Uncle Bertie would not count that she had fulfilled her task of remaining armed at all times, but sometimes one had to improvise.

Daniel found himself seated too close to the outspoken Jasper Finch and much too far away from Lady Juliette at the Venetian breakfast. Though breakfast was a bit of a misnomer. It was the middle of the afternoon. Why couldn’t his hosts just say they’d invited him for luncheon, like normal people?

“The Luddites were right to be afraid those machines would be problematic. Look at what’s happening to our factories and industries.” Jasper Finch punctuated every word with his fork, poking the air. “Jobs gone, people thrown out of work by this automation and mechanization. First it was the textile industry, and now it’s milling. Mark my words—this new trend will bring about an economic crisis. The common man will not stand for being thrown out of work.”

“Why don’t they find other work to do?” a man opposite asked.

“Other work? If you’ve spent your entire life, from boyhood apprenticeship to adulthood, learning and perfecting your trade, what else are you supposed to do with your skills when your employer tells you you’re no longer wanted? There are weavers and embroiderers and millers and rope makers and sail makers and more being shoved out of their way of life in droves, without so much as a fare-thee-well.”

Poke, poke, poke with the silver tines.

“But it’s progress,” the same guest said. “That has to be good for the country, does it not?”

“Progress? To impoverish thousands in order to make a few men rich? I think you and I differ on what should be classified as progress.”

Finch droned on, but Daniel allowed his mind to turn to other things.

First to Lady Juliette. She looked lovely as always, her dark hair and eyes shining. Composed, a smile on her heart-shaped face as she listened to Duke Heinrich von Lowe, who bent to whisper something to her.

An odd feeling twisted in Daniel’s gut as he acknowledged how well they looked together. The duke was masculine, handsome, and courteous—and, as much as Daniel wanted to dislike him, friendly as well. Several times, he and the duke had met early in the day to ride in Hyde Park. Only a few weeks ago the duke had purchased a horse Daniel had been hired to sell, and lately the duke enjoyed taking the animal for brisk gallops in the deserted park at dawn. After the rides, he invited Daniel to his lodgings for breakfast and conversation.

Yes, as much as Daniel wanted to dislike the duke for his obvious interest in Lady Juliette, he couldn’t.

The man was his friend.

Shrugging off those conflicting thoughts, he turned to the other item preying upon his mind.