Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was as if Isabella had stepped into one of her books. There was something about the way the duke had spoken that put things in a different perspective for her.

" Perhaps I can help," Isabella offered, sending the rest of the room into a stunned silence.

" What do you mean by that?" the duke asked.

" Well, you said that the constables are busy, and you can ' t trust a private investigator," Isabella explained. " I was there, and you can be certain that I had nothing to do with it. You can trust me. Let me help you get to the bottom of this."

" You ' re a smart woman, Miss Owen, but I can ' t ask that much of you," the duke said.

" Please, I ' d love to do it," Isabella answered. " I want to get to the bottom of this. It had affected my sleep, too."

" I must agree with the duke," Mr. Alton said. " You couldn't possibly take on that task."

" I do not make this offer with no credentials," Isabella assured them. " I have read every book you can imagine on historical conspiracies and political machinations. I could take a look at all the information, and I ' m likely to spot something important."

The energy in the room shifted then. Mr. Alton sat upright, and Eliza was looking at her as if she had suddenly started speaking in another language.

" Miss Owen, I ' m not sure what you ' re offering," the duke said.

" I want to solve this for you," Isabella said again. " There has to be something you've missed. If we can find the man who shot at you, we can uncover all of it."

Isabella wanted so desperately for the duke to agree. She wanted to do it. She wanted to add something of excitement and value to her life. Something that had been missing for as long as she could remember.

The very kind of fulfillment that she and Mr. Alton had been talking about just minutes before.

She could see herself poring over pages and documents as she compiled lists of names to look into. She would follow her suspects and get an idea of their daily routines all the while seeming like a woman who was simply out for a day of shopping.

She would finally catch the man and question him, talking him into a circle until he finally gave himself away. She ' d read about it in books and was certain she knew how to do it. One winter, when she was particularly bored, she had found a training manual for the constabulary among her father ' s books.

She ' d read it from front to back, pretending that she was an officer.

" I can do it," Isabella said sternly. " I know I can."

" No," Mr. Alton blurted out. " I don ' t think that is a good idea."

" I beg your pardon?" Isabella asked.

" It ' s no job for a lady to do," Mr. Alton said. " You have no idea how dangerous this might become. You have no way to protect yourself. This is not like one of your books. This is a truly dangerous situation, and you have no idea what you ' re doing."

Isabella had never been so insulted in her life. She glared at him before returning her attention back to the duke.

" Nobody would suspect me," she argued. " I could investigate this quietly and raise no suspicion."

" We don ' t have time for quiet," Mr. Alton argued. " This can ' t be done slowly. Every day that passes is another day that the duke is in danger. We need to do this quickly. I ' d like to offer my services."

Isabella couldn't believe what she was hearing. He had taken her opportunity out from underneath her. She wanted to shout at him and slam her hands on the table.

" The decision is up to the duke," Isabella said.

" As I said, Miss Owen, this is no job for a lady," Mr. Alton argued again. " I have real experience. I ' m a member of the infantry. I've solved cases before. I can do this, and I ' d like to."

" I can do it," she repeated again.

" You should go home," Mr. Alton said. " And you should not think of any of this again. It isn't right, and you should never have been exposed to something so awful."

Isabella knew that if she didn't leave then that she would say something she shouldn't. She rose from her chair and nodded at the duke.

" Thank you for this wonderful dinner," she said. " It has been truly lovely."

While her words were polite, they felt venomous on her tongue. She said nothing further to Mr. Alton. Instead, she cast him one last look before turning to storm out of the room. Behind her, she heard Eliza stammer out a farewell and follow her out.

She walked right past her parents and toward the fireplace. She couldn't stand to be next to Mr. Alton a moment longer. She had been so excited to see him that night, and by the end of it, she was furious with him.

She tapped her foot on the floor as she thought it all over. Isabella wanted to get home. She wanted to crawl into bed and forget all about everything that had happened, Mr. Alton included. She had found him so attractive, never considering that he could be so infuriating.

" You stormed out of there," Eliza said as she joined Isabella by the fire. Her parents were still discussing some nearby curtains. " Your mother will not be impressed."

" I don ' t care," Isabella said. " It was better that I left. I was about to say something unladylike."

" I can ' t believe you offered to take on his case," Eliza said. " I was hoping you were joking."

" I wasn't," Isabella confessed. " I saw my chance at excitement and had to jump at it."

She stared into the flames and wondered what the duke and Mr. Alton were discussing while she wasn't in the room. Were they laughing at her? Were they calling her a silly woman for being so brazen?

" I can ' t believe Mr. Alton did that to me," she said.

" I believe it," Eliza whispered. " He has your interest at heart, don ' t you see ?"

" I don ' t care about that," Isabella said. " He wouldn't even listen to me."

" May I give you some advice?" Eliza asked.

Isabella gave her a soft nod. Although she didn't really want to hear it, she appreciated Eliza and always cared what she thought.

" You should keep to your place now," Eliza said. " We ' re talking about murder attempts and criminal cases. This is dark stuff, miss."

Isabella was listening to Eliza, but she had spotted Mr. Alton and Mr. Langley headed toward the balcony on their own. The duke had rejoined the conversation with Isabella ' s parents and quickly they were laughing again.

" Wait here," Isabella said, keeping her eyes fixed on Mr. Alton.

" Miss Owen, don ' t do it," Eliza warned her.

She stepped past Eliza and headed toward the balcony after the men. Her parents and the duke were pleasantly distracted by a story that the earl was telling them from his time in the countryside.

When she was behind the men, Isabella cleared her throat. Both Mr. Alton and Mr. Langley spun around to meet her.

" How dare you?" she asked with a surprising calmness.

" I ' m afraid I ' m not sure why you are so upset," Mr. Alton said.

Isabella heard Eliza's footsteps as she approached from behind her. Eliza knew better than to interfere, but she kept herself close enough to listen to what was being discussed.

" You know exactly why I ' m so upset," Isabella argued. " You belittled me in there. I am not a foolish woman, Mr. Alton. I don't speak without a considerable amount of thought behind my words. So, when I made my offer to solve this mystery, I meant it with a fair amount of intellect in support of it."

Mr. Langley got a cheeky smirk across his face. As if he enjoyed watching his friend be spoken to in that way. As if it was funny.

" The duke and I have agreed that I will take on this case," Mr. Alton said. " It is an honor."

" Would you have offered at all if I hadn't done so first?" Isabella asked. " Is that what this is about? Did I make you feel foolish for not thinking of it first?"

" Don ' t be ridiculous," Mr. Alton answered.

Even when she was furious at him, he was still the most handsome man that she had ever known. When he stared into her angry eyes, it was almost enough to cool her off. But she steeled herself.

" I am never ridiculous!" she snapped. " You continue to insult me."

Mr. Alton sighed. " What would you have me do?"

" Let me help you," Isabella said. " You are going to investigate. I can help you. We can work on this together."

" I ' m not sure how—"

" Don ' t give me any excuses," Isabella cut him off. " Give me one good reason why I can ' t. And don ' t say that it is dangerous. I was in danger just walking in the park a few days ago. With that logic, nothing is safe."

Mr. Alton seemed as if he recoiled. A small smile broke over his face as he eyed her closely.

" What are the three pieces of information required to piece together a murder?" he asked.

Isabella looked at him plainly. " Method, motive, and opportunity," she answered.

She knew she was right. It had been one consistency in every mystery she ' d ever read. She had learned it in the constable's handbook as well. Isabella smiled at him.

" Would you like to ask me further questions?" she asked.

" All right," he said. " What is the most effective way to get a suspect to confess during an interrogation?"

" Persistence," she answered confidently. " Although I believe that answer is up to personal preference. No one suspect would be the same."

There was little Mr. Alton could do to discredit her. Isabella could easily prove that she was capable of being involved. Behind her, Eliza cleared her throat softly. That had always been their secretive sign that the other needed to cease what they were talking about.

Isabella decided to ignore Eliza this once.

" We can keep doing this all night, or you can merely accept my help," Isabella said.

Mr. Alton chuckled. " Why is this so important to you?" he asked. " I ' m just trying to understand."

Isabella stared at him, deep into his eyes. " Fulfillment," she answered plainly, knowing that he would understand what she meant by it.

He knew she was searching for meaning in her life, and that she felt this was the way to do it.

" I think your parents are calling you," Eliza lied. " We should see what they need."

Isabella cast her a glance. " I'll be in there in a minute. I ' m just finishing up here. I ' m sure Mr. Alton will give me his agreement soon."

Eliza gave her a knowing glare. Isabella was crossing the line and stepping on toes and she knew it. But she couldn't stop. Mr. Alton had done something that bothered her and she was too stubborn to let it go. It had always been her one flaw in life. It had often gotten her into trouble.

While in men it was considered a tenacious trait, one that got them ahead, in women it made them difficult. The problem was that Isabella didn't mind being difficult.

" You have no reason to refuse my offer," Isabella reminded him. " Unless Mr. Langley or Miss Harper has spotted something I've missed."

Mr. Langley and Eliza cast each other a quick glance, but both remained quiet. Isabella was not going to leave that balcony before she had an honest answer from him. What Mr. Alton didn't know was that the next few words out of his mouth would solidify what she thought about him going forward.

And Isabella ' s mind was difficult to change.

" You know that the two of us together are better than you alone," she said confidently. " I will be polite, I will behave, and I will allow you to take the lead. I merely ask that you help and that you listen when I speak."

The entire balcony was quiet as they waited for Mr. Alton to give his answer.