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Chapter One
May 1825
“Thank you for coming by,” Elliott Hampshire, the Duke of Dormondton, said as he reclined in his chair. “I heard you were good at your job, and right now I need someone who is good at what he does.” He scanned the books in his library for a moment then let out a heavy sigh. “I suspect someone is trying to kill my daughter, and I want you to figure out who it is.”
Mr. Byron Tumilson set the untouched glass of brandy on the gentleman’s table so he could focus on him. “What makes you think someone is trying to kill her?”
“Well, there was the loose wheel on her carriage, for one. Then there was a rat in her bedchamber that sent her running down the stairs. Because of that, she nearly tripped and broke her neck. The one that worries me the most, however, is when she almost fell from the balcony of the theatre.”
Byron rubbed his jaw. None of those things seemed suspicious to him. “Wheels do come loose, rats aren’t poisonous, and almost falling could happen to anyone.”
The duke furrowed his eyebrows. “Yes, I realize all of that, but something doesn’t seem right about any of it. These particular things all happened in one week. I haven’t let her outside since then. She’s been fine ever since. Don’t you find that odd?”
“I admit that all of those things happening to her in a week is unusual, but it’s too soon to conclude someone is trying to kill her. Does she have any enemies?”
“No. I can’t think of a single person who hates her.”
Byron’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “She gets along with everyone she meets?”
“Considering she knows very few people, it’s not difficult.” He grimaced. “I hate to say it, but she’s a wallflower. I have a hard time getting anyone to notice her. When she’s in a room, she tends to fade into the background. Maybe it’s my fault. I kept her tucked away most of her life at the country estate. No one knew she existed until this Season. So far, her Season has been an abysmal failure.”
Whether or not the duke’s daughter was a wallflower was irrelevant. The fact of the matter was that it was difficult to conclude someone had foul intentions with a lady based on some random events. He knew, however, that random events weren’t always what they seemed.
Byron crossed his legs and set his hands on his lap. “When your daughter was at the country estate, did she make it a habit of tripping or falling?”
“I don’t really know. I visited her a couple of times while she was growing up, but we mostly exchanged missives up to the time she came to London. My wife died when she was two, and I didn’t know the first thing about raising a girl. I let the maids and her governess do that.”
The duke was wealthy. Quite a few wealthy people, especially fathers, left the raising of the child to someone else. While Byron thought that was sad, it wasn’t unusual, so he wasn’t in a position to pass judgment on the gentleman.
After a long moment of silence hovered in the air, Byron asked, “Why would someone want to kill your daughter? If she doesn’t know many people and she has no enemies, why would someone want to harm her?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I want to hire someone to investigate this for me. You came highly recommended. Lord Draconhawthshire and Lord Quinton said you are the best Runner in London. I want you to go with me and my daughter when I take her to a social activity. If you determine she’s just unlucky, then I’ll accept it. If you find out there’s something more sinister going on, I’ll need your help tracking down the person who wishes to harm her. Either way, I want this matter resolved.”
“All right. I’ll take the case.”
The duke didn’t hide his relief. “Thank you, Mr. Tumilson. I feel much better already. Will you wait here? I want to bring my daughter in here so you can meet her.”
Byron indicated that he would wait. After the duke left, Byron retrieved the glass of brandy and took a sip. He had never been asked to join a nobleman and his daughter around London before, but he could think of worse ways to spend his time. Usually, his job required him to stay up all night in an unreputable part of London or disguise himself as some unruly person. This was going to be nice. He’d get plenty of sleep and eat well. Plus, the duke could afford to pay him better than some of his clients.
He heard the duke return and hurried to get to his feet.
The duke came into the room first and urged his daughter to enter the room. “It’s all right for you to be in the library while Mr. Tumilson is here. I brought him here for you.”
Byron saw a lady poke her head into the room as if she was looking for something that might leap up and jump at her. Right away, Byron understood why she didn’t have any suitors. She didn’t pay proper attention to her appearance. Yes, she was dressed appropriately. She had on a gown, she wore jewelry, and her hair was pulled up. But the gown didn’t flatter her figure, and her hair style didn’t flatter her face. She also had a way of slouching that made her seem shorter than she actually was. He could imagine all of the gentlemen at the ball looking right past her in order to focus on the ladies who cared about their appearance.
“This is Lady Eleanor,” the duke told Byron as he led her over to him. “Eleanor, my dear, this is Mr. Tumilson. He’s the Runner I hired to make sure no one is trying to kill you. A couple of gentlemen at White’s encouraged me to hire him. They said he has years of experience.”
“I’ve been a Runner for sixteen years,” Byron filled in.
The duke’s eyes widened. “That’s quite impressive. It’s no wonder you’re so highly esteemed.”
Byron nodded to show his appreciation at the compliment. To her, he said, “I will do everything I can to keep you safe from harm.”
She smiled, and he was struck by what a contrast the smile was to the rest of her. When she smiled, she almost seemed beautiful.
“I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about,” she said. “I don’t know anyone. How can anyone want to kill me?”
“You know a couple of people,” her father amended. “What about the ladies inLadies of Grace? You’ve made their acquaintance.” The duke’s gaze went to Byron. “The group is highly recommended. Lady Cadwalader approves of it. I don’t have to tell you how important her recommendation is to a young lady wishing to attract the right kind of suitor.”
