, and Lord Byron, I had a bit of a falling out with the ladies of the Blue Stockings.
I came here specifically to mend fences. After all, we all live in London, and we see each other all the time. Besides, those two have already passed away. Let bygones be bygones.”
“I see…” Lady Liven covered her mouth softly, “But Henry seems a bit unhappy that you didn’t come. He’s been like a lost soul without you, unable to focus on anything. He even lost a lot of money playing cards tonight.”
Lady Cowper blushed at the mention of this, feigning anger, “Henry is always like this. He’s forty-six years old, yet he still throws these tantrums. Besides, you and Lady Jersey were there to keep him company, weren’t you?”
Lady Liven took a sip of red wine. In the dim carriage, her red lips were highlighted by the wine, making them even more vibrant.
“Emily, everyone knows he’s yours. He’s just playing a game with me. As for Lady Jersey, to be frank, she doesn’t compare to your charm. Don’t disappoint Henry.”
Lady Cowper initially thought Lady Liven was joking, but as she listened, she realized the gravity of the situation.
She gently inquired, “Is Henry truly upset?”
Lady Liven nodded slightly, “His birthday is in two days. Don’t you want to think about getting him a special gift to cheer him up? I have nothing going on tomorrow. Why don’t I accompany you to the shops to pick something out?”
Lady Cowper pondered for a moment, “Dorothea, what do you think about getting him a phonograph? And a record of Paganini’s Caprice No. 24, adapted for the phonograph?”
“Phonograph? Record?” Lady Liven was confused, “What are those?”
Seeing her friend’s lack of understanding, Lady Cowper explained her encounter at the dinner party.
Upon hearing this, Lady Liven suddenly seemed to remember something. She couldn’t help but say, “Ah! I think I saw the Mr. Hastings you mentioned.”
“You met him?”
“Yes, he came out before you.” Lady Liven winked at her friend, teasing playfully, “He’s tall, with a strong chest, and his face is angular and sharp. He appears refined, and he’s still young, in his twenties…”
Lady Cowper teased back, “Dorothea, you wouldn’t be smitten by him, would you? I remember you don’t like them so young.”
“Hmm…”
Lady Liven brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, “Oh, Emily, I always judge people based on my interactions with them. Whether they’re young or not isn’t the most important factor for me. And why do you think Mr. Hastings is young? Emily, young doesn’t mean immature. Although the young gentleman seems refined, and he’s an excellent scientist, every move he makes is like a typical English gentleman, but…”
“But what?”
Lady Liven lowered her voice, covered her chest, and leaned forward, whispering mysteriously into her friend’s ear, “I assure you, Mr. Hastings must have killed someone, and definitely more than one. If you’re fooled by his good-natured appearance, you’ll definitely suffer for it later.”
“Killed someone?” Lady Cowper was astonished, “How did you figure that out?”
“It’s simple.” Lady Liven smiled and pursed her lips, “He has a similar aura to my father. No matter where he stands, he unconsciously stands like a straight sword. His sharp movements as he walks are like a swinging blade.
Although he tries his best to soften his aura, if you catch a glimpse of his eyes, you can still sense the danger lurking within. If you hadn’t told me he was a scientist, I would have thought he was a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, emerging from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.”
Lady Cowper couldn’t help but cover her mouth, “Dorothea, you’re so insightful! Mr. Hastings is a Scotland Yard inspector, and a very capable one at that. You may not know this, but he’s only twenty years old this year, and he’s climbed to this position entirely on his own merit. Not long ago, he was involved in the rescue mission for the Frenchman at sea.
I heard from Captain FitzRoy of the Beagle, that he personally saw Mr. Hastings take down seventeen pirates at sea. He also said that if Mr. Hastings wanted to join the Royal Navy, he would definitely become a general someday.”
“Ah… so he’s a Scotland Yard officer too?” Lady Liven was slightly surprised.
Lady Cowper was puzzled, “What do you mean?”
Lady Liven said, “Nothing, actually. But at the club’s dinner party tonight, Henry also brought two Scotland Yard officers with him. One was Charles Rowan, the Chief Constable of the Metropolitan Police and an Army Colonel, and the other was Sir Richard Mayne, the Deputy Constable.”
Lady Cowper couldn’t help but laugh, “What’s going on? Are the high-ranking officers of Scotland Yard all out relaxing on a Sunday?”
Lady Liven didn’t answer directly but chuckled, “Who knows? But I think they need to unwind, especially Mr. Hastings. I just remembered, it seems like several major cases in Scotland Yard this year were headed by Mr. Hastings. He’s so busy with work, and he still finds time to participate in Mr. Faraday’s scientific research, even helping his friends promote their new works.
By the way, you mentioned The Count of Monte Cristo. Is it really that good? And the phonograph thing, I’m getting curious. Why don’t we go to Mr. Wheatstone’s music shop together sometime and buy a couple?”
Lady Cowper finally remembered, “Dorothea, you reminded me! Almost everyone at the dinner party tonight wanted to get a phonograph. If we want to buy one before Henry’s birthday, I’m afraid going directly to order it won’t work.”
Lady Liven understood the problem, “Did you get Mr. Hastings’ business card? Why don’t we send someone to ask him for help? Isn’t Mr. Wheatstone his friend? If we ask him to intercede, Mr. Wheatstone can directly set aside the next phonograph for us.”
Lady Cowper thought for a moment and said, “It’s better to do this sooner rather than later. My carriage is empty now. I’ll send them with money to find Mr. Hastings to make a reservation. God, I hope the young man from Scotland Yard doesn’t have a regular sleep schedule, and he’s not already asleep.”
Lady Liven chuckled, “It’s not a problem if he’s asleep. What we’re worried about is if he’s not sleeping at home tonight.”
Lady Cowper couldn’t help but burst out laughing, “Dorothea, you…”
(End of Chapter)