Kit stood and adjusted his coat and cravat. “It’s strange not to be in uniform.”

It was likely best that he didn’t have a saber at his hip. “We need you as a peer today, not a soldier.”

They followed the usher to Lord John’s inner office, where Lord Graydon and his son, Viscount Raines, were already waiting.

“What is the meaning of this?” the younger man asked. “We understood our meeting to be how our family could be of service to Her Majesty.” He flicked a glance at Kit. “To have the Chitester family included as well is—”

His father’s hand on his shoulder silenced him.

It also made him flinch.

“Please be seated, gentlemen,” the prime minister continued as though Raines had not spoken. “And we’ll begin.”

They followed his directions, sitting on opposite sides of the table. Jasper kept Annabel’s figures out of sight, waiting for the proper time.

“Lord Graydon.” The prime minister turned to the Melton side of the table first. “As treasurer, I believe you should be aware of a grave matter.” He paused. “The queen believes there is a thief in your office.”

The man’s reaction was limited to a twitch and a gulp. “Thank you for bringing the matter to my attention. I will begin an investigation immediately.”

“There is no need. We asked Lord Ramsbury and Lord Warwick to undertake it on our behalf.” Lord John switched his attention to Jasper. “And they have completed their review.”

Jasper removed Annabel’s work from his pocket and unfolded the sharply creased sheets. “In this tax year alone, someone in your office has stolen over one thousand pounds from the Crown.”

“That is impossible,” Graydon bellowed. “How did you arrive at that figure?”

Jasper focused on the head of the table, on the man who had trusted him to find the truth, as he summarized Annabel’s conclusions. He only hoped that he remembered everything that was important.

“Prime minister, this is a fiction,” Graydon said. “Where did the marquess obtain any evidence for these wild numbers?”

“From the ledgers in your office, Lord Graydon, which are being removed as we speak.” Jasper kept his tone even, saving his wrath for the others in this scheme, the murderers and manipulators. “This is too consistent, too widespread, to be the work of multiple clerks, unless the whole of the Exchequer is involved.” Disappointment and sadness left a sour taste. “You, Charles.”

“It is ironic that Lord Ramsbury claims to have found a thief by being a thief himself,” Viscount Raines said. “Perhaps he has also become a forger to advance his political—”

Again, his father stopped him. Again, he flinched.

Kit drew a sharp inhale and leaned forward in his chair. His knuckles grew white.

“Charles,” Jasper began. “We have known each other for a long time. This may be your doing, but it isn’t you. Someone is behind this.”

He had the answer in his other pocket, but he wanted Graydon to have a chance at redemption.

The older man ran a hand down his face. As he reached his chin, his shoulders lost their shape. “Reginald Spencer learned of one of Philip’s…indiscretions. One that, should it be revealed, might limit his marriage opportunities.”

“And I told you that no father would overlook a title because of a girl in a brothel,” Raines said.

A deep sadness fell over Graydon. “Any responsible father offering a worthy dowry would want his daughter married to a man with a flawless reputation.”

Jasper would. He suspected Raines’s presumed father-in-law would as well. Annabel’s argument after the theatre whispered through his memory. Raines is a brute and a bully.

Of course, she could have simply been fighting for this same girl, but Jasper doubted it. A brute and a bully was always a brute and a bully, no matter the rank of the victim.

He’d need to speak with Bainbridge about Charlotte.

“Back to Spencer,” Kit said. “Lord Graydon, did Spencer demand money in return for his secrecy?”

Graydon nodded, head down. “With the amounts coming into the treasury, I fooled myself into believing no one would miss it.”

“If we hadn’t needed money for the bridge in Cumberland, we likely would have.” The prime minister tapped his ring against the table. “Lord Graydon, we must discuss the extent of your punishment, but know that it will begin with your immediate removal from office.”

“I understand, sir.”

Solving the puzzle with Annabel had been exciting, as was closing in on Collins. Jasper was already anticipating the satisfaction of stopping Spencer and getting justice for Gareth. But this? Sitting across from an honorable man as he watched his life crumble around him? This was the ugly side of those successes.

“Your cooperation in the capture of Mr. Spencer may weigh in your favor when deciding further repercussions,” the prime minister said as he stacked the papers and closed the file.

The matter was closed. Jasper put his hands on the chair, eager to push himself away from the table and leave the room.

“If I may, sir?” Kit asked, but then continued without waiting for permission. “Viscount Raines, how did you injure your arm?”

The young man’s face went blank. “My horse threw me.”

Jasper frowned. Melton’s horse master had earned the title—the family’s stable was well trained. Not to mention, Raines was celebrated for his skill in the saddle.

“You weren’t grabbed from behind while running through Green Park?”

“What? No.” The young man’s voice rose, both in pitch and volume. “Why would I be running anywhere?”

“Because the Ramsbury footman was chasing you,” Kit said. “While Jasper was bleeding in his family coach.”

Graydon stared open-mouthed at his son. “Philip?”

“I told you no one would care, but you didn’t listen.” Raines’s face twisted. “You know what would ruin our family? Embezzlement.”

“What did you do?” Graydon demanded. “Philip! What did you do?”

“Spencer said if I stopped Ramsbury’s investigation, the threat to you—to us—would disappear. There was only one way to end it.”

“You shot at me during the hunting party?” Jasper asked, wanting to be certain what stopped meant.

Raines bobbed his chin in the barest of nods.

“And again on the highway?”

“I had a blade. Collins had the pistol,” he sneered. “He lost his bottle when you fired on us.”

They had come on either side. “You were after Annabel as well.”

“Spencer reasoned that we should hedge our bets. If you were gone, we would have time to straighten matters before she or Warwick resumed pursuit. If she was gone, you’d lose your heart for it.”