“If you want to dance with Lady Eleanor, why don’t you just ask her?” someone asked him.

  Byron looked away from the duke and Eleanor’s father. He hadn’t realized three gentlemen had come up to him. That wasn’t good. He usually paid better attention to his surroundings than that. He let his arms fall to his sides and turned to Piers and the two gentlemen.

  “I wouldn’t let someone like Lady Eleanor get away, if I were you,” Piers told him, a smile on his face. He turned to his friends. “Lady Eleanor reminds me of my wife. Intelligent and pretty. A gentleman can’t do better than that combination.” With a glance at Byron, he added, “Mr. Tumilson, this is Lord Edon, and this is Mr. Christopher Robinson.” To his friends, he said, “This is Mr. Byron Tumilson. I met him at a dinner party that Ladies of Grace had the other night. Lady Eleanor might be accepted into Ladies of Grace.”

  Byron’s eyebrows rose. It seemed like Piers was more excited by the prospect than even Lady Eleanor was. “I don’t see why someone’s membership into Ladies of Grace should matter to you, or any other gentleman for that matter,” Byron said. “This is something reserved only for ladies.”

  “Oh, I realize that,” Piers replied. “But I think this would be a wonderful thing for my wife. She gets along with the members currently in the group, but she isn’t close friends with any of them. It’d be nice if she had a lady she could share more private discussions with. I mean, she and I share everything, but it’s different when you have a friend of the same sex to talk to. We understand things pertaining to gentlemen better than ladies do, and ladies understand things pertaining to ladies better than gentlemen do.”

  Lord Edon gave a slight shiver. “Considering some of the things ladies go through once a month and during childbirth, I’m very happy to let them keep that information among themselves.”

  “My wife doesn’t say anything about that to me,” Mr. Robinson said.

  “Mine does.” Then Lord Edon hurried to add, “She doesn’t intend to disturb me, but she ends up doing it anyway.”

  Christopher grinned. “She also chases you around the room until you give in and let her make love to you. It doesn’t sound like a bad trade if she tells you some personal things.”

  “I thought you were happy with your love life,” Piers told Christopher.

  “I am, but my wife doesn’t chase me the way Ethan’s wife chases him.” Christopher chuckled. “One time she pursued him all through their manor at his country estate.”

  “She’s done that more than once,” Ethan said, and if Byron was right, there was a note of pleasure in his voice over being pursued like that. “Sometimes I think I’m nothing more than a plaything for her amusement.”

  “There are worse fates a husband can suffer.” In a lower voice, Christopher told Piers and Byron, “Ethan’s wife even insisted they do it in the carriage. I’ve tried to get my wife to do it there, but she refuses. She seems to think it won’t be comfortable.”

  “It’s not comfortable,” Ethan said.

  “But it is fun, isn’t it? There is a certain challenge in trying to do it while on a bumpy road.”

  “Well, when you look at it like that, I suppose it is worth being a bit stiff or sore for a day or two. It’s definitely a challenge to get things done in a carriage.”

  Christopher shot Piers and Byron a pointed look. “The shocking thing is that you would never know by looking at his wife that she’s such a wanton lady in private. Even at dinner parties, she seems like a wallflower.”

  As Ethan answered his friend, Byron turned his attention back to Eleanor. He could only handle so much idle chatter. The gentleman she danced with said something, and Eleanor giggled. Byron’s eyebrows rose in surprise. He thought Eleanor was being a bit excessive with all the flirting she was doing, but he couldn’t deny the tactic worked. The gentleman was grinning from ear to ear.

  “You poor man,” Piers said, drawing Byron’s attention back to him. “You’re apt to lose Lady Eleanor if you don’t propose soon. She won’t be available for long.”

  “You can always kiss her or take her out on the veranda,” Christopher suggested. “I don’t mind calling out ‘scandal’ if you want.”

  Byron shook his head. “No, I don’t want that.” He had no intention of marrying her. His job required him to be gone a lot, and besides, he didn’t fit in with these wealthy people.

  “Not everyone wants a scandal,” Ethan told Christopher. “Why is that the first thing you want to do? There are other ways a gentleman can get married.”

  Christopher gasped as if he couldn’t believe what Ethan had just said. “I only brought up the scandal in case he worries she won’t accept his proposal or in case he’d rather make things interesting.”

  “How is a scandal interesting?” Piers asked.

  “Well, it would make this ball more memorable,” Christopher replied. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m ready to fall asleep.”

  “So many people have kissed at balls that it wouldn’t interest you anymore,” Ethan pointed out.

  Christopher thought over his friend’s words. He nodded. “Ethan’s right.” He looked at Byron. “Can you do something like pretend to fall on top of her while dancing or get her to passionately kiss you while she’s sitting on your lap on the bench out on the veranda? Something like that would be exciting.”

  “That’s all unnecessary,” Piers argued. “Besides, I happen to know something about her father, and he would be sorely displeased if a scandal touched his daughter. That could hurt Mr. Tumilson’s relationship with his future father-in-law.”

  “It is nice when you get along with your father-in-law,” Ethan agreed. “It took ten years, but now when I’m invited to my father-in-law’s residence, I know he won’t force me to do any fencing with him.”

  “It’s hard to believe he ever threatened you,” Piers said. “Why, just the other day, he was telling me that you’re good for his daughter and grandchildren. I got a bit jealous over that. I never had my father-in-law’s approval, and considering he’s no longer alive, that chance will never come. Mr. Tumilson, you’re better off doing things the right way. The Duke of Dormondton is a reasonable gentleman. He’s mindful of propriety, but he doesn’t think he has all of the answers to everything.”

  The music stopped, and Byron’s gaze went back to Eleanor. He only wanted to know if she’d have another dance or take a break, but Piers, once again misunderstanding his interest in her, jabbed him in the arm and gestured to her.

  Though Byron wasn’t accustomed to letting anyone tell him what to do, he realized this was the only way to get Piers to stop pestering him. He left the three gentlemen and made his way to Eleanor. Unlike the Duke of Winnett, he didn’t have to compete with other gentlemen for the next dance. She happened to have no one else coming up to her at the moment.

  “I don’t suppose you would be willing to have a dance with me?” he asked.

  “Have I done anything this evening that you don’t approve of?”

  “No, and judging by how pleased the Duchess of Ashbourne is, I surmise you aren’t risking her disapproval, either.”

  “In that case, I’ll be happy to dance with you.”

  Byron pretended he didn’t notice the wink Piers gave him as he got ready for the next dance.

  “I noticed you were talking to Lord Edon,” Eleanor said.

  “How? I didn’t see you look my way.”

  “I glanced over while I was turning around in the last dance.”

  She had? He blinked in surprise. Perhaps if he wasn’t paying attention to the ridiculous conversation the gentlemen were having, he would have noticed it. This wasn’t good. He hoped he hadn’t missed anything important this evening.

  “Don’t worry. I don’t think anyone realized it,” she said as the music started. “I was subtle.”

  “Subtle is good. A lot of bad things can happen if others figure out what you’re thinking. The element of surprise is in one’s best interest.”

  “Now, that’s where you and the Duchess of Ashbourne disagree. She wants my actions to be noticeable.”

  “But that’s to attract a suitor who’ll eventually propose to you. That’s different from what I do.”

  “When you put it that way, I suppose the advice is right, even though it is conflicting.”

  “Sometimes life is about contradiction. What works in one case won’t work in another one. For instance, I don’t usually play the role of a suitor. This has required me to be out in the public far more than I’m used to. Most of the time, I hide in the shadows.”

  “Do you feel awkward right now?”

  “No.” He was just annoyed that he had been talked into dancing by a gentleman who couldn’t mind his own business. But that was something he’d rather not tell her.

  “I feel awkward.”

  This was the second time she surprised him. “You don’t look awkward.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  “Why do you feel awkward? You know what to expect at a ball.”

  “Yes, but I haven’t had to go out of my way to try to attract gentlemen. My father arranged all of the dances for me in the past. This evening, the duchess told him to let the gentlemen approach me instead. That puts a lot of pressure on me, you know. I have to remember all of the things she told me to do, and that’s not easy when I’m trying to keep up a conversation with them.”

  “If it makes you feel better, you seem like it’s all coming naturally to you.”

  She smiled in pleasure, and he was glad he’d been able to provide the reassurance she’d needed. After a moment, she asked, “You don’t still suspect Stacey of wishing me harm, do you?”

  “Well, Stacey’s husband thinks very well of you. I don’t know how a wife couldn’t get a little jealous over the way he praises you.”

  “He’s not interested in me romantically. He was just happy that I wanted to hear him talk about that book he’d been reading.”

  Sensing the worried tone in her voice, he assured her, “You don’t have to panic. I’m not going to bring a constable over to Stacey’s residence later tonight. I am still considering other people.”

  Her eyes lit up. “You’ve noticed something unusual, and it wasn’t from Piers or Stacey?”

  He shushed her. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice what she’d said. “There is one possibility, but I can’t tell you who that is yet.” At the moment, he had so little to conclude from the Duke of Winnett’s words and actions that all he could do was watch him.

  “All right, since you don’t want to discuss that, can I ask you about Lord Edon?” she asked.

  “I don’t know him. I only met him right before dancing with you.”

  “At the park, my father mentioned not liking Lord Edon. I’d like to know why. What is it that Lord Edon’s done to upset him?”

  Byron shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “You’re not curious about it?”

  “I don’t care what senseless gossip your father was talking about. It has nothing to do with my job.” Noting her disappointment, he added, “Why should you care? Lord Edon’s already married.”

  “I have no interest in marrying him. I was just curious. My father spends so much time talking about people he likes. I can’t help but wonder what would make him not like someone.”

  “Whatever it is, it probably involves something that is unfit for delicate ears.” Even Byron wished he hadn’t heard all of that nonsense about Lord Edon’s private activities in a carriage, and he was a gentleman.

  “It must be interesting. When I was living in the country, I spent a lot of time in boredom. I thought once I came to London, I wouldn’t be bored anymore, but I was wrong.”

  “Someone has malicious intentions concerning you,” he pointed out. “I don’t see how that can bore you.”

  “Besides the incident with the carriage and at the theatre, what has happened to me?”

  Nothing. Yet. Him stepping into the picture to play the role of her suitor must have changed things somehow. And that suddenly worried him.

  “I really hope you don’t ruin my chances of being a member of Ladies of Grace,” she continued. “It wouldn’t be boring in London if I had some friends.”

  Drawing his attention back to their conversation, he said, “I don’t want to ruin your chances of getting friends, but I have to consider all possibilities, no matter where it leads me.”

  As the dance ended, a gentleman approached. At once, she went from being her usual self to being the flirtatious lady the Duchess of Ashbourne had taught her to be. She thanked Byron for a lovely dance before tapping the necklace around her neck and giving him a light laugh. Byron blinked in surprise. He knew she was only acting, but something deep within him responded to her flirtatious gesture.

  A bit frightened since nothing like that had ever happened to him before, he hurried to walk away from her. Whatever was that strange feeling about? He couldn’t quite pin it down. It seemed to be a mix between a puppy who was eager to do what his master wanted and finding out he had solved a difficult case. Whatever that sensation was, he hoped he never experienced it again.

  Realizing that Piers, Ethan, and Christopher were watching him, he decided to go over to Eleanor’s father. He wasn’t sure if they picked up on the flicker of emotion he’d just experienced, but he didn’t want to chance them mentioning it. It was embarrassing enough he’d gone through it.

  When he reached Eleanor’s father, the Duke of Winnett was no longer with him. Byron scanned the room but didn’t see the duke anywhere. The duke seemed to have left. That was interesting. Byron wasn’t sure what it meant, but he was sure it was significant somehow.

  “Your Grace,” Byron began, “I realize this has nothing to do with the reason you hired me, but why don’t you allow Eleanor to meet my sister? Eris is a wonderful lady who’d make her a good friend. There’s nothing remotely scandalous surrounding her, and she is financially well-off. The two have compatible social standings. You can check all of this out yourself if you don’t believe me.”

  Her father took his gaze off of his daughter. “I have been looking into it. I finally came across a gentleman who knows someone who knows your sister’s husband.”

  “What does my sister’s husband have to do with anything? Eleanor would befriend Eris, not him.”

  “If your sister’s husband has influence, that might be profitable to me. Connections are very important. I’m sure you understand that. You get jobs by connections. I happened to know someone who benefited from your service. If your sister’s husband happens to meet up to my requirements and also happens to have the right kind of connections, the friendship Eleanor would establish with your sister would be profitable to all.”

  To make sure he understood the situation correctly, Byron asked, “And is there a benefit to you, personally, if your daughter becomes a member of Ladies of Grace?”

  “Oh, most definitely. Not only would the Ton be pleased that my daughter qualified to belong to such a prestigious group, but the Duchess of Ravenshire’s husband has the favor of Lord and Lady Cadwalader. He might invite me to a dinner party with them.”

  Byron shoulders slumped. He quickly straightened up before anyone noticed. So that was the way the Duke of Dormondton saw his daughter. She was a means to an end. She wasn’t of any use to him until her first Season, which was why he hadn’t bothered to bring her to London until now. The poor lady. It was no wonder she had been a wallflower when he met her. She’d been forced to figure things out on her own. And now that she’d been instructed on how to be attractive, she was being paraded around London as if she were a commodity.

  His gaze went to her as she danced with another gentleman who seemed impressed by her. The Duchess of Ashbourne worked miracles. Her reputation was well-deserved. But could the things the duchess had taught Eleanor lead to a happy life for her, or would she end up being used by her husband in the same way her father used her?

  “I have splendid news,” her father spoke up.

  Not sure if the news would really be all that splendid, Byron turned his attention to him.

  “The Duke of Winnett has asked for my daughter’s hand in marriage,” he said. “I haven’t said yes yet. I want to see if she’ll get a better offer. But I agreed to let him pay her a visit tomorrow afternoon.”

  So that was why the Duke of Winnett had approached her father after she chose someone else to dance with.

  “Would a marriage between her and the Duke of Winnett be good for you?” Byron asked.

  “The arrangement would be all right. I have nothing personal against the Duke of Winnett. He’s a likeable enough gentleman. He’s kept himself clean from scandal, and he manages all right in the Ton.”

  Sensing the gentleman’s hesitancy, Byron asked, “But?”

  “Well, there are better gentlemen. A couple here this evening are related to the Cadwaladers. There’s one who is good friends with the Duchess of Ravenshire’s husband. A few others excel in investing. They would make a better match than the Duke of Winnett. But the Duke of Winnett would be sufficient, should things not work out with the others.” He nodded toward a gentleman who was watching Eleanor. “He happens to be Lord Cadwalader’s nephew. If he were to ask for her hand this evening, I wouldn’t hesitate to say yes. I hope he asks to dance with her. He seems interested in her, don’t you think?”

  Byron thought a lot of gentlemen at this ball had taken an interest in Eleanor. Very few of them had looked her way at the other ball, but she had no trouble drawing their attention this evening. Perhaps that was why the Duke of Winnett had gone to her father to ask for her hand in marriage.

  What could the Duke of Winnett want with the marriage? Could a marriage benefit him in some way? After learning about how important social connections were to Eleanor’s father, he bet the Duke of Winnett saw some connection in a marriage to Eleanor, too. Well, now it didn’t seem like Stacey was the person he needed to be watching. The Duke of Winnett had just become the prime suspect. Though why would he intend to harm Eleanor if he needed to marry her? There was only one way to find out, and that was by keeping a close eye on him.