“If you will allow me?” Sir David held out his hand, and Agatha put her key into it. He studied it in the lamplight and searched along the right-hand wall until he came to the keyhole he sought. “Here it is.” He inserted the key, opened the door, and turned away immediately. “It is our policy to leave the box holder in privacy. When you have finished, please lock the box, and one of the attendants will escort you upstairs. If you need anything, the man outside will assist you. And if I may do anything further, someone will send for me.”

He left quickly, and they looked at each other in the lamplight.

“I suppose we should keep our voices down since the guard is just outside.” Juliette was grateful the door remained at least partially open. She would not like to be closed into such a fortified place. She had never been comfortable in tight spaces, and the idea of being accidentally locked inside a vault made her skin crawl.

Agatha blew out a long breath. “I feel as if I am on a treasure hunt in an Egyptian catacomb.”

“That describes this situation perfectly. I’ve ridden through the city many times and never once wondered what was beneath the Bank of England. There must be fifty rooms down here. Do you think they are all full of valuables and personal effects? I cannot help but wonder what riches are contained in this building, and what other secrets are hidden in London.”

Agatha squared her shoulders and pushed her veil farther back on her bonnet. “I suppose I had better look inside the box.”

“Do you want to sit at the table, and I can bring you the items? Or would you prefer I wait outside?” Juliette wanted to give Agatha her privacy too.

“Don’t go. I can’t do this on my own.”

Juliette squeezed her friend’s shoulder and approached the vault. The opening was about a foot square, and she had no idea how far back it went. She raised one of the lamps and peered inside.

Several blocky shapes, some books, some folders. She removed boxes, noting the jeweler’s marks.

“Those were my mother’s. Father said he hoped to present them to me as a wedding gift.” Agatha blinked and sniffed. “She had several pieces, and I believe even a tiara.”

“Do you want to take them with you now?”

“No. They should stay safely here. I can’t wear them yet as a debutante. There will be time later to take them to the house. What else is inside?”

Juliette removed the folders, a stack about an inch thick. “Personal papers?”

“His will and deeds and other legal documents are supposed to be here. The solicitor said to bring them all with me.”

“What about these ledgers?” Juliette removed two large, leather-bound books and a smaller one with a buckle closure.