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Byron managed to maintain a stoic expression in case Lord Steinbeck noticed his disbelief. Fifty pounds? Was that what wealthy gentlemen considered a paltry amount of money? If so, it was no wonder why they bought such expensive clothes and had such extravagant balls.
The two gentlemen relaxed and chuckled.
“Your friend did an excellent job of fooling us,” Lord Steinbeck said. “I thought he was serious.”
“I did, too,” Lord Worsley spoke up. “He could be an actor at the theatre with skill that good.”
Byron chuckled along with them so they wouldn’t realize he’d never seen fifty pounds at any time in his life as a Runner.
The gentlemen continued to give him advice. They used terms, people, and businesses he hadn’t heard before. He was able to get a general idea of what they were talking about, but he wasn’t sure if he could take any of this information and start investing. Considering he’d never see the “paltry” amount of fifty pounds in his life, he decided to settle for nodding rather than asking questions.
After they were done, the duke said, “It’s no wonder you two and Mr. Jasper are among the wealthiest gentlemen in London. I introduced you to Mr. Tumilson with the intention of helping him, but as it turned out, you helped me.”
“We’ll be happy to discuss investing any time you want,” Lord Worsley told him.
“It’s a shame all of you are married,” the duke replied. “My daughter would benefit from a marriage to one of you. But alas,” he shrugged, “fate has not permitted such a match.”
“I’m sure your daughter will find someone,” Mr. Worsley said. “You’re a titled gentleman with money. That attracts just about anyone.”
Lord Steinbeck gestured to Byron. “Isn’t he your daughter’s suitor?”
“My association is with His Grace,” Byron interrupted, “but I have recently made his daughter’s acquaintance. In fact, I’m due to have a dance with her soon.”
“Maybe he’ll be the one,” Lord Steinbeck told the duke. “If he follows our advice, he’ll have more than enough money to see to her comfort in ten years.”
“Yes, perhaps things might play out that way.” The duke led Byron over to the outskirts of the room where they had a clear view of Lady Eleanor. “That went better than I’d hoped. With any luck, the rest of the evening will go just as well.”
“If it goes too well, that will make it difficult to detect anything suspicious,” Byron replied.
“I hadn’t thought of it that way. At least you’re here and can see what’s happening with her.”
Byron’s attention went to Lady Eleanor, and once more, she was looking in his direction. He was tempted to shake his head but managed to refrain from doing so. She would make a terrible Runner. Her father, at least, was making an attempt to be subtle.
The music ended, and since her father was looking at him expectantly, Byron headed in her direction. Thank goodness her father hadn’t set him up to have the first dance with her. It had taken him a while of watching people dance to get acquainted with the steps. He had learned the steps years ago when his sister entered her Season. He and their mother were hopeful she’d find a titled gentleman. They had used the last of their family’s money for her. He knew he’d be fine since he could earn a living, but ladies didn’t have the same advantages a gentleman did.
Mindful to keep up appearances of the hopeful suitor as her father wished, he asked her, “May I have this dance, Lady Eleanor?”
“You may, Mr. Tumilson.”
He gave a swift scan of the other couples to make sure he guided her to the right spot. In his time as a Runner, he’d had to put on a pretense of being someone he wasn’t, but he’d never once had to play the part of a wealthy gentleman who was looking for a bride.
How did gentlemen act around ladies they were hoping to court? He studied the gentlemen to see if any of them seemed romantically interested in the ladies they were dancing with. Out of the group, he detected two of them. They were offering flirtatious smiles at their partners. One leaned toward his partner and said something that made her blush and giggle. He caught the other besotted gentleman adjusting his cravat.
Following their lead, Byron adjusted his cravat then gave Lady Eleanor a smile so wide it almost made him uncomfortable. He hadn’t smiled this widely since he was a child at the candy store. Since he couldn’t come up with a joke to make her laugh, he settled for leaning toward her and whispering, “In the future, you shouldn’t keep looking at me while you’re dancing with other gentlemen. Someone’s apt to realize your father hired me to watch over you. Now, if you wouldn’t mind, please laugh so others with think I said something funny.” Then he straightened up, grinned at her, and waited for her to laugh.
She stared at him, and for a moment, he thought she wasn’t going to laugh, but then she let out a hesitant chuckle.
Before anyone realized her laugh had been forced, he leaned forward and whispered, “Perhaps you could try that again. Pretend I’m witty.”
She made another attempt at laughing. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better. He would just have to settle for it.
The music finally started, and they began to dance. Which was a relief. He didn’t know how much longer he could pretend to flirt.
“I don’t see how it’s fair that you can keep watching me, but I can’t look over at you,” Lady Eleanor said.
Glad no one was paying attention to them, he said, “I have to watch you. It’s why I’m here. You’re supposed to act like I’m not in the room. It’s how I’ve done it in the past with others, and I always managed to figure out what was going on.”
“There’s nothing going on this time. You must realize that by now.”
