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Pulling a clean sheet of paper from the stack near his elbow and taking the pencil from its tray, she dropped back into his seat.

She tapped the dark point against the sheet.

"Who do you think it could be? We need to compile a list."

She noticed a small smile touch Sutton's lips before he bent his head over her shoulder.

"A couple of men owe me sums large enough that I suppose they could be worth killing for. But that is nothing new, and I have not demanded payment from either of them, so I do not understand the escalation."

"Still, we should write them down," she said, "and then find out whether they are both in London and whether they had any opportunity to know your whereabouts on both nights."

He glanced up at her. "If you were not a countess, you would have made an excellent Bow Street Runner."

She beamed at the compliment but refused to be distracted. "Let us concentrate on the task. What are their names?"

"Stanhope and Birch."

She wrote down the names. "Who else?"

He tapped a finger against his lips. "Everly. He was at the theater tonight, and he gambled away a large sum. I believe he owes Beauford a great deal, and Beauford is an unforgiving man."

"Then perhaps he should try to kill Beauford, not you," Temperance muttered, adding the lecherous cousin's name to the list.

"True, but with me out of the way, he would be next in line for the dukedom and all its assets. Besides, he has been begging me to increase his allowance for years." He bit his lip and grimaced. "And he has set his sights on you."

Temperance did not want to think she might be one of the reasons her husband had been targeted. "Everly never had a chance of obtaining my favor, even without you."

"He thought he did. That is what matters."

She nodded. "Who else?"

Sutton hesitated.

"What?"

"There is another man who might have his sights set on you."

Temperance raised a brow. "Who?"

"Landen."

She reeled back. "Daniel? He would not."

"How do you know?" he said harshly. "You haven't seen the man in seven years. He might have grown desperate. And while we are on the subject, I do not appreciate that you still call him by his Christian name."

"If he were so desperate to make me a widow, would he not have tried to communicate with me at some point in the past seven years?"

"He has not?"

"Not once."

"He accepted the invitation to our evening party." His voice was deceptively even. "Have you seen?"

"Yes," she replied calmly. "And you think he decided to cause your demise before then?"

"I cannot rule it out." He narrowed his eyes on her. "You didn't think to tell me you had invited him?"

Temperance swallowed. "I didn't invite him. Your mother did. I had no idea until his reply came. I saw it the day we sorted the cards."