Eleanor was sitting in an armchair in the drawing room. Her hands were clasped together in her lap. Miss Tessa had helped her change into a morning dress, but no one had bothered about her hair. It sat loose on her shoulders.

Lady Serrs-Comtess sat in the chair cater-corner to Eleanor’s. The baroness was sitting far enough forward, their knees were almost touching. Helena’s hands were resting on top of a cane that stood in front of her voluminous skirts. It was held as upright as its owner’s spine.

Aubrey-Serrs stomped around the room, pausing only to bellow at Haley or one of the many policemen that came to talk to the inspector. The room was cluttered with sounds and movements.

“Not the art. We’ve checked it.”

“Gems?”

“Taylor!”

“Are there any other safes, Your Grace?”

“What? No!”

“Any hiding places?”

“Sir, we’ve finished inspecting the third floor.”

“Yes, Your Grace?”

“Taylor”—the duke waved his arm—“he needs you.”

“Yes, Inspector Haley?”

“Have you and Mrs. Park finished checking the silver?”

“We have, sir. It’s all accounted for.”

“Your Grace, please! Any other places you might have hidden money?”

“Leave me alone! I don’t know. Bah! They must have taken something.”

“What about private papers?”

The only pocket of quiet was around Eleanor. The stillness and silence she had adopted emanated from her far enough to enfold her aunt. No one and nothing coming in or out of the room could penetrate her impassivity.

She only moved when the sun shone through the window. The beam crept up her skirt and into her lap, creating an alien warmth on her clutched hands. She raised her face to look at the dawn.

Haley, who’d been stealing glances at her the whole morning, noticed her reaction. He stepped away from the other policemen.

“Lady Serrs?”

The baroness looked up at him, but Eleanor made no move to indicate she’d heard him.

“Lady Serrs?” he said louder.

Eleanor drew in a breath and turned away from the window. The room had gone quiet to listen to the one-sided exchange. She noticed everyone was watching her.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, lowering her eyes.

Lucas Haley looked around the room behind him. When his eyes fell on each of his men, they departed, one by one. Taylor was an expert at reading the room, as any good butler should be, so he also took his leave. The inspector was left alone with the members of the Serrs family.

Haley squatted so he would be level with Eleanor.

“Are you all right?”

She stared at him. He regretted his question the instant he saw the pain in her eyes. He took a breath and tried again.

“Lady Serrs…”

His mind cast around, trying to find a way to pry her from her shell without hurting her. There was something about the way she was sitting. Undecided. Nervous. It made him feel like there was something he needed to know.

He saw the tendons in the back of her hand flex as she tightened her fingers.

“…do…do you have something for me?”

Eleanor lifted her hand. It moved over the table between her and her aunt. The four people in the room were so quiet, they all heard the tiny chink of metal landing on the wood. Eleanor moved her hand to reveal a small gold ring.

Lady Helena put a hand on Eleanor’s arm.

Her father stormed in from the other side of the room. “What is that? What is that?” He grew louder the closer he came. “That’s a wedding band!”

Haley stood to face the duke. “Your Grace, please—”

“The sanctity of my home was destroyed—me and my men were assaulted—so tha-that thief could be…twee?! With me?!”

“Your Grace—”

“There you are, my girl!” the duke roared. “Congratulations! You’re finally engaged. Aren’t you proud? I wonder you preferred doing it this way, rather than mine, but god knows, you would do as you please!”

“Your Grace!” Haley shouted.

The duke, stunned, turned to face the inspector.

Haley took advantage of the silence to finish saying, “Your daughter didn’t do this. It’s not her fault.”

“It damn well is!”

“Erravold!” Helena snapped.

“No!” Her brother rounded on the baroness. “It damn well is, and I will scream it a thousand times until someone hears me! Eleanor, this is your fault!”

Through grit teeth, Haley said, “Penn is his own moral agent. He did it. This is his fault. Lady Serrs is not the cause, she’s the victim!”

“If she’s a victim, it’s only because she sits there and does nothing to help herself!”

Eleanor’s eyelids fluttered shut.

A sense of steel stole into the inspector’s face. Whatever thoughts and feelings were shut behind the metal mask, when he spoke, Haley’s voice was low and even: “Duke Aubrey-Serrs, I must ask you to leave.”

“What?” the duke cried. “Do you know who I am?”

“I thought I said your name clearly enough, Your Grace. Now, please leave. I need to talk to Lady Serrs alone.”

“You want me to leave you alone with my daughter?”

“Your daughter is twenty-three years old. She’s a grown woman, not a child.”

“You can’t order me around, Chief Inspector! This is my house!”

“I’m a duly appointed officer in Her Majesty and the Regent’s police force, and I’m investigating a crime. I have the authority here. I will be talking to my eyewitness alone. The only choice you have is if it’ll be done in your drawing room, or if I have to take Lady Serrs down to police headquarters.”

The duke stared at the inspector.

“Whichever you prefer, Your Grace.”

Still, the duke stood there, staring, as if he’d never seen Haley before—as if he wasn’t sure what to do.

Lady Serrs-Comtess rose to her feet with the aid of her cane. In a voice that harked back to a childhood where an older sister was always trying to guide her stubborn brother, she said, “Come on, Erravold. Let the policeman do his work. I’m sure he’ll talk to us before he leaves, and in the meantime, we can get some badly needed breakfast.”

The duke hesitated. “You’ll talk to us?”

“Yes, Your Grace,” Haley assured him.

Aubrey-Serrs scowled, but he also dropped his head in a single nod. Then he turned to join the baroness. The cane clicked on the floor as she walked.

As they left the room, Haley heard the duke say, “Why are you carrying that thing, Helena?”

“I’m tired, Erravold.”

“You? Never.”

“Then maybe I’ll use it to hit your shins if you contradict me again.”

The door shut behind them, and their voices were cut off.

Haley took a breath before he turned back to Eleanor. He was not surprised to find there were tears on her face.

She still managed to whisper, “Thank you.”

He walked over and handed her his handkerchief. “There’s no need to thank me. I’m willing to bet I wanted the peace almost as much as you did.”

Haley dropped into the chair Lady Helena had abandoned and rubbed his face with his hand. When he was done, he let his hand rest there for several minutes, covering his eyes. The inspector hoped that the dearly bought peace might make Eleanor feel more comfortable.

When he finally removed his hand, she was trying to control the last of her sobs. He marveled at how she managed to cry so silently even when her emotions were powerful enough to shake her body.

She wiped her nose and eyes one last time. Without looking at him, she said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Haley.”

“You do not have to apologize for your father’s behavior.”

A hysterical laugh caught in her chest. “I am sorry about that, but that’s not what I was apologizing for.”

She glanced over, saw him watching her, and lowered her eyes again. “I’m sorry you had to see this.” She felt too drained to even motion to her face.

Haley seemed to understand anyway.

“Do you know what a policeman is, Miss Serrs? A stranger. An interloper. I’m the unwanted man that comes into people’s lives in their worst moments. I’ve seen a lot of terrible things, but the honest expression of emotion is not one of them. I’m not embarrassed, and I don’t think less of you.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you feel better?”

“Take a good cry, then you get on.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s something my old nanny used to say. Yes, Mr. Haley, I feel a little better. Hopefully, now I can be less useless.”

Haley frowned when he heard the comment, but he decided to leave it alone. He sat up in the chair. “Miss Serrs, I’d like you to tell me what happened. Everything you saw, everything he did, everything you heard. Try to take it one thing at a time, in as close to the right order as you can manage. Can you do that now, or do you need more time?”

“I think I can do that. Will you be patient with me?”

“Yes. Take as long as you need.”

Eleanor closed her eyes and composed her thoughts. As soon as she was focusing on the facts, it became easier. She took a breath and started to tell her story.

The inspector listened without making a sound. He didn’t want to risk doing anything that might interrupt the flow of her narration. It was too precise. When she told him what Penn had said, he knew it was a quote, not a rephrasing.

Haley knew she was done when she opened her eyes and looked at him.

As a matter of form, he said, “That’s everything?”

“Yes.”

“There was nothing else you saw or heard that struck you?”

She hesitated, then said, “No. Nothing.”

Haley sat back and put a hand to his jaw. His morning whiskers bit his skin, but a shave would have to wait.

Eleanor gave him some time to think. When she felt brave enough to impose, she said, “Mr. Haley?”

His eyes lost their faraway look and turned to her.

She said, “Did anything Mr. Penn say seem strange to you?”

The inspector shifted in his seat. “Penn likes a show. He writes, directs, and performs all his own productions. If no one else is watching, he’ll applaud and pat himself on the back to make sure he gets his due credit. He once gave a woman a grand ‘you’re welcome’ for relieving her of her overly heavy diamond bracelet.”

A weak smile appeared on Eleanor’s face before falling away.

Haley went on, “But is it strange? I don’t know. I’ll have to think on it. Miss Serrs, how long was it between when you heard the gunshot and when Penn entered your room?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know.”

“Do you know if any of the men who were on watch have a good sense of time?”

“Taylor. We say he runs on clockwork. We can set our watches to him.”

The inspector stood up, but he stopped before he’d taken two steps. “Miss Serrs, I need to talk to Taylor, but would you prefer that I stay here?”

Eleanor nodded.

“The bell?”

She pointed to a spot on the wall. Haley went over and pressed it.

Taylor came to the door and said, “Yes, Inspector Haley?”

“I need a man who’s good with time, even in a crisis.”

“I might be able to help you there, Inspector.”

“Thank you. Can you tell me how long it was between the gunshot and when Lady Serrs-Comtess screamed?”

“I would guess twenty minutes, sir. Certainly no more than thirty, and much closer to twenty.”

“You feel sure of that?”

“Very sure, sir.”

“And both of Penn’s assistants were gone by the time Lady Serrs-Comtess found her brother?”

“That I don’t know, Inspector.”

Lady Helena had been waiting by the door, along with a policeman. She heard the question and came into the room to offer the information.

“They were gone,” she said. “Erravold heard them walk down the back stairs, and after that he couldn’t hear them anymore.”

“Do you think he would have?”

“My brother has excellent hearing.”

“What about you, Lady Serrs-Comtess? Did you wake up with the gunshot?”

“I take a draught each night to help me sleep. When it wore off, I went to get a drink of water. Before then, I would have been insensible to everything.”

“It wears off so quickly?”

With marked exhaustion, Helena said, “Unfortunately.”

“Braddock.”

The policeman came to attention.

“Please get Crewe for me. I want him to check all the locks on the second-floor bedrooms.”

“Sir.” The policeman disappeared.

Helena’s eyes narrowed. “What are you thinking, Inspector Haley?”

“I’m thinking that it might have taken Penn twenty minutes to find Lady Serrs, especially if he had to pick the locks on every room he visited.”

“What does that mean?” Eleanor asked.

“Penn may not have taken anything. He may have only come to deliver something.”

Eleanor’s eyes dropped to the ring.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lady Helena said. “The man’s a thief!”

“He is. But I think he’s also the kind of man who’d be offended at the idea of robbing a woman on the same night he proposed to her.”

“Lunacy,” Lady Helena declared. “Inspector Haley, are you done interrogating my niece? She hasn’t eaten, and we need to see to her hair.”

“Almost, milady.”

“I’ll be waiting outside, Eleanor.”

She and Taylor left the room.

Haley went back to Eleanor. Once he was beside her, he wavered. She was still gazing at the ring.

“Miss Serrs?”

“It makes no sense. What good does it do him? To take such a risk. And to no advantage.”

“No advantage we know.”

“If he didn’t take anything, then he’s only out one gold ring.”

“I admit I don’t understand his plan yet, but it would explain why he sent off his men. He didn’t need them to help haul away any spoils, and it would reduce the risk of them getting caught.”

“And you think he spent twenty minutes looking for me, with the police patrolling outside, for the sole purpose of proposing to me?”

“Or to annoy your father. And if he did, he would have relished every minute of it.”

Eleanor shook her head, but her eyes never left the band.

“Miss Serrs, do you mind if I take it?”

She looked up, startled. “Well, I don’t want it!”

As Haley picked it up, he heard her say, “It fits, you know.”

Her voice was hushed. “He was so gentle as he put it on. Left hand, ring finger. It fit beautifully. I remember noticing that. And it was warm from being in his pocket.” She raised her eyes to his. “Why does my brain cling to the strangest details? I think I’ll remember them forever.”

The inspector swallowed. “I’m afraid I don’t know.”

“Please take it away, Mr. Haley. I don’t want it.”

“I will. I have to go now, but I’ll send in your aunt. You won’t be alone.”

“Thank you.”

After a meager breakfast, Eleanor went to sleep. Lady Serrs-Comtess came to fetch her at half past four. She found her niece sitting up in bed, her arms wrapped around her knees, staring out the open window.

“Eleanor?”

Eleanor turned and noted the cane in the baroness’s hand. “Aunt Helena, are you all right?”

The tightness in Helena’s chest eased. This girl was the Eleanor she knew—responsive and empathetic. The meekness was still more pronounced than normal, but she was so much more herself than she had been that morning, it made Lady Serrs-Comtess glad.

“As good as I can be. Don’t mind this old thing. Mrs. Park is serving tea. I thought you might be interested in joining us. Your father is still going through his papers with a policeman, but if we don’t hurry, Edward might claim all the cake.”

“That rat.”

Eleanor was hunting for a suitable tea-gown, so she missed the tiny twitch at the edge of her aunt’s lips.

They went down together.

Before Lady Helena had gone to fetch her niece, she’d spent ten minutes warning her own offspring to behave in a voice so cold Edward was surprised that he couldn’t find frost on his eyebrows.

When Edward saw Eleanor come into the room, he understood why his mother had been so adamant. Eleanor tried to be kind and polite. Eleanor tried to join in the conversation, and she tried to smile while Edward regaled her with a slightly exaggerated account of his miserable part in the affair—but it was all Eleanor trying. And what she was trying to do, above all else, was not appear as pensive and tormented as she felt.

The duke came to join them toward the end of the meal.

He grabbed up a sandwich and wolfed it down without any grace or ceremony. Lady Helena knew how long her brother had been without food, so she made no comment as she poured him his usual tea.

He took it and gulped down half before he spoke without looking up from the table.

“That’s it then. We’ve gone through everything. If that—if Penn took anything, I have no idea what it could be. I won’t miss whatever it was, so I wish him the best of it! Maybe it’ll be enough to buy us a reprieve.”

“Do you think he’ll be back?” the baron asked.

“Edward.” When Helena whispered his name, it came out as a slice of ice.

The baron shivered as he remembered his warning.

The duke still didn’t look up. “I don’t know.”

They all glanced toward Eleanor. Even the duke raised his eyes enough to watch his daughter. Normally she would have noticed such attention, but this time she was oblivious. They weren’t even sure she could see the dregs of tea she was staring at.

Suddenly she rose from her chair. “I’d like to go for my walk. I missed it this morning.”

The duke blinked, then turned to his sister for guidance. Helena’s eyebrows rose.

As if talking to the room at large, the baroness said, “The weather is ideal, and the routine could be good for her.”

“Eleanor, are you sure—” Edward started to say.

“I’ll be fine.” Eleanor smiled at him. It was the least convincing thing he’d ever seen.

The baron slowly rose from his chair. “Would you like me to come along?”

“I thought you were expected at your club, Eddie. Besides, I always walk alone. Father?”

The duke scowled. “Do as you please.”

With that permission, she was gone from the room.

Edward looked from the duke to his mother. “What was that about?”

“I don’t know,” Helena said. “Erravold?”

“Let her be,” he barked. In a quieter voice, he added, “The walk might do her good.”