Pride and Pleasure Read Free

snake was loosed in my bedroom—”
    “I understand it was a Runner who referred you to Mr. Lynd, who in turn referred you to me.”
    “Yes. I hired a Runner for a month, but Mr. Bell discovered nothing. No attacks occurred while he was engaged.”
    “Who would want to injure you, and why?”
    She offered him a slight smile, a small show of gratitude for the gravity he was displaying. Anthony Bell had come highly recommended, but he’d never taken her seriously. In fact, he had been amused by her tales and she’d never felt he was dedicated to the task of discovery. “Truthfully, I am not certain whether they intend bodily harm, or if they simply want to goad me into marriage as a way to establish some permanent security. I see no reason to any of it.”
    “Are you wealthy, Miss Martin? Or certain to be?”
    “Yes. Which is why I doubt they sincerely aim to cause me grievous injury—I am worth more alive. But there are some who believe it isn’t safe for me in my uncle’s household. They claim he is an insufficient guardian, that he is touched and ready for Bedlam. As if any individual capable of compassion would put a stray dog in such a place, let alone a beloved relative.”
    “Poppycock,” the earl scoffed. “I am fit as a fiddle, in mind and body.”
    “You are, my lord,” Eliza agreed, smiling fondly at him. “I have made it clear to all and sundry that Lord Melville will likely live to be one hundred years of age.”
    “And you hope that adding me to your stable of suitors will accomplish what, precisely?” Bond asked. “Deter the culprit?”
    “I hope that by adding one of your associates,” she corrected, “I can avoid further incidents over the next six weeks of the Season. In addition, if my new suitor is perceived to be a threat, perhaps the scoundrel will turn his malicious attentions toward him. Then, perhaps, we can catch the fiend. Truly, I should like to know by what methods of deduction he formulated this plan and what he hoped to gain by it.”
    Bond settled back into his seat and appeared deep in thought.
    “I would never suggest such a hazardous role for someone untrained,” she said quickly. “But a thief-taker, a man accustomed to associating with criminals and other unfortunates. . . I should think those who engage in your profession would be more than a match for a nefarious fortune hunter.”
    “I see.”
    Beside her, her uncle murmured to himself, working out puzzles and equations in his mind. Like herself, he was most comfortable with events and reactions that could be quantified or predicted with some surety. Dealing with issues defying reason was too taxing.
    “What type of individual would you consider ideal to play this role of suitor, protector, and investigator?” Bond asked finally.
    “He should be quiet, even-tempered, and a proficient dancer.”
    Scowling, he queried, “How do dullness and the ability to dance signify in catching a possible murderer?”
    “I did not say ‘dull,’ Mr. Bond. Kindly do not attribute words to me that I have not spoken. In order to be acknowledged as a true rival for my attentions, he should be someone whom everyone will believe I would be attracted to.”
    “You are not attracted to handsome men?”
    “Mr. Bond, I dislike being rude. However, you leave me no recourse. The fact is, you clearly are not the sort of man whose temperament is compatible with matrimony.”
    “I am quite relieved to hear a female recognize that,” he drawled.
    “How could anyone doubt it?” She made a sweeping gesture with her hand. “I can more easily picture you in a swordfight or fisticuffs than I can see you enjoying an afternoon of croquet, after-dinner chess, or a quiet evening at home with family and friends. I am an intellectual, sir. And while I don’t mean to imply a lack of mental acuity, you are obviously built for more physically strenuous pursuits.”
    “I see.”
    “Why, one has only to look at you to ascertain you aren’t