Eris spent almost an hour searching through Charles’ entire bedchamber, but she didn’t find the book her brother had told her about. She groaned in frustration. Byron was never going to believe Charles was innocent without that book.
Maybe it wasn’t in the bedchamber. Maybe it was in the library. She had her books in her bedchamber, but Jonathan kept his in the library. She remembered going in there to get the ledger for the steward to manage after his death since she didn’t know the first thing about finances. She assumed Charles took over that aspect of things once he married her, but she hadn’t thought to ask. All she knew was that she had a set allowance each week, and it was more than what Byron had been able to give her.
When she got to the library, she searched through the room but didn’t see anything that resembled the kind of book Byron had told her about. She put down the last book and sat in the chair.
She didn’t know what she was going to do. All she could do was tell Byron the book wasn’t here. She could implore him to believe her when she said Charles didn’t murder Jonathan, but if he hadn’t accepted her words before, how could she expect him to accept them the next time they spoke to each other?
A soft knock came at the open door of the library. She turned her attention to the butler.
“Miss Livingstone is here,” he said. “Are you available for visitors?”
Glad for the reprieve, Eris rose to her feet. “Yes. I’ll meet her in the drawing room. Please bring us tea and queen cakes.”
With a nod, he left the room.
Eris gave one more look around the room, and as she expected, the small book didn’t magically appear anywhere. Shoulders slumped, she went to the drawing room.
As soon as Reina saw her, she hurried over to give her a hug. “I thought you could use a friend to talk to.”
Eris hugged her back. “Thank you. You’re right. I could.”
Reina let go of her and led her to the settee where the two sat. “I have no idea what was happening between Charles and Byron, but I could tell it ruined your evening. How are you feeling today?”
“Worse than I felt last night.” She made sure none of the servants were nearby before adding, “As you know my brother is a Runner. He’s in the habit of figuring out who committed a crime. These can be anything from a small theft to something more serious like murder. Well, he—” Eris’ voice choked on the next word, so she had to stop herself and wait until she could speak clearly. “He thinks Charles murdered Jonathan.”
Reina’s eyes grew wide. “He thinks my cousin killed his nearest and dearest friend?”
Eris fought back her tears. “I don’t know what to do. Charles isn’t a killer.”
“No, he’s not. My cousin doesn’t have it in him to harm anyone.”
“I know he doesn’t. I explained that to my brother this morning, but he refuses to believe me.” She checked the doorway again to make sure no one was there then added, “I thought my brother was upset that I married so soon after Jonathan’s death or that he just didn’t like Charles. It didn’t occur to me that he would accuse Charles of murder.”
“Did he say why he thought that?”
“Money. He thinks Charles saw an opportunity to get more money if he murdered his friend and then married me. He has this idea in his mind that Charles is only pretending to be in love with me.”
“I can assure you that Charles’ feelings are sincere. He came to me shortly after the funeral to ask if I would befriend you so that he could get better acquainted with you. I wasn’t supposed to say anything because he wanted everything to seem like it all happened by chance. But it was all by design. He secretly admired you before I even met you.”
“So you weren’t lost the day we met?”
Reina offered her an apologetic smile. “Charles dropped me off a few townhouses from here and told me which one to go to. I hope you aren’t upset. I really do like you. You did become a good friend.”
Eris returned her smile. “I’m not upset. Actually, I’m flattered.”
Imagine a gentleman going to such lengths in order to be with her. As Reina had pointed out, they were friends now. All turned out well in the end. Also, it did bring forth something important that neither she nor Byron had known.
“Maybe that’s what Byron is talking about when he told me Charles is hiding something,” Eris said. “My brother was insistent that Charles wasn’t telling me something.”
“I can’t think of what else it could be. It has to be the plan he came up with so that he could get to know you better.”
Yes, that had to be it. All of it made sense in light of this new information.
The butler came into the room with a tray and set it on the table in front of them.
Reina waited until he left before saying, “Tell your brother how you and I really met. I think that will reassure him that Charles isn’t a murderer.”
“I will.”
Already, she felt much better. Once she and Reina were done with their visit, she would go to Byron’s residence and tell him what she had discovered. Then, hopefully, they could put this whole thing behind them.
***
As Charles went through Aldercy’s, he paid close attention to the buttons on the gentlemen’s clothing. There were two who had elaborate buttons that reminded him of the work the shop owner did. One was at a gaming table playing cards, and the other was reading a newspaper in the corner of the room.
He tapped the top of Jonathan’s cane for several long moments before he decided to approach the gentleman who was reading.
The gentleman glanced up at him.
“Forgive the interruption,” Charles said. “Are you Lord Hemmington?”
The gentleman shook his head. “The gentleman you’re looking for is over there.” He pointed to the one who was at the card table.
“Thank you,” Charles replied. “I’m sorry I interrupted you.”
Out of courtesy, the gentleman assured him it was fine.
Charles turned and went over to the tables. He remained to the side so as not to interrupt anyone in the middle of a game. When the game came to an end, Charles walked up to him.
Lord Hemmington collected the money he’d won and glanced over at Charles.
“Are you Lord Hemmington?” Charles asked.
Lord Hemmington frowned. “Do I owe you money?”
“No,” Charles replied, surprised that should be the first thing he’d say to him. “The matter I wish to discuss has nothing to do with money.”
Lord Hemmington put the money into his pocket and then excused himself from the table.
Charles followed him to a vacant corner of the room and sat in the chair next to him. “It’s a simple matter. I won’t take up much of your time. I was just at the market, and I came across a shop that specializes in accessories for gentlemen’s clothing. The owner there said you can attest to the quality of his work. I’m thinking of buying buttons from him, but I want to make sure the price he charges is worth it. The amount he asks is a little on the excessive side.”
“Are you referring to Mr. Clancy?”
“Yes, that’s the owner’s name.”
“Am I the only person he named?”
“You’re the first name that came up,” Charles replied, hoping the gentleman wouldn’t ask for a list of the other gentlemen the owner had mentioned. That would give away his lie if he had to make someone up who didn’t do business at that shop. Charles’ grip tightened on the cane as he waited for the gentleman to respond.
Lord Hemmington’s gaze went to the cane. “That cane looks familiar. Did you buy it from Mr. Clancy?”
“No, but then, I didn’t see any canes in his shop when I was there today,” Charles said. “Did he used to sell canes?”
“The last time I went to see him, there were a couple of handcrafted canes on display. That’s a nice cane. I wouldn’t mind one from someone who crafted that. Where did you get it from?”
Charles hesitated to answer. Lord Hemmington’s button had been in Jonathan’s bedchamber. If he came out and said it belonged to Jonathan, then Lord Hemmington would know he had figured out he’d murdered his friend. Charles quickly thought of another answer and said, “It was a gift from my family. They thought it would make me more stylish.”
Lord Hemmington nodded. “They’re right. It does. The work on it is exquisite. Some might even say it’s unforgettable. Unforgettable things are important.” He smiled then added, “Mr. Clancy is skilled at what he does. I recommend him if you’re serious about getting those buttons. Do you have any other questions for me?”
Charles couldn’t be sure, but he thought there was something underlying the gentleman’s tone that indicated he wasn’t the least bit pleased Charles had bothered him. Charles struggled to understand what he had done to annoy him, but nothing came to mind. Charles had been careful not to mention Jonathan or finding the button. He’d given Lord Hemmington no clues that he had deducted the truth about Jonathan’s death. And yet, a prickling sensation in the back of his mind told him he had made an error somewhere along the way.
“Um, no,” Charles forced out. “I only came to ask about the buttons.”
“I’m glad I could be of assistance.” Lord Hemmington rose from the chair and went back to the gaming tables.
Charles waited for a couple of seconds before he got up and left the establishment. He had to talk to the constable. He had to let the constable know he knew who killed Jonathan, and he would show him the button and Mr. Clancy’s note as proof. With a glance to make sure the street was clear, he hurried across it and went in the direction of the constable’s residence.