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“I don’t know,” Heather argued as she stirred her tea. “When I think back on it, it makes me aware of how much better things are now. I’m glad things happened the way they did.”
Stacey considered her words. “If you’re looking at it like that, then you do appreciate how things turned out, but it was a painful way to get here.”
“No one can blame you for saying that.” Tara’s gaze went to Eleanor. “It turned out Lady Eloise and Stacey had the same father. That was another scandal all by itself. But no one could fault either lady for that one, really.”
“A lot of people shunned Lady Eloise after that was exposed,” Heather pointed out.
“Only because she wasn’t pleasant,” Tara said. “I can’t prove it, but I think Lady Cadwalader used that scandal to ruin Lady Eloise once and for all. It was no secret the two were rivals. For a while, we thought Lady Eloise was going to usurp Lady Cadwalader’s place as the most highly esteemed lady in London.”
Heather smirked. “Lady Cadwalader would have tied her up to a ship and had her hauled off to America before that happened.” With a glance at Eleanor, she added, “It’s best to allow Lady Cadwalader the prominent spot.”
“Which is why we’re nice to her,” Tara told Eleanor. “She’s not a member of the group, but she is an ally. It’s an arrangement that benefits all of us. She has our support, and we have her approval.”
Heather nodded. “It’s a suitable social arrangement.”
Considering the fact that her father had pushed for her to be a part of this group, Eleanor would have to agree with their assessment. He would never have written to Tara about meeting her if there wasn’t some advantage in it.
Tara took another drink then set her tea down. “Since you are now a part of this group, we want to let you know what you can expect from us and what we expect from you. We host dinner parties with prominent members of the Ton, and yes, sometimes Lord and Lady Cadwalader will be there. Your father is welcome to attend these dinner parties since we realize how important it is that the gentlemen in our lives need to invest in order to improve their wealth. When you marry, your husband will be welcome to join in on these dinner parties as well. Half the time when we get together for a social engagement, it’ll just be the four of us. At other times, we’ll have something public. In private, we can be informal. We don’t have to watch what we wear or say so much. That, of course, is different when we’re in public. When we’re in public, we’re representing the group.”
“Everything you’ve been doing so far is perfect,” Stacey assured Eleanor. “It’s not as scary as it sounds.”
Tara smiled. “It’s not. You’re like a different person from the lady we first met. When you came to the dinner party, I hardly recognized you. It was like you changed overnight. You were sweet and well-dressed before, but you just bloomed in front of our eyes. You’re now a lady who can be the center of attention in a ballroom.”
“My father paid the Duchess of Ashbourne to help me overcome my tendency to be a wallflower,” Eleanor explained.
“What a shame. I was hoping you’d say it was love that brought out the change in you,” Stacey said.
That was right. These ladies thought Byron was her suitor and that she was playing hard to get with him. In all of her excitement, she forgot all about him.
“I noticed all of the gentlemen who sought a dance with her at the last ball,” Tara told Stacey, “and it’s more than love that is responsible for the change.” She gave Eleanor a satisfied nod. “I’ve heard of the Duchess of Ashbourne. I thought she and her friends only arranged marriages.”
“She does that, too, but she also instructs ladies on how to attract suitors from time to time,” Eleanor replied.
“Do you need to attract suitors when you have one that is hoping to marry you?” Stacey asked.
Eleanor shifted uncomfortably on the settee. She wasn’t talking about the Duke of Winnett, was she?
“It’s not my place to pry, but I noticed the way Mr. Tumilson was watching you at the last ball,” Stacey explained. “It seems that his interest in you has gotten deeper since we had the dinner party. My husband noticed it, too. He even encouraged Mr. Tumilson to propose. My guess is that he hasn’t mentioned marriage yet since you said nothing about it.”
Eleanor hid her relief. At least this wasn’t about the Duke of Winnett. Feeling more at ease, she said, “No, he hasn’t proposed marriage yet.”
“He better be careful,” Tara replied. “You’re going to surrounded by suitors soon, if you’re not already.”
It was odd that not a single missive had come from a gentleman who hoped to be her suitor when these ladies, the Duchess of Ashbourne, and her father expected them to pour into this townhouse. Was there a reason for that?
“Maybe he’s worried he doesn’t have a chance now that she’s attracting so many gentlemen,” Heather said. “He doesn’t stand out in London. It’s hard to compete with gentlemen who have a strong reputation in the Ton.” Her gaze went to Eleanor. “I suppose it depends on what you prefer. Do you want a gentleman who knows a lot of people, or will you be content with one who blends into the background?”
“Either way, we don’t care,” Tara hurried to add. “I’m married to someone who has impressed Lord and Lady Cadwalader. That’s mainly what we needed in order to get this group in good standing with the Ton. So really, you can marry whoever you want.”
Eleanor did like knowing she wouldn’t have to marry someone like the Duke of Winnett to stay in this group. But she wondered if Heather knew Byron and that he was only to be her suitor because he was a Runner. He had suggested Heather introduce her to his sister. Heather was, after all, Mr. Duff’s sister. Surely, Heather must know Byron.
Eleanor couldn’t ask Heather about it, at least not in front of the others. She supposed all she could do was play along. Considering Byron’s interest in her was a charade, none of this would matter for long anyway. Once he solved the case, she probably wouldn’t see him again unless she befriended his sister. And she couldn’t imagine seeing him much at all since he spent so much time dedicated to his job. The only reason they spent any time together now was because her father had hired him to protect her. She took a look at her cup. She couldn’t decide if she’d be relieved to have the case settled or not.
***
The Duke of Winnett stormed out of the townhouse. Byron’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but he continued to hold the paper up so that no one would notice he was watching the duke.
The footman opened the door of the carriage. The duke paused, gave a good look at the townhouse, and shook his head before he got into the carriage. Byron wished he had been in that townhouse to find out what had just happened. A person didn’t get upset like that for no reason. And that reason might be a clue.
Byron waited until the carriage was moving before he stood up. He stayed on the other side of the street but took note of the townhouse. He would have to find out who owned this residence and what connection that person had to the duke. He folded the paper under his arm and continued to follow the carriage.
