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“Sometime in November.” The Duchess’ gaze went to Lord and Lady Powell. “That’s about the same time as your next one is due, isn’t it?”
Lady Powell nodded. “We might have a December baby if he’s late like his brother. I didn’t think Timothy would ever get here.”
“Really? Are babies usually on time?” Lady Eleanor asked.
“The doctor says it can vary by a couple of weeks,” Lady Powell replied.
“Timothy is looking forward to having a little brother or sister,” Lord Powell spoke up in excitement.
Byron clamped his jaw down so he wouldn’t yawn. If the conversation continued going in this direction, he just might doze off.
“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.
