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“No? Then what a?” Mr Fowler asked cautiously

“Ah, Mr Fowler, I areen lad, now am I? You are a Bow Street Runner,” the duke picked up a ser’ and looked at it pointedly, before dropping it back down on the table that reposed between hi for the fifty thousand pounds in gold that was stolen six weeks ago!”

Joe Fowler heaved a long sigh and scanned the duke’s uncoreen at all, are ye?” He snorted, rubbed his chin and sighed again before saying, “It’s a queer fetch—no denying that, but what a flash covey sech as yerself wants in it is ”

“I haveto lend you my assistance,” the duke replied quietly

“Aye, I daresay ye do, seeing as ye be guardian to that Sherborne lad”

The duke was surprised by this but gave the runner a rueful smile, “So, you know about his lordship’s trouble?”

“I ain’t here on that particular setout Lor’ bless ye” He shook his head “Don’t le wit more than I can handle and the way I hear tell, yer locals won’t believe he had anything to do with that poor girl’s murder”

“Now tell uards and the drivers?”

“I can tell ye that we know that one of theuards had to be in on it He spoke peculie-like to his n he was part of it Never found coach, nor guards and I’ood and dead by now”

“Did it ever occur to you that the two incidents, Celia Brinley’s old could be related?” the duke asked even as he studied the runner for a reaction

Fowler frowned, “Ye have a reason for thinking so, I suppose?”

“I do, but it isfor the facts,” the duke replied

“Rawlings—you know, it was his bank that igged”

“I knohat about him?”

“Well, he says that there was soold”