Page 11 of The Viscount of Shadows

Chapter 4

Viscount Tensbridge was ushered into the Galway Agency’s conference room at two o’clock. Edwina Callen had not exaggerated; the man was handsome to a fault. Tall, with that lean musculature that Claudia imagined all women find appealing. His clean-shaven looks showed off his cheekbones to his advantage, and his thick, dark, wavy hair and flawless skin merely added to the prevailing picture of an indolent but beautiful aristocrat who had the world by the tail.

Mrs. Bartle, the housekeeper, accepted his coat, hat, and gloves and hastened from the room.

“Viscount Tensbridge, I am Eleanora Galway, and this is Claudia Ellingford, who will be taking your case.”

The viscount took Eleanora’s hand and bent over it, then slightly twisted toward Claudia, giving her a short nod of acknowledgment. How intriguing that the man’s gaze had not met hers. Or maybe it wasn’t interesting at all.

Once seated, he turned toward Eleanora. “I will come straight to the point. I require surveillance on my younger brother, Bryan Wollstonecraft.” The viscount reached inside his suit coat and pulled out a photograph. Placing it on the table, he slid it across to Eleanora. “This is recent, as I received an Eastman Kodak folding camera as a gift.”

Eleanora smiled. “We also have one. Miss Ellingford recently learned to use it if you wish the surveillance to include photographic evidence, my lord. That will be an extra charge.”

“Of course. Include any photographs when necessary, but I believe most of this investigation will be undertaken at night. I do not expect a twenty-four-hour, seven-days-a-week report. Just a general accounting of his comings and goings. The family believes he has fallen in with a disreputable crowd and wishes to avoid any—complications.”

The viscount brought forth an envelope, sliding it across the table to join the photograph. “This is the address and the names of the men he shares a residence with.”

“He is not staying with you, my lord?” Claudia questioned. “Seems to me that if you wish to keep tabs on your brother, you’d keep him under your roof—and thumb.” Typical of a peer handing off his family responsibility to another.

Eleanora glowered at her with eyes widened as if to say, “What are you doing?”

Tensbridge gazed at her for the first time since entering the room. Claudia almost gasped audibly. His eyes were a shade of gray-green she had never seen before, and they were quite mesmerizing. And so was that plump lower lip of his.

“What do you suggest, Miss Ellingford, that I lock him in a room?” his lordship questioned sarcastically. “He is twenty-two years of age, an adult, at least by the legal terminology. The family suggested he stay with my cousin and me, but Bryan refused. There we are.”

Claudia didn’t care for his sardonic tone and bit back a retort. Instead, she seized the envelope and tore it open. Her heart sank when she saw the address. His lordship’s wayward brother lived in Notting Hill on Clarendon Road. Right next to Notting Dale, the aforementioned West End Avernus, a location she swore she would never return to. She could not refuse to take the case. It would mean elucidating why. And to reject her first solo case? Not wise.

“Is there a problem, Miss Ellingford?” Tensbridge asked gruffly.

“No, not at all, my lord,” Claudia replied. “What can you tell me about Viscount Shinwell and Lord Linton?”

“I do not know them all that well. They joined The Rakes of St. Regent Park the same time as I—”

An undignified snort escaped Claudia’s lips before she could restrain it. What an outlandish name for a men’s club. Rather foolish, really.

“You are aware that your superior’s husband, the Duke of Allenby, is a senior member of that group?” Tensbridge stated, with one thick eyebrow cocked.

Claudia arranged her features to show neutral indifference. Hell’s bells, no, she was not aware Eleanora’s duke husband was in the group or of the group’s existence at all.

You are off to a great start, Claudia.

Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the viscount. “Thank you for informing me, my lord.” There was no keeping the slight sneer from her voice. Claudia cleared her throat—best to change the subject. “I will begin the surveillance tomorrow. What are your brother’s habits? Is he an early riser? Are there any clubs or pubs he likes to frequent?”

“That is why I hired you,” Tensbridge sniffed haughtily. “As far as an early riser, I suppose Bryan is similar to the rest of the indolent upper classes and rarely ventures out before noon.”

“It must be why you asked for a two o’clock appointment, my lord,” she smiled sweetly.

The corner of his mouth quirked. An actual reaction: was he amused, annoyed, or perhaps both? It was difficult to tell as the man was so self-contained.

“We will start tomorrow. How can we reach you, my lord?” Eleanora asked.

“At the Tensbridge house, 5 Hill Street, Mayfair. Next to the Coach and Horses,” he replied. “But I am not at home most evenings or some afternoons. Better to send word first to my butler, Dalton, to arrange an appointment.”

Next to a public house, how convenient. And only home some evenings. Not a surprise there, either. Claudia exhaled. She must stop being so hypercritical of a man she knew nothing of. But peers and wealthy gentlemen generally had good cause to rile her contempt. Starting with her miserable father and to every man of the elite and gentry class she had come across while living on the streets.

By the restrained expression of annoyance on Eleanora’s face, Claudia was about to be reminded of treating all clients with respect, regardless of their station in life.

It’s best to nip this in the bud.