“We were all sent to the East End of London by Lord Gillespie, were we not? I do not know if Lord Foster has informed you, but he is dead.”
Lord Stoneleigh did not open his eyes.
“Yes, I am aware. I considered him a friend rather than an acquaintance, so it has been difficult for me to reconcile what he did with the friendship I thought that we shared.”
“That I can understand,” Benjamin responded carefully. “It seems that Lord Gillespie was responsible for sending gentlemen to the East End and, whilst Lord Montague stole Lord Foster’s fortune, he did not steal mine. That was another man entirely – we can be certain of this because of what Lord Montague himself said.”
Lord Stoneleigh cracked open one eye.
“What did he say?”
“He would not state much, but what hedidsay was that there are more gentlemen involved in this affair, rather than just himself. Lord Foster believes that there is a situation at present where quite a few gentlemen are involved in a scheme to send other men to those copper hells in the East End of London, with the specific intent to then deprive them of their fortunes using underhanded and utterly dishonorable methods.”
Shaking his head, Lord Stoneleigh rubbed at his eyes.
“And how are you ever to find them?”
“Because Lord Foster has provided me with the names of six men closely acquainted with Lord Montague. It seems likely that they are the men who might very well be involved in such a scheme.”
“And do you intend to study each and every one of them?”
“That is my intention, yes. Whether I will have any success, I cannot yet say, but it is something at least. To have nothing would leave me quite lost and without even a single shred of hope.”
“Much as I find myself at present.” Lord Stoneleigh smiled a little sadly. “Well, if I can be of any assistance to you whilst I am in London, please permit me to be so.”
“I am grateful to you for your offer. The first gentleman on the list to consider is Lord Drakefield. Do you know much about him?”
“No, I don’t. Although…” Lord Stoneleigh’s eyes darted from one side of the room to the other as he tapped one hand on his knee. “Is it not so that he has been absent from London this Season? I am certain that he is in mourning for his wife.”
Benjamin lifted an eyebrow.
“Is that so? I had not heard. As I have said, I know very little about the man.”
“I suppose that you do not need to consider him any further, at least!”
Chuckling wryly, Benjamin gestured to the paper.
“That leaves five others. I suppose I should see whether or not any of them are in London, for if they are not, then I need not even think of them.”
“Might I ask who the next gentleman on the list is?”
“Certainly – it is Lord Chambers.”
He looked up hopefully towards Lord Stoneleigh, but no flash of recognition came into his expression.
“I do not know that gentleman, so whether he is in London or not, I could not say. That leaves you with a great deal of difficulty, does it not?”
“But now I have five names instead of six,” Benjamin laughed, determined to find some happiness in all of this. “I shall have to begin asking a few more questions. Which means an even greater return to society.”
“You have not been attending?”
“I have attended a few events, but never regularly.” Benjamin screwed up his features. “They were so very disdainful when I had difficulties with my fortune, but the moment they believed that I had recovered it, they all wished to greet me as warmly as they ever did before. There is a falseness in all of society that I dislike. Besides which,” he continued, picking up his brandy, “there are so many young ladies being flung in my direction that I cannot so much as glance at any of them, for fear that their mothers will take that to be a flicker of interest. Can you imagine what would become of me if one of them thought we were soon to become betrothed? They would not know that they had tied themselves to a pauper!”
“That would be difficult indeed,” Lord Stoneleigh replied. “Tell me, what occasion do you attend this evening?”
“A simple soiree. Lord Hendrickson has always hosted excellent gatherings in previous years, and mayhap I will be able to discover something about these other gentlemen this evening. I could send word to Lord Hendrickson, as you are present in London, if you wish to join me.”
Lord Stoneleigh shook his head, then rubbed one hand over his brow.
