To Mourn a Murder by Joan Smith

Author:Joan Smith [Smith, Joan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: regency Mystery/Romance
Publisher: Belgrave House/Regency Reads
Published: 2012-08-17T03:00:00+00:00

* * *

Chapter 18

After driving over the half of London, calling at Byron's flat, at Gentleman Jackson's Boxing Parlour, at Manton's Shooting Gallery and a few of Byron's known friends, Luten went looking for him at the House. He finally ran the poet to ground behind a journal at Bellamy's, the lounge at the House of Lords. Luten recognized him by the raised wedge on his boot.

"Oh, it's you, Luten," he said, looking up when Luten jiggled the paper and peered over the top. "I was just resting my ears. These sessions are demmed dull affairs when you're not slated to speak. Even boredom, of course, is preferable to the torture of having to stand up and make an ass of yourself in front of them all. Well, the two or three who are awake. I was just thinking of taking my boredom home and giving it a glass of something wet. Will you join me?"

"I have something that might amuse you," Luten said. He sat beside Byron on the sofa to tell him about his conversation with Miss Winchley, and to put forward his suggestion that Byron accompany her to the Pantheon. "Are you interested?" he asked, when he had finished.

Byron slapped his knee in pleasure, waking a few somnolent members who were also hiding behind journals, and causing snorts of outrage. "Stap me if this ain't the most exciting thing that's happened since I was caught dead to rights with– Well, never mind that. Your Miss Winchley, is she pretty?"

"Very pretty, and very much in love with Lord Egremont," Luten told him. "Don't take that as a challenge to your romantical prowess. She's a nice lady."

Byron struck his heart playfully. "You wrong me. Every way you wrong me, Luten. It's poor I who am the victim in these curst romances."

"You prefer to be the victim of a pretty lady, I take it?"

"Don't we all? I am only human."

"Then there's no truth to the rumour that you flew down from Mount Olympus?"

"We all know rumour is a jade. Anyhow I accept your offer. It will be a great relief to only have to worry about losing five thousand pounds, and possibly having a knife slid between my ribs. At least I won't have to worry that some irate husband has hired a gang of thugs to beat me, or some single lady is weaseling me into a position where I must offer for her to save our mutual reputations. Well, hers. Mine is beyond salvation."

Luten just shook his head. "It must be hard, being irresistible."

"Yes, irresistible to every scrambling mama who wants a tinsel title for her daughter, and every scribbler who wants me to get his poems published for him, and every tradesman who wants his bills paid. And occasionally to a pretty heiress. Miss Winchley is an heiress, I believe you mentioned?"

"A minor one, and did I mention, on the edge of an engagement to Egremont?"

"All right! You don't have to challenge me to a duel. I'm

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.