Pondering these words and having to take a hard look at what his friend and mentor was telling him, Daniel leaned forward. Ed had valid points. Daniel had much for which to be grateful, and he had been blessed to have some good men in his life to guide him. His conscience poked him. From the Duke of Haverly to Cadogan … But did having such men make up for the losses he’d suffered? How would his life have been different if his parents had stayed together and he had grown up at Lockewood? “I will have to consider what you’ve said.”

“That’s all I ask. Don’t blame God for the shortcomings of men. It’s too easy, and it’s an excuse not to be grateful for what He’s given us. Now, where are we on the investigation? I’ve just come from the hospital, and Mr. Coombe has shown further signs of awakening. Owen is with him now, but we’ll need to get more men to keep watch if we’re going to maintain a guard on him night and day.”

“The only thing left is this.” Daniel waved at the paperwork. “Sir Michael wants it organized and out of here soon, and he wants a full report by the end of the day. I don’t know where to turn now. I’ve gone over our suspects, ruling each one out, and I don’t know where that leaves us.”

“Back at the beginning. Like I have always taught you, follow the paper.”

They began on one side of the room, where Owen had already organized some stacks, and slowly sifted through invoices, memoranda, sales numbers, advertisements, and other paraphernalia.

Daniel moved a stack of ledgers and found a slim, leather-bound volume on the corner of the desk. “What’s this?” He leafed through the pages, starting at the back. Was it empty? But then he reached the front.

Ed looked up. “What have you found?”

“It appears to be a diary of some sort. Begun this year.” He trotted back in his mind. “I think it was brought in by Lady Juliette Thorndike. She and Montgomery’s daughter, Agatha, retrieved it from his vault at the Bank of England. I had Owen put it with the other papers to go through later, and I forgot about it.” He grimaced. “It’s probably nothing, but I should have looked it over and returned it to Miss Montgomery before now.”

“I’m sure she won’t mind. Give it a quick read, and let’s press on with this stuff. I want to get home to the family tonight. It’s my eldest son’s birthday, and the wife has made a currant cake for the lad.”