"Well, I'm on rather an impressive streak of hosting excellent parties," Her Grace explained, "a fact you would be aware of if you had bothered to attend last evening's festivities. I see no reason to wait. The guests will join us on Saturday. I shall need your help to prepare the manor." Turning to the girls, she suggested, "Why don't you both join us? I'm happy to extend the request to your parents if you'd like. You would be welcome company for both Alexandra and myself."

Ella and Vivi nodded assent as Alex sighed heavily, drawing a smile from her mother. "There's no reason to be so dramatic, Alexandra. You like the country. Remember?"

"I know," she replied with reservation, "I just hate the season."

"Well, that's all the more reason to get yourself married — and avoid having to have another," her mother said with a broad grin that reminded Alex of her brothers on their most infuriating of days. She returned the smile with a black look as her mother kissed her on the forehead and turned on her heel to leave the room, saying, "Things will look better once you've dressed, my love. Girls, there's a beautiful breakfast spread in the dining room — Cook really has outdone herself. May I suggest you join us?"

And, with that, she departed.

As the door closed behind her mother, Alex worried her lip, wishing that she'd never escaped to the orangery the night before and swearing silently that she would never eavesdrop on another conversation again. Now she'd made a mess of everything. She had no idea to whom Lucian had been talking and no proof to share with anyone that she'd heard what she'd heard. On top of that, Blackmoor had all but pushed her out of his study last night. This was horrible.

"This is excellent!" Ella burst out after the door to the bedchamber closed behind the duchess.

Vivi and Alex turned shocked gazes on their friend. Vivi found her voice first. "I beg your pardon? This sounds the very opposite of excellent."

"You're not thinking about it in the right way! A house party in Essex will give us a chance to search for clues and information in Essex, where the crime was committed! If we don't return from the country with the whole mystery solved, I shall be quite surprised!"

"Ella, at the rate we're going, if we return from the country with all of our loved ones intact, I shall be quite surprised," Alex said, her words laced with frustration as she threw back her coverlet and got out of bed, ringing for Eliza to help her dress. "That's it. I'm going to tell my father everything. We can't do this alone."

"But, Alex!" Ella exclaimed.

"No, Ella. This is not a game. A man died. We're not in any position to solve this mystery ourselves. Blackmoor's life is at stake. And ours as well if we don't tell what we know."

Vivi nodded in agreement. "I think Alex is right, Ella. We cannot traipse off to Essex to save the day — we wouldn't even know how to begin to do that."

Ella pouted briefly until she recognized the truth behind her friends' words. Although she did allow herself a heavy sigh and a disappointed "Fine."

* * *

The rich, savory aromas of a traditional English breakfast were detectable even as they descended the massive central staircase of Worthington House. Alex's mouth was watering before the girls joined the Staffords in the dining room for breakfast.

The entire family was present for the meal, with the exception of the duke, who had clearly already been and gone; the seat always reserved for him at the head of the long mahogany table was empty save for an already-read newspaper. Alex tempered her disappointment — she had been hoping to catch her father before he left for the business of the day — and focused on the rest of the room. The duchess was seated in her traditional position at the foot of the table, listening to the chatter of Alex's brothers, who were dispersed amongst the eight places that had been prepared along either side of the long table. As was to be expected, the boys had filled their plates with mountains of food and were eating with gusto while they talked.

Noticing the entrance of the girls, all three stood to greet Ella and Vivi, as was expected of them as gentlemen, and the two, in turn, dropped quick curtsies in response. As the boys returned to their food, the girls made their way to the sideboard, where Cook had created a feast. There were eggs, English bacon and sausages, sautéed mushrooms, freshly baked bread and churned butter from Stafford Manor, and a dozen other choices in all manners sweet and savory. Alex's stomach rumbled and she smiled wryly to herself, thinking, Anxious or no, it seems my appetite is very much intact.

As she filled her plate, she listened to the conversation around her. "Mother, you cannot be serious. Four days in the country in a house teeming with as-yet-unspoken-for women and their cloying mothers?" Nick said. "Are you attempting to estrange your sons?"

"I cannot do it," Will said flatly. "Last night was enough — if I was introduced once as the 'Next Duke of Worthington,' I was introduced that way a thousand times. It's horrid. Those women want nothing more of me than my title... which I don't even hold as yet!"

"Nonsense," said Her Grace. "You are an attractive, charming, entertaining young man. Your title has little to do with your eligibility. They would be after you even if you were a farmer, or a butcher, or any other sort of untitled person."

There was a moment of silence during which the young Staffords looked at each other in shock before bursting into laughter. "It's true!" defended the duchess, indignantly.

"Mother, you cannot honestly believe that," Kit said. "Those mamas want money and land for their little angels. Ask yourself how you would feel if Alex came home wanting to marry a butcher. How would the Earl and Countess of Marlborough feel about that for Ella? Or the Marquess of Langford for Vivi?"

All three girls looked up from their plates, surprised to have been dragged into the discussion, and the duchess was saved from speaking by Alex, who had made her way to a seat next to Will. "Oh, no, don't bring our prospects for marriage into this. We have nothing to do with it."

"It seems, Scamp," Will said, "that you have everything to do with it, seeing as the three of you have secured the punishment in question for all of us with your behavior last night."

"Thank you all for that," Nick said. "I should tan your hide, Alex... and Freddie's, too, for his part in it." Looking at Ella and Vivi, he added, "You two are saved only because you are neither family nor male."

The duchess spoke, her place at the foot of the table making the statement seem more of a decree. "I am through with the four of you being so cavalier about your prospects for marriage and a future. You will all attend the house party and, more so, you will all enjoy it."

"You cannot force us to enjoy it, Mother," Kit said with a smile.

"You forget that I'm a duchess, Christopher. I can do whatever I like."

She flashed a bright smile as all four Stafford children groaned at her statement, a commonplace proclamation, sending Vivi and Ella into giggles.

"I still don't understand why we have to be punished for Alex's ills," Will said.

Alex looked her eldest brother square in the eye, saying tartly, "I assure you it's my punishment as well, Will. There is little I want to do less than be trapped in the country with you lot."

"Exactly why I'm guessing Mother is forcing all of us to attend," Nick pointed out. "Why not just suffer through the ball?"

Alex smiled sweetly. "Why, to make your collective lives more difficult, of course!" Three sets of male eyes narrowed as Ella went into a coughing fit and Vivi smiled into her teacup.

The sentence still hung in the air as the door to the room swung open, causing all heads to turn toward it. Alex's stomach dropped and her appetite vanished as Blackmoor stepped into the room. He was clad in traveling clothes — a chestnut topcoat over a crisp white linen shirt and buckskin breeches, tightly fitted to his long legs in a way she couldn't help but notice. The pants were tucked into tall leather riding boots that were freshly polished. He looked remarkably handsome, if slightly distracted, with his golden hair mussed and his eyes betraying his impatience. He was holding a riding crop and hat in one hand and a pair of lambskin gloves in the other.

Alex's gaze flew to Vivi, who met her gaze firmly and nodded almost imperceptibly, as if to say, Be strong,  and then to Ella, who was looking at Blackmoor with narrowed eyes, making her displeasure with him clear to anyone who was looking. Thankfully, no one was, and Vivi poked her before it became an issue.

"Gavin!" Her Grace said brightly, offering up her hand for Blackmoor to bow low over. "You are a welcome addition to this motley bunch. Perhaps you can bring some calm to our table? There is plenty of food; have you eaten?"

"A pleasure, as always, Your Grace." Blackmoor's rich tenor sent a shiver down Alex's spine. "As much as I would like to stay, I'm afraid I have already eaten and am only here to take the male half of this gathering off your hands." She noticed that, as he looked around the table, he deliberately avoided her gaze. "We are off to Essex."

"Indeed." Will stood up from the table.

"Essex? For what?" Ella asked sharply.

"For an adventure that doesn't involve meddling females," Kit joked, then cleared his throat when no one laughed. He stood, moving toward the hallway to call for their topcoats and hats.

Nick stood last. "We had already arranged to use the house for hunting this week. Mother's party came as a surprise to all of us, but I suspect she chose to host one so quickly because she knew we would have no excuses to avoid it."

"Indeed," said the duchess. "Your mother possesses not only beauty, but intelligence as well. Lord Blackmoor, you will be joining us for the house party?

" The words, while phrased as a question, were more a dictate.

An almost imperceptible color rose on Blackmoor's cheeks, something that Alex noticed only because she was so focused on him, waiting for his answer. "I shall endeavor to be there, my lady."

"Excellent," said the duchess, moving to exit alongside the young men. "We shall make a room for you and hope for the best."

The door closed behind the group, leaving the girls in the now quiet dining room. Alex let out a long breath — one she hadn't known she was holding.

Turning sad eyes to her friends, she said, "He didn't look at me once. Did you notice?"

"I did," Vivi said softly. "You cannot expect him to get beyond the events of last night so quickly, Alex. It was a great deal for one person to take in."

"True," said Ella. "Men are not nearly as evolved as women are, nor as intelligent, evidently."

Alex offered a half smile but was lost in her disappointment. Vivi was right — she should have expected a cool response from Blackmoor, but his cut hurt just the same.

While she understood how difficult this situation must be for him, it didn't change the fact that she was tired of fighting with him, tired of always having to start over. She wished they could go back to the beginning and just be friends again. That would be enough. Almost.

She sighed and pushed back from the table. "I'm going to find my father. I need to speak with him about last night."

Ella stopped her from getting up. "Wait. Now, I know that we said we were going to tell the duke everything, but I have an idea."

"Ella..." Vivi's tone was laced with warning.

"I know, I know. But this is thoroughly harmless!" Ella defended herself quickly.

"Somehow I doubt that," Alex said, "but I shall endeavor to humor you."

"Thank you. All right. Blackmoor is gone from the house today, correct?" Ella's eyes were bright with excitement. So it seems.

"And we have little to do."

"No, Ella." This from Vivi. "I see where this is going. And it's a terrible idea."

"Why?! Why can't we just sneak next door, take a look around Blackmoor House, and sneak back? No one will ever know!"

Alex spoke quietly. "Ella, I know how much you want to be a part of this adventure. I do, too. But now we're at a point where we have to involve someone who knows a bit more about these matters than we do. We're not talking about the Dowager Duchess of Lockwood's walking stick going missing. We're discussing murder and treason. I'm sorry, Ella. I've got to tell my father."