Chapter One

London

"I want to hire you."

Caught off guard by the surprising statement, Peter Quick blinked, then raised an eyebrow at the man seated across from him. A man who had been like a father to him for the past eight years of his life. "I beg your pardon?"

Tristan Knight, the Earl of Ellington, set aside the snifter of brandy he'd been nursing for the last hour and rose, unfolding his broad frame from the depths of the armchair closest to the hearth. Turning his back to the room, he braced a hand on the mantelpiece and stared into the flames for a long, silent moment before finally continuing, his tone gruff.

"Something must be done. This is the third robbery in less than a month, and the local constabulary is no closer to catching the thief than they were in the beginning." He glanced over his shoulder, the concern plain to see in his expression. "I'm afraid we have need of your expertise."

Propping his elbows on his knees, Peter leaned forward and studied the earl closely. He'd suspected something was afoot when his unexpected guest had arrived on the doorstep of his Fleet Street flat earlier that evening, and he'd known what it was the minute the subject of the Oxfordshire Thief had been broached. But he'd thought Tristan only wanted the benefit of his advice. Never would he have imagined that the man might actually want to engage his services as a Bow Street Runner.

"You say this most recent theft occurred during a dinner party?" he prompted.

"Yes. Several thousand pounds' worth of jewelry was stolen. And the scoundrel managed to do it with at least twenty guests just down the hall in Lord and Lady Fu