Four of the men were already victims. Walston and Gatesbourne were the only two who hadn't been robbed or suffered the murder of a close female. Perhaps Count Chalon, Mr. Tate, and Mr. Standish fell into that group as well, but that would take some time to ascertain-something he'd assign to Henry right away. The duke's wife had died, but not recently, and supposedly by suicide. Nor had the duke been robbed.
Gideon's gut told him one of those men was guilty. Now all he had to do was figure out which one.
Before the bastard had the chance to strike again.
Chapter 20
Glass of punch in hand, Julianne stood with Emily, Sarah, and Carolyn and surveyed the crowd milling about the duke's richly appointed drawing room. Dressed in her new sapphire blue gown from Madame Renee, she felt like a freshly bathed lamb being led to the slaughterhouse. Conversation hummed around them, the news of Lady Hart's shocking murder on everyone's lips, including her trio of friends. At least that's what Julianne surmised they were discussing, as she was too distracted looking about to be certain.
Her gaze fell upon Gideon, and her breathing hitched. He stood near a pillar, about fifteen feet away, deep in conversation with Matthew, Daniel, and Logan Jennsen. As if he felt the weight of her stare, he looked toward her. And for Julianne everyone else in the room faded away. God help her, she was miserable. And frightened. And so in love with him she could barely think properly.
He'd told her he'd remain close by during the party, and she felt comforted by his presence. He'd also told her that under no circumstances was she to venture out of his sight-a directive she had every intention of following. She thought of poor Lady Hart and the other victims, and a cold shiver ran down her spine. She didn't want to meet a similar end.
Gideon had been particularly insistent as he'd been forced to relegate Caesar to the kitchen. When he'd arrived with the dog, the duke had flatly refused to allow Caesar entrance, stating that he didn't allow pets in his house. That the beast could wait for Gideon in the kitchen, or Gideon could leave as well.
'Is something amiss, Julianne?' Carolyn asked.
She forced her attention back to her friends.
Emily nodded. 'I cannot believe that the wedding will take place in two days.'
'Neither can I,' Julianne murmured.
Silence swelled between them, then Carolyn said in a too bright voice, 'You'll be a beautiful bride.'
'Stunning,' Emily agreed.
'And we'll all come to visit you,' Carolyn said.
'Of course we will,' Emily added quickly. 'And you'll come to London for the season.'
'And we'll write letters,' Carolyn promised, giving her hand a quick squeeze.
'Lots of letters,' Emily agreed. She nudged Sarah, who'd remained silent and looked troubled, with her elbow. 'Won't we, Sarah?'
'Yes,' Sarah said quietly.
Because Julianne knew her friends were trying to make her feel better, she tried her best to smile but feared the effort was less than successful. 'Thank you. That sounds lovely.'
And she wished with all her heart that she meant it.
From his post by the pillar, Gideon maintained an excellent view of the room. His gaze fell upon Julianne and, as always, his heart seemed to cough several times at the sight of her. She was listening to something one of her friends said, and his throat tightened. She looked so damn beautiful. And so damn sad. She should be smiling. All the time. She should be happy. Always.
Just then her lips curved upward, and his heart coughed once again. Bloody hell, when she smiled, she was so lovely it almost hurt to look at her.
'They're all four grinning,' came Logan Jennsen's voice from directly beside him. Gideon turned. Logan was talking to him but looking at Julianne and her friends. 'Makes one wonder what they're discussing.'
'Something they're not supposed to be, no doubt,' Lord Surbrooke said, joining them.
'Gives me shivers just to think about the mischief they could be concocting,' Lord Langston chimed in. 'Of course, so long as they remain in our sight, they can't get into
Gideon nodded. 'Lord Langston-'
'Matthew, please.'
'And Daniel,' Lord Surbrooke added. 'We've been keeping an eye on the gentlemen Jennsen mentioned,' he said in an undertone, 'but so far the worst thing I've seen is Beechmore filching extra glasses of champagne.'
'I was wondering,' Gideon said, 'have any of you heard of Count Chalon? It's a French title but he's lived in Cornwall for years.'
'Never heard of him,' said Matthew, while Daniel and Logan nodded in concurrence.
'And I spent a year in France before coming to England,' Logan added. 'Who is he?'
Instead of answering, Gideon asked, 'How about a Mr. Standish or a Mr. Tate, both also of Cornwall, both wealthy and from well-respected families.'
'Common names, but still I don't know of them,' Daniel said.
'How wealthy?' Logan asked.
'Enough so that a loss of ten thousand pounds wouldn't distress them.'
Logan's brows rose. 'So extremely wealthy. Interesting that their names are unfamiliar to me, as I've made it my business to know about those in such advantageous financial positions.'
'They don't spend time in London.'
'Still, seems odd we've never heard of such wealthy gentlemen,' Daniel said.
A humorless smile curved Logan's lips. 'Exactly. Doesn't matter if they spend time in London or not. You can't hide that kind of money. At least not for long. I'd be interested in meeting these gentlemen.'
Gideon was about to reply when, as if pulled by some force, his gaze shifted to where Julianne stood. She was looking at him, and he completely lost his thoughts as all his attention focused on her. For several seconds no one else existed. Then Lady Surbrooke said something to her, and she looked away from him. And he pulled in a breath he hadn't realized he'd held.
He quickly recalled his own conversation, and said, 'Meeting those gentlemen-yes, I would be very interested in doing so as well. At the very least I'd like to know more about them. If you hear
