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report, the findings of the doctor who had conducted it, the original witness statements of the seconds who had allegedly been present at what she now suspected was a fictitious duel. She had drawn a blank. All papers were lost. All witnesses had vanished. Merryn had been disillusioned but hardly surprised. She knew that the Dukes of Farne were rich enough and powerful enough to pay their way out of such a scandal. But she could not give up now. If there were the slightest chance that she could prove that Garrick Farne had killed her brother in cold blood then she would expose him. She wanted him to lose everything that had been built on his lie. She had lost so much when Garrick had killed Stephen. She wanted him to understand how that felt.
    “You found nothing,” Tom repeated. He was looking annoyed, so irritated, in fact, that Merryn wondered if he might secretly have a client interested in her findings. It seemed unlikely but not impossible.
    “You did search everywhere?” Tom persisted.
    Merryn frowned. “Of course I searched everywhere. I’m not an amateur. I looked in the study, the library, the bedrooms—”
    “In the bedrooms?” Tom said.
    “I thought there might be papers concealed in a book,” Merryn said.
    Tom gave her a quizzical look. “I repeat, in the bedrooms?”
    “People read in bed,” Merryn said, a shade defensively.
    “Do they?” Tom seemed surprised. “I don’t. I have more exciting things to do.”
    Merryn rolled her eyes. “You and Garrick Farne both.”
    Tom raised his brows. “What?”
    “I was under the bed,” Merryn said, “when the Duke had a visitor. A voluptuous and eager lady called Harriet.”
    Tom pursed his lips on a soundless whistle. “Harriet Knight, his late father’s ward?”
    “I have no idea,” Merryn said tartly. There was a squirm of something in her belly that felt disconcertingly like… jealousy? “They were obviously beyond needing surnames,” she added.
    “Poor you,” Tom said. “There’s nothing worse than voyeurism.”
    “I’ll take your word for it,” Merryn said. “Fortunately he threw her out before things became too embarrassing for me.”
    Tom started to laugh. “Farne threw an eager seductress out of his bedchamber?” he said. “He really has changed. I assume you were able to get away when he fell asleep?”
    “No,” Merryn said. She hesitated. It probably was not wise to tell Tom of her encounter with Garrick Farne. He would be furious because she had compromised not only her own safety but also his business. If Garrick were to discover her identity somehow and start asking questions he would discover that she worked for Tom and a powerful enemy like the Duke of Farne would be very dangerous for Tom’s livelihood. Besides, she was not sure she wished to relive the encounter. The unexpected affinity she had felt for Garrick, the pleasure of their quick-fire conversation, the sweetness that had ambushed her when his lips had touched hers in that infinitely tender caress… She had not expected to feel any of those emotions. She should not.
    Tom was watching her. He was quick; he’d seen her hesitation.
    “Well?” he said.
    “Unfortunately I sneezed,” Merryn said, “and he dragged me out from under the bed.”
    Tom’s reaction was predictable. There was a moment of silence and then he exploded. “Bloody hell, Merryn—”
    “I know,” Merryn said hastily. “But I didn’t tell him who I was, or what I was doing there. You don’t need to worry. He doesn’t know I work for you. No one does.”
    Tom clenched his fists. “Merryn,” he said, “the work you do is supposed to be secret. The clue is in the word.”
    “Of course,” Merryn said quickly. “Sorry—”
    Tom made a visible effort to get himself under control. He rubbed his forehead. “I warned you it was dangerous to go there,” he said. “I told you to be careful.”
    “I was, ” Merryn said defensively. “It was just bad luck.”
    Tom gave a