Page 4 of Keeper of Secrets

“She’ll also know which gentlemen are on the make for a wife,” Mildred raised a finger as she entered the house, stopping in the three-story marble entry.“Though I’ll need to first speak with Ryker about your dowry.That will give us an idea of which men to target.”

Ryker.The name tickled over her skin as she stared up at the massive crystal chandelier that glistened above.“Any amount will do.”

“Don’t be silly, Chloe.You’re now the charge of a duke.It will need to be as grand as the rest of your showing in society.And don’t worry about Ryker.I’ll handle the boy myself.”

“Boy?”

Mildred shrugged.“When you’re my age, one and thirty seems young.”

Chloe covered her mouth with her gloved hand.“Then I must seem very young indeed.”

“Indeed,” Mildred waved her forward.“We’ll have a quiet meal tonight and then we’ll be up first thing in the morning.We’re late in getting you outfitted but we’ll make up for it by being the first customers in the dress shop tomorrow.”

Chloe gave another nod, but in her stomach, the butterflies continued to beat their wings.She wouldn’t rest easy until this meeting with the duke was over.

* * *

Ryker scrubbedhis hands down his face.The past few days had been a near failure.He’d been sent by the Emperor to some inn on the North Road to investigate a scarred man who had been seen near the crime scene the night of the murder.

Before he’d left, he’d learned the identity of the victim.Lord Hershem Maxwell.A second son, he was known even among rakish lords for his debaucherous lifestyle.The club barely contained his antics.Most likely, it’d been one of his other exploits that had gotten him killed.A theory Ryker found very comforting.

The one unsettling detail was that the killer had not even attempted to hide his identity.Maxwell had been stabbed by a man with six horizontal scar lines across his cheeks, making him easily recognizable.Several witnesses had been able to corroborate.

It made the killer easier to find with such striking markings, but it also spoke of a man who wanted to be found.

How the Emperor knew to look at this particular inn, Ryker couldn’t say, which was another irritant.Outside the club, Ryker was the man who gave the orders.But he digressed.

The people at the inn knew the man with the scars well.He went by the single name of Adam, and no one knew of any other address.Prone to violence, he was a religious zealot, and had started more than one altercation at the inn over behavior he’d deemed amoral.

But where he was now or when he might return was anyone’s guess.

Three days, miles of roads, bug-infested mattresses, and Ryker had left with a single name and a pattern of behavior.Could he have discovered more?Perhaps.But tonight was the masquerade.And though some might consider the antics of the club fun and games, Ryker took them seriously.He’d been made a man in that club, and he’d honor any commitment he’d given within its walls.

He’d partnered with the Master.They’d agreed to meet fully masked at the masquerade.At precisely eleven, they’d both be at the bottom of the grand stair.That way, they’d be able to keep their identities private.

Ryker would do his utmost to already have a lady chosen and waiting so that he could spend as little time on this game as possible.Truth be told, tonight, all he wanted was his own bed and some peace and quiet.

Perhaps it was time to leave the club.Murders and investigations were not what he signed up for.Then again, what else might he do with himself?

The club wasn’t just a diversion… it was… a shared purpose.Some might think that voluntarily seeking out duels was foolish, but Ryker didn’t agree.The club members were men with no family, no responsibility.These activities filled their lives with meaning, discipline, competition, and skill.

And fun.

It was said that some of the greatest leaders had moved through the doors of the club.Of course, no one could confirm these rumors since their identities had been protected, but Ryker felt the truth deep in his gut.The Club was where men were made.

So, when he arrived home, he immediately took himself upstairs and began to change.His manservant, Thomas, entered.“May I assist you, Your Grace?”

He raised a hand.“I’ll see to myself this evening.”

“And your aunt?She’s requested an audience.”

“She’s here?”He grimaced as he knotted his cravat.“Already?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“I’ll see her and our new guest tomorrow, assuming she brought the girl?”

“She did,” Thomas gave a single nod of affirmation.

---