“Is something troubling you?” Eris asked that evening as Charles stood at the window in the drawing room.
His gaze swept the street. No sign of a carriage or a lone gentleman walking in the direction of this townhouse. He forced his attention to her and smiled at how lovely she looked. Her hair had been pulled back into an attractive style, and she wore a black gown to honor Jonathan. It was nice to know she was sincere about caring for his friend. Jonathan should not be forgotten.
Nor should his death go unavenged. His gaze returned to the window. Still nothing.
Eris walked over to him. “Charles?”
He forced his attention back to her.
“If you’re nervous about this evening, you don’t need to be,” she said. “My brother will like you. You’re a wonderful gentleman.”
It was sweet that she worried about him. He slipped his arm around her waist and drew her closer to him. “It doesn’t matter what your brother thinks of me. All that matters is what you think.”
She was bound to be disappointed when she realized her brother was a cold-blooded killer. Thankfully, he would be here to help her through it. He’d hate to think of what would happen if she had to go through that kind of pain alone.
He kissed her. “You have a tender heart, my love. I did well when I married you.”
She smiled and got ready to reply when Charles saw his parents’ carriage.
“Reina’s here,” he said and gave her another kiss before he hurried to the front door.
He ought to warn his cousin about Byron. He wouldn’t come out and tell her what he suspected about him, but she couldn’t entertain the possibility that he could be her suitor.
“I’ll get it,” he told the footman.
The footman’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but he stepped away from the door and let Charles open it. Charles met his cousin just as she made it halfway up the steps.
Reina laughed. “I can’t recall a time I’ve seen you so excited. This is going to be a fun dinner party.”
Ignoring her comment, he said, “I have something important to tell you, but it’s something you must keep secret. You can’t even bring it up this evening.”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “Don’t tell me you ran off to elope because you thought you might have gotten Eris with child.”
His eyes grew wide. “No. It’s nothing like that.” He was shocked she would even think such a thing. Had all the times he’d told her to be mindful of her virtue been for nothing? “I only wanted to tell you that Eris’ brother is secretly betrothed. He doesn’t want anyone to know because he’s a Runner. Gentlemen who are Runners don’t like everyone to know what they’re doing. The secrecy makes them feel important.” Before she could argue the logic of his statement, he added, “The reason I’m telling you this is so that you don’t develop any romantic feelings for him.”
“Oh, I already fancy someone. You have nothing to worry about.” She patted his arm then continued up the stairs.
“You do? Who?” he asked as he followed her.
“I’d rather not say. The feelings are too new, and I don’t even know if he feels the same way. It’d be terribly embarrassing if I were to tell you and then find out he’d rather marry someone else.”
“Marriage? You’re thinking of marrying him?”
“Well, the thought did occur to me when I was talking to him.”
“I don’t like the sound of this.” Especially since it was happening much too fast. “Do I even know this gentleman?”
They reached the entryway, and she turned to face him. “I’ve barely spent any time with him. That’s why I need to wait for an opportune moment so I can talk to him. I need to figure out if he shares my feelings or not. Until then, I want to keep his identity to myself. Now, regarding Eris’ brother, I’ll keep what you told me in confidence. In return, you will respect my right to keep my secret to myself.”
He stared at her for a moment then sighed. “In some ways, you’re too much like my sister. I hope you show better sense than she did. Don’t kidnap the poor gentleman in order to marry him.”
“I have no desire to do something so silly.”
They reached the front door, and they saw that Eris was waiting for them a few feet away.
Reina hurried over to her. “You are so beautiful! It’s no wonder my cousin had to run off and marry you as quickly as he did.”
Charles got ready to shut the door when someone said, “It’s not polite to slam a door in your guest’s face.”
Charles jerked and peered around the door. It was Byron. “How is it possible I didn’t notice you coming up the steps?” Charles asked.
Byron shrugged. “How would I know? You’re the only one who can answer that question. Quite frankly, I’m shocked you didn’t notice me.”
Charles bit his tongue so he wouldn’t say anything to raise the gentleman’s suspicions. Byron had to be the killer. Look at how quietly he had come up the stairs. Neither Charles nor Reina had noticed him. Come to think of it, Charles hadn’t even spotted him on the street. That was one form of evidence. Byron could sneak into Jonathan’s bedchamber without anyone, even poor Jonathan, being the wiser. Charles was going to have to be diligent around him.
Byron went over to Eris and hugged her. “I hope you’re doing well.”
“I am,” Eris replied. “This is Reina. She’s become a very good friend in a short amount of time. Reina, this is Byron, my brother.”
Byron bowed. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
As Reina returned the greeting, Charles turned to close the door, making sure no one else was coming up the steps of the townhouse. While no one else had been invited, he didn’t need to be caught missing someone else. Since no one was on the stairs, he shut the door and went to the others.
“We went out this afternoon and bought some of those graphite pencils you like,” Eris told Byron. “The gentleman who made them sanded the wood so they’ll be easy to hold.”
“We’re going to have so much fun drawing silhouettes,” Reina added. “You two gentlemen have such noble profiles.”
Charles frowned. He didn’t like that she had included Byron in that compliment. Byron might think she was flirting with him and try to charm her. While Reina claimed to have an interest in someone else, that could easily change at any time. He hoped his lie about Byron being betrothed was enough.
“We should go into the drawing room,” Eris said. “We’ll be more comfortable if we’re sitting.”
Charles followed the others into the room, and when Eris gave him a cup of tea, he took it. He was supposed to sit with Eris, but he decided to sit in the chair next to Reina in order to further do his part to make sure his cousin didn’t fall in love with Byron.
Byron’s eyebrows rose. “Don’t you want to sit with your wife?”
“You’re Eris’ brother. I thought you might want to sit with her,” Charles said.
“Considering she’s your wife, that’s unusual,” Byron replied.
“I don’t mind, Byron,” Eris said. “Here. Have some tea.” She held a cup out to him.
Byron glanced at Charles in a way that told Charles he didn’t like him then sat next to her on the settee.
Charles bit his tongue and settled back in his chair. He didn’t care for Byron, either, but he was determined not to give that away. It would only make the gentleman wonder if Charles had figured out the truth about Jonathan’s death. Charles crossed his legs and took a sip of the tea.
“I put the things for drawing silhouettes over there on the table,” Eris said, gesturing to the table by the window in the corner of the room. “I even have the candles ready.”
“It’s going to be fun,” Reina replied. “You did a wonderful job of setting everything up.”
Eris offered her a grateful smile and then drank her tea.
A few tense moments passed in silence. Charles tried to watch Byron without staring at him outright. Byron, however, didn’t seem inclined to hide his interest in Charles since whenever Charles peeked in his direction, Byron was looking directly at him.
“Eris and I had so much fun shopping this afternoon,” Reina finally spoke up. “We came across the funniest couple. They were obviously in love, but they bickered the whole time we were in the candy shop.”
Eris chuckled. “They were funny. I’ve seen them before at a couple of balls. It was Mr. Robinson and his wife, if I recall correctly. They always act like that. I think they enjoy the silly arguments. Nothing they ever say is serious. You can tell they are only teasing each other.”
“It sounds like a fun marriage.” Reina glanced between Charles and Byron. “I suppose since this is a private dinner party, it’s all right to say that I actually saw Mr. Robinson give her a playful pat on the bottom when he didn’t think anyone was looking.” She giggled.
Surprised his cousin should find this amusing, Charles said, “I fail to understand why he would do something so inappropriate in public.” Exchanging witty banter was one thing, but him touching her somewhere private like that wasn’t the least bit acceptable. “I hope you understand you shouldn’t allow your future husband to do anything like that.”
“He didn’t realize I saw it. He made an effort to be discreet.”
“Well, he wasn’t discreet if you noticed,” Charles pointed out then drank more tea.
“She was quick to reprimand him,” Reina said.
“At least she had the sense to do that. I hope he listens so that he doesn’t do that again,” Charles replied.
Reina gave a slight roll of her eyes. “In all the time I’ve been in London, it doesn’t seem like people have much fun.”
“They have fun. They just know that it’s best to have fun in the privacy of their homes.”
“There’s a lot that can happen in the privacy of one’s home,” Byron said.
Charles tensed. He sensed there was a subtle meaning Byron had just slipped into those words. Giving up the pretense of not looking at him, Charles made direct eye contact with him. “What did you mean by that?”
“Nothing. I was merely agreeing with you,” Byron replied.
Charles frowned. Was he, or was he lying?
“I don’t see the harm in an affectionate pat while out in public,” Reina said. “Perhaps it might have been better if he’d touched her arm or the small of her back, but it was still a sweet gesture.”
“Some gentlemen like to be scandalous, but they also don’t want to get found out,” Eris replied. “They find it exciting to try to do something the Ton wouldn’t like without getting caught. Gossip spreads quickly, and it’s hard to restore your reputation once you lose it, especially if you’re a lady. My advice, Reina, is that it’s best not to do anything in public that could potentially lead to a scandal.”
“That was well said,” Charles agreed, pleased Eris could see the wisdom in being diligent with one’s reputation. Eris would be a good influence on his cousin. It was good they were friends.
“No one but me noticed,” Reina said. “I’d say he was careful.”
Something akin to respect came across Byron’s face. “It’s not everyone who notices everything that happens around them.”
Charles’ attention went back to him. He didn’t need for Byron to find something attractive in his cousin. He had to put a stop to this before it got serious. He cleared his throat and straightened up in the chair. “I hope everyone likes venison. Cook assured me it’s fresh. He said the maid picked it up from the market this afternoon.”
“It’s a shame your father isn’t here,” Reina said. “He loves venison.” Glancing at the others, she added, “He’d eat it for every meal if he could.”
“Why didn’t you invite the rest of your family over?” Byron asked Charles. “It would have been nice to meet them.”
Charles detected a challenge in the gentleman’s comment, as if he thought Charles might be doing something deceptive, which was absurd given that Charles hadn’t been the one who killed Jonathan. “I wanted this to be a small gathering since it’s the first dinner party Eris and I are hosting,” Charles said after a moment.
“Just how many parents do you have?” Byron asked.
Charles didn’t know what to make of the ridiculous question, but he answered, “Two, just like everyone else.”
“So what would have been the difference between four and six people?” Byron asked.
“What is this about, Byron?” Eris interrupted.
“If the purpose was to bring our families together, then why only pick a cousin?” Byron replied. “Think of it, Eris. You and I are all that’s left. Our parents are no longer alive, and we have no close relatives. Your new husband, however, has quite a few close relatives. He has two living parents, three sisters, and this cousin. The oldest sister is married with a child and another on the way. Why didn’t he invite everyone?”
Charles stiffened. “How do you know all of that? And how did you know my oldest sister is with child?” Heather had only told the family about it. She’d wanted to wait until she was further along in her pregnancy before announcing it to everyone in London.
“I’m a Runner,” Byron told him. “And an experienced one.”
Charles didn’t like the sound of this. Had Byron been investigating his family?
Eris laughed. “You shouldn’t try to frighten him, Byron.” She glanced at Charles. “I probably mentioned everyone when he stopped by the other day.”
“Do you remember telling him all of that?” Charles asked her.
She paused then replied, “No, but I probably said something in passing at some point while I told him about our elopement. Everything’s happened so fast over the past few weeks. I can hardly remember everything I said.”
“A whirlwind romance will do that to a person,” Reina said.
Ignoring Reina, Byron looked at Eris. “Have you met Charles’ parents or other family members yet?”
“I’ve met the parents and oldest sister,” Eris said.
“And how long were they here?” Byron asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. We had tea, and that was pretty much it,” Eris replied.
“I was there when Charles’ parents were here,” Reina told Byron. “We didn’t want to disturb Charles and Eris since they’re still newly married. We weren’t here for longer than an hour.”
Byron glanced at Charles. “If she’s already met some of your family, why not let me meet them, too?”
“What’s the point? It seems like you know plenty about them already,” Charles replied, struggling to keep his tone pleasant for the sake of the two ladies who were watching them.
“Something is strange about all of this,” Byron said, turning his gaze back to Eris. “If this was truly a dinner party where the families are to meet, then the parents, at least, should be here.”
Charles bristled. How dare he! Byron was trying to convince his innocent and naïve sister that she shouldn’t trust her husband. Charles didn’t like this. He didn’t like it one bit. He had nothing to hide. He wasn’t the murderer in this room!
“I don’t like where this is going,” Charles told him.
“If that’s the case, you shouldn’t have gotten involved with my sister,” Byron said.
Charles’ eyes grew wide. Was that a threat? Was Byron planning to kill him in order to get him out of the way so that no one would find out he had killed Jonathan?
Reina’s eyebrows furrowed, and Eris seemed equally confused.
“I want this evening to go well,” Eris finally said after a tense moment. “This is the first time I’ve been able to have a dinner party in my house. Can’t we have a pleasant evening?”
“It’s a shame you didn’t have time to host a dinner party with Jonathan,” Byron told her, though he didn’t take his gaze off of Charles.
Eris’ smile faltered. “I don’t think anything could have been done about that, Byron. It was tragic that Jonathan died.”
“Yes, it was,” Charles agreed, keeping his attention focused on Byron. “My good friend of many years was gone well before his time.”
The room fell into an uneasy silence, and a minute later the butler came to announce that dinner was ready.
If it was up to Charles, he’d take Byron to the front door and kick him out. Byron was the murderer. There was no doubt about it. And now he was going to get rid of him, too. Charles stood in Byron’s way of the money Jonathan left Eris. Byron needed him out of the way in order to get to it. And not only would Byron get to Jonathan’s money, he would get to the significant sum of money Charles had as well. Charles couldn’t believe he had been so blind on the day of Jonathan’s funeral. He should have seen how wicked Eris’ brother was sooner.
“Since dinner is ready, we should eat,” Reina said, glancing between Charles and Byron. “I don’t know about everyone else, but I sure am hungry. Venison sounds delicious.”
“Yes, it does,” Eris hurried to add. “Charles had Cook prepare a wonderful meal. He even asked for lemon cheesecakes. You love those, Byron.”
Did he? If Charles had known that, he wouldn’t have asked for them to be put on the menu.
Reina stood up. “Well, come on, then. Let’s get up. The dinner won’t come to us.”
While it wasn’t ideal, Charles was going to have to go through the rest of the evening with Byron in his home. He was going to have to endure this most unwelcome guest until it was time for everyone to retire for the night.
Charles rose to his feet and extended his arm to Eris. “We’ll go after you and Reina,” he told Byron.
Eris stood up from the settee and went over to take Charles’ arm. She glanced at Byron.
After making eye contact with his sister, Byron finally offered his arm to Reina.
Charles waited until Byron and Reina were in front of him before escorting Eris out of the room. He put his hand over Eris’ and offered her a comforting smile. The poor lady. He was going to have to spend a lot of time consoling her once her brother’s crime was exposed. If it was the last thing he did, he was going to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Byron was guilty. And he was going to do it before Byron got the chance to kill him.