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“I believe Miss Doyle is considerably more than lovely,” he said.

Rosalind nodded, offering him a small smile even as tears glistened in her eyes. “It is not fair that a greater measure of happiness is available to Reynard than to the Viscount Langton.”

“Perhaps not,” Jonas said. “Though, contrary to popular belief, it is not possible for viscounts to do or to have whatever they please.”

***

Elizabeth walked into the vast entry hall, untied her bonnet, and slipped it off her head. Another carriage was pulling up outside, and anxious to be out of the way before more guests entered the house, she hurried toward the staircase.

“Miss Doyle?”

At the sound of her name, Elizabeth turned. Viscount Langton was standing at a nearby doorway. She bobbed a curtsy. “Lord Langton.”

“Could I take a few minutes of your time? There is someone here I should like you to meet.”

Clasping her bonnet tighter, Elizabeth nodded. “Of course, my lord.”

He stepped aside, indicating that she should precede him into the room. “This is the Duke of Kelbrook’s study. He’s courteously made it available for the Earl of Bloxley and me to use during our time at Finley Park.”

The Earl of Bloxley. Elizabeth’s mouth suddenly went dry. She should have guessed that the person the viscount wished her to meet was the man helping them unmask the Midnight Master. The fact that he was also her future employer, however, made the introduction all the more nerve-racking.

She stepped into the study, pausing as her eyes adjusted to the dimmer light within. Dark wooden paneling lined the walls, and scarlet curtains hung at the windows. A large desk commanded one side of the room, with an imposing pendulum clock ticking loudly behind. Shelves of books, a couple of armchairs, and a colorful rug gave the room a lived-in appearance, while the furnishings screamed of opulence.

A man moved from behind the desk. He was a little shorter than the viscount and had sandy-colored hair and hazel eyes. His black coat and cream breeches were crisp, clean, and well cut.

“Miss Doyle,” the viscount said. “May I present Alexander Allerton, the Earl of Bloxley. Lord Bloxley, this is Miss Elizabeth Doyle.”

Elizabeth curtsied, and the earl bowed his head politely.

“Very pleased to meet you, Miss Doyle,” he said.

“I’m honored, my lord.” Her poor bonnet would be ruined if she did not relax her grip on it.

“The viscount has told me of your willingness to assist us in our bold undertaking this afternoon.”

Elizabeth attempted a smile. “I fear that his confidence in my abilities exceeds my own, my lord, but I am very willing to try.”

The earl studied her, a frown creasing his brow. Elizabeth’s bonnet suffered further damage in her hands.

“Forgive me,” he said. “But have we met before?”

“I’ve not traveled much beyond Little Tilbury, my lord. If you have visited that village or stopped at The Fox and Hare Inn to break your journey, you may have seen me.”

“It’s possible,” the earl said. “Although I’ve not had the pleasure of visiting the village, I have passed through on my way to Langton Manor multiple times and have even stopped at the inn, I believe.”

“That must be it, my lord. I spent much of my time serving the guests there.”

The lines across the nobleman’s forehead smoothed. “I daresay you are right.”

“I spoke with the duchess before Lord Bloxley arrived,” Viscount Langton said, returning the conversation to the matter at hand. “She and Lady Langton are both already acquainted with Baron Forwood and Lord Hargrove, but one of us will point out the noblemen to you once the garden party begins.”

“And you truly believe one of the two is the Midnight Master?” It was difficult for Elizabeth to reconcile the hooded man in black who flitted in and out of the inn late at night with a nobleman dressed in his finery, attending a garden party at Finley Park.

“Using every clue we unearthed, we narrowed our suspects to those men,” Lord Langton said. “We need only one more detail to separate them, then we will turn the name over to Bow Street and have their men uncover whatever hard evidence they need for conviction.”

Elizabeth took a shaky breath. Their plot suddenly felt all too real. “Very well. I shall pay close attention to both noblemen.”

“We are most appreciative, Miss Doyle,” Lord Langton said.