“He’s hoping for a brother,” Lord Powell continued. “I warned him that not all brothers are reasonable.” He shot his wife a playful grin. “Your brother certainly has us wondering what he’ll do next.” Turning to the others, he added, “Would you believe Charles thought his wife killed her first husband?”

  Byron’s eyes grew wide. He gave a closer look at Lord Powell. “Are you talking about Mr. Charles Duff?”

  Lord Powell nodded. “That’s the gentleman. Do you know him?”

  Byron debated on how to answer. If he came out and let them know Charles’ wife happened to be his sister, they might figure out he was a Runner, and if that happened, that might ruin his chances of solving the case Lady Eleanor’s father had hired him for. He had no idea London was such a small place that he’d end up at a dinner party with Charles’ sister and her husband.

  Hoping Lord Powell and his wife wouldn’t try to figure out how he knew Charles, Byron shrugged. “I heard of the untimely death of the Duke of Jowett. It was all over London. The poor gentleman.”

  “Yes, that was a tragic event,” Lady Powell agreed, her mood turning somber. “And to think someone murdered him in his own bedchamber.”

  “That is tragic,” the Duchess of Ravenshire agreed. “I’m glad they caught the murderer. Does anyone know the details about it?”

  Lady Powell shook her head. “All my brother said was that his friend died because of gambling debts.”

  Lord Powell rolled his eyes. “After Charles told us about it, he went through all of my ledgers to make sure I can be responsible with money. While I think what happened to his friend was awful, I don’t see why he felt the need to pry into my personal business.”

  “You should be glad he did that, Gill.” Lady Powell patted her husband on the thigh. “It means he likes you. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t worry that someone might kill you.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Or he doesn’t trust me to take care of my estate.”

  “If he didn’t trust you before, he does now.” When he groaned, she added, “He hasn’t looked through them again, has he?”

  “No, but it still irks me that he did it the first time. If you weren’t so lovely, I would have sought out a different lady to marry. Then I would have ended up with a reasonable brother-in-law.”

  Pleased by the compliment he had extended to her, Lady Powell gave his leg an affectionate pat.

  Byron was surprised to learn that Charles had a distrusting side to him, though in Jonathan’s case, Charles had been right to suspect foul play. Byron had, too, and it bothered him that he hadn’t prevented the murder. But then, he hadn’t thought Jonathan’s life had been in danger.

  The butler announced the arrival of Lord and Lady Whitney, so Byron forced his mind off of Jonathan. He needed to keep his mind on his current case. If someone did intend to harm Lady Eleanor, he had to make sure she didn’t end up with the same fate Jonathan did.

  “We apologize for being late,” Lord Whitney said as the couple settled into their chairs. “I lost track of time. I got a new book today, and it turned out to be far more interesting than I expected.”

  “What was the book about?” Lady Eleanor asked.

  Eyebrows raised, Byron glanced her way. He thought she’d said all she did was listen while others talked. So far, she seemed to be quite the chatterbox. Then Byron realized this must be the Duchess of Ashbourne’s doing. The money her father spent on that lady’s services had been wisely spent.

  If Byron hadn’t come with Lady Eleanor in the carriage and saw the way she fidgeted and agonized over this evening, he would have sworn she was a different person. She was much more attractive, both in the way she looked and in the way she acted.

  “It was a book on the fall of the Roman Empire,” Lord Whitney told her. “I already had a book explaining the rise of that empire, so I figured this would complete the story.”

  Byron figured that would be the end of the topic, but Lady Eleanor proceeded to ask, “What caused the fall of the Roman Empire?”

  “Actually, there are several factors that led to its demise,” Lord Whitney said as he straightened up in great enthusiasm. “Usually, empires of the past fell due to invading forces. For example, the Persian Empire conquered the Babylonian one, and the Greek Empire eventually conquered the Persian one, thanks to Alexander the Great. But the Roman Empire was different. There was no specific dominating empire that took over the Roman one. Sure, there were some tribes that invaded it, but none of them became an empire. If one must conclude anything, it’s that the Roman Empire fell apart from within.”

  As Lord Whitney proceeded to explain the military expansion and corrupt governmental policies in the Roman Empire, Byron’s mind began to wander. He couldn’t care less what caused the Roman Empire, or any empire for that matter, to fall. He wasn’t here for that. He was here to figure out who might want to harm Lady Eleanor.

  His gaze went to the others in the room. The Duchess of Ravenshire sipped her tea as she gave a pretense of listening to Lord Whitney. Nick, on the other hand, made no move to feign interest in the conversation. He studied the buttons on his tailcoat. Lord Powell shifted in his chair and glanced around the room, and Lady Powell inspected her nails. Lady Whitney seemed to be the only person who had a sincere interest in the topic. Byron would have assumed Lady Eleanor cared about the topic since she kept asking him questions, but upon careful inspection, he realized she was more interested in keeping the conversation going than in what he was actually saying.

  When the butler announced that dinner was ready, everyone but Lord and Lady Whitney jumped to their feet.

  “I didn’t realize I had rambled on so much,” Lord Whitney said as he rose to his feet. “I apologize.”

  “There’s nothing to apologize for,” Nick assured him. “It’s good you have a passion for something. Life is too short to spend your time on pursuits that don’t interest you.”

  “Yes,” the duchess agreed. “And there’s nothing wrong with discussing old empires. It’s much better than what some people talk about.”

  “While that’s nice of you to say, I’ll try to keep my answers shorter in the future,” Lord Whitney said.

  Lady Whitney slipped her arm around his and offered him a comforting smile. “You’re among friends here. You don’t need to be embarrassed.”

  “Indeed, you don’t,” the Duke of Ravenshire added. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m ready to eat.”

  At once, everyone’s attention went to the meal, and Lord Whitney finally relaxed. Byron held out his arm to Lady Eleanor. Though she accepted it, he caught the slight grimace on her face that let him know she wished someone other than him was escorting her to dinner this evening.

  He resisted the urge to quietly warn her that she needed to act like she wanted to be with him this evening if the others were going to believe he wanted to be her suitor. The last thing he wanted was for her to accuse him of criticizing her. He could only hope no one noticed her lack of interest in him.

  Chapter Eight

  “I like Lady Eleanor,” Lord Whitney said as the gentlemen entered the library after dinner. “I hope the ladies let her into the group.”

  Nick shut the door then went to the decanter. “You only say that because she’s interested in your book.”

  Lord Whitney shrugged. “What’s wrong with that? It’d be nice if Ladies of Grace had someone besides my wife who appreciates history.”

  “Nothing’s wrong with it, but I suspect she was more interested in making conversation with you than learning about the fall of the Roman Empire.” Nick poured brandy into four glasses. “I think she’s nervous about getting into the group and has opted to ask questions from everyone in attendance in order to appear more interesting.”

  Byron’s eyebrows raised in interest. Nick picked up on more than his expression revealed. Byron hoped the gentleman didn’t suspect he had come to this dinner party with ulterior motives.

  Nick held out a glass of brandy to him. “Mr. Tumilson, we might as well get beyond formalities. You can refer to me as Nick, Lord Whitney as Piers, and Lord Powell as Gill.”

  Byron accepted the glass of brandy. “Everyone can call me Byron.”

  “Well,” Piers interrupted, “I don’t care if she was asking about my book because she’s worried about getting into the group. She listened to what I told her. I know that because she asked more questions that were in line with her previous ones. She has to have some interest in the topic to do that.”

  Gill took his glass of brandy. “Does it really matter? If she makes it in the group, she’ll be stuck talking to the ladies all the time. We don’t often have dinner parties together.”

  Byron waited until the others were sitting before picking a chair to settled into.

  Piers glanced at the others. “Am I the only one who thinks Lady Eleanor will make a good addition to the group?”

  “No, you’re not,” Nick assured him as he crossed his legs. “I think she’ll be good for it. My wife has been having the hardest time finding a suitable replacement for my sister. Cress can’t be in the group anymore because she’s in Quebec, and my younger sister has no interest in the social affairs of London. It turns out finding a reputable lady is more difficult than I imagined. You not only have to think about the kind of family she comes from, but her actions have to meet with the Ton’s approval. Then there’s the compatibility issue. The lady has to get along with the other ladies in the group.” He shook his head. “I still remember the arguments my wife had with Lady Blakemoor when they led the group together. Those two couldn’t agree on anything.”

  Gill laughed. “At least that’s all in the past. And now I know why your wife is so careful in choosing who’ll be a part of the group. She doesn’t want to risk another Lady Blakemoor.”

  “No, she doesn’t.” Nick sipped his brandy. “Enough about all of that. We haven’t given the newcomer sufficient time to talk. Tell us something about yourself, Byron.”

  “What do you want to know?” Byron asked.

  Nick thought for a moment. “You’re Lady Eleanor’s suitor. Is a proposal imminent?”

  Byron had to stop himself before he spit out his brandy. Good heavens. Like he would—or even could—marry a noble lady! He managed to swallow his brandy before saying, “No, a proposal is not imminent.”

  “It’s not? Why? She has everything a gentleman could ask for,” Piers said, not hiding his surprise. “She’s attractive, intelligent, and witty. Best of all, her father is well established. I know him from White’s. He’s a bit formal about rules, but he’s pleasant enough. I don’t foresee him making any problems for his future son-in-law.”

  Byron couldn’t come out and tell these gentlemen that his financial situation prohibited him from marrying someone like her. He couldn’t give away the real reason he was here, either. He had to keep up the pretense of being interested in Lady Eleanor. Finally, he settled on a suitable response. He gave the gentlemen a grin. “I do enjoy Lady Eleanor’s company. She’s a fine lady. But I want to make sure she’s an ideal match for me. I don’t want to rush into marriage.”

  “I can understand that,” Gill said. “Marriage is for life. You want to do everything you can to make sure you end up with someone you’ll be happy with.”

  Relieved someone had accepted the lie, Byron nodded. “Exactly.” Then he took another sip of his brandy.

  Piers, however, wasn’t so easy to convince, for he argued, “I don’t see how you can do better than Lady Eleanor. My wife knows many ladies who are in their Season, and few have the kind of reputation that Lady Eleanor does. That’s why my wife suggested her for membership into Ladies of Grace.”

  “So that’s how Tara found out about her,” Nick said. “I wondered about that. Lady Eleanor hasn’t been in London for very long. All I know is that Lord and Lady Cadwalader approve of her father.”

  “He thinks highly of them as well,” Byron replied, hoping they could steer the conversation away from him being Lady Eleanor’s suitor. The fewer lies he had to come up with, the better.

  “Yes, it is all about Lord and Lady Cadwalader, isn’t it?” Piers mused. “Everything Ladies of Grace strives for is their approval.”

  “I can’t complain,” Nick said. “It’s why my wife married me. She thought I would be a good addition to the group. Granted, I’m not officially in it, but the Cadwaladers judge the members by the husbands, too. ‘Bad company corrupts good habits,’ is what they say.”

  “Well, they wouldn’t be wrong,” Byron replied. “The kinds of people we choose to associate with does say something about us.” Most of the time, a crime was committed by someone the victim knew. “Is Lady Eleanor close to any of your wives?”

  Gill shook his head. “Heather barely knows her. She’s only seen her the two times Lady Eleanor has been invited to a social event with Ladies of Grace, and that includes this evening’s dinner party.”

  In that case, Heather probably had no reason to wish harm on Lady Eleanor. Byron directed his gaze to the other two gentlemen, especially Piers. Perhaps Piers’ admiration of Lady Eleanor had upset his wife. Maybe she brought up Lady Eleanor to Tara in hopes that Tara would invite her to the group. As the old adage went, Keep your friends close but your enemies closer. What better way could a lady learn about another lady than through an informal encounter like a dinner party?

  “Have you talked with Lady Eleanor before this evening?” Byron asked Piers.

  Piers shook his head. “No, unfortunately, I haven’t had the pleasure of making her acquaintance until today.”

  Byron glanced at Nick. “Has your wife invited her over here to talk to her privately?”

  Nick’s eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t think so. Tara likes to keep busy by establishing social connections with prominent members of the Ton. She doesn’t often have moments that she spends with just one lady. She reserves that time for me and our children.”

  Byron glanced at Piers. “And what about your wife? Has she spent any time alone with Lady Eleanor?”

  “No. The only time Stacey has been with Lady Eleanor is when the group has a social event.” Piers’ eyebrows furrowed. “What is all of this about? Do you think Lady Eleanor hasn’t been with our wives enough?”

  “I apologize,” Byron hurried to say in case the gentlemen started to question exactly why he was at this dinner party. “I was merely making conversation. Lady Eleanor is so shy. While at the ball, she barely spoke to anyone. It made me wonder if she had any friends.”

  “I noticed that she’s shy,” Nick said. “Tara did, too. That’s why she’s been hesitant to invite her into the group. While Lady Eleanor’s reputation is impeccable and her father is in good standing with the Ton, she doesn’t seem to attract anyone to her.” He glanced at Piers. “At least not until tonight. Like you, I think she manages just fine at a dinner party. Maybe she needs some time with people before she’s comfortable enough to talk to them.”

  “Maybe that’s why my wife thinks she’ll be an asset to the group,” Piers said. “Perhaps my wife sees Lady Eleanor and remembers the way I was when she first met me. I struggled for years in knowing what to say to people I barely knew. My wife helped bring me out of my shell. She might do that for Lady Eleanor, too.”

  Or maybe Stacey had other motives. As far as Byron was concerned, Stacey had just become the main suspect in this case. She wouldn’t be the first person who pretended to befriend someone with the intent to harm them. He was going to have to watch Stacey carefully from this point forward.

  ***

  Eleanor sipped her tea as she listened to Heather. Eleanor had asked all three ladies to share their stories about how they got married, and Heather was the third one to share her story. Unlike Tara and Stacey, however, she ended up spending nearly twenty minutes explaining the details of her and Gill’s courtship and how she kidnapped him so they could get married outside of London.

  The Duchess of Ashbourne’s advice was working much better than Eleanor dreamt possible. All she had to do was ask anyone at this dinner party questions, and they shared just about everything with her. Asking questions to further explain something was easy once someone got invested in talking. At this pace, Eleanor wasn’t going to have to worry about any awkward moments of silence like she had the other time she’d been with these ladies. Now she didn’t have to feel like a wallflower.

  “I should have realized he was willingly going along with the kidnapping,” Heather rambled. “He didn’t put up a fuss when it came time to make our vows, and he pretty much coaxed me into consummating the marriage right away by telling me he needed an heir.”

  Tara chuckled. “I don’t think any gentleman is going to put up a fuss if a lady goes to bed with him, regardless of the circumstances.”

  “Oh, I’m sure if he really doesn’t want to be with the lady, he’ll find a way to show restraint,” Heather argued before she sipped her tea.

  “I don’t know. Even Piers will put down a good book if I suggest going to bed,” Stacey said.

  “Yes, but he wants to be with you.” Heather gave Tara a pointed look. “And Nick wants to be with you. I’m just saying if a gentleman doesn’t want to be with the lady, he wouldn’t be intimate with her. I know that, as a lady, I couldn’t give myself to a gentleman I didn’t want to be with.”

  “You’re right,” Tara conceded. “There’s no way I could be intimate with Nick if my heart wasn’t in it.”

  “That’s why I now know that Gill was actually helping me kidnap him. He never stopped loving me. He was just hurt that I rejected his proposal. I can’t blame him. I shouldn’t have said no. It was foolish to listen to Lady Eloise.” Heather glanced at Eleanor. “Lady Eloise didn’t think Gill’s title was good enough for Ladies of Grace.”

  “Who is Lady Eloise?” Was there another lady who belonged to this group that Eleanor had yet to meet?

  “Was,” Tara said. “She was the lady who established the group. Due to a series of unfortunate events, she is no longer in it.”