Word regarding Penelope's death was sent to the Winters still staying in the countryside and they packed to get back to London immediately. While they were traveling back, Eliza remained crumbled into a ball in her four-poster bed, shutting herself away from the world by closing the drapes around her bed frame. She had no one left in the world. Her best friend was so happy and in love when she last saw her, but she somehow ended up alone in the Thames. What could have gone so wrong?

The night before the Winters were scheduled to return, Lucy attempted to console Eliza with tea and biscuits but her appetite was gone. So many things were gone now and Eliza didn't know how to process any of it. She shooed Lucy away and asked her to lock her in her room until her parents returned. Tomorrow her parents would be home, scrambling to get dresses for Penelope's burial together. It felt right preparing for a dark wardrobe as all of the light was currently sucked out of Eliza's world.

Penelope and Eliza were opposite in almost every way, yet somehow, they clicked. Penelope was outgoing, marriage obsessed, mediocre at everything a woman was supposed to know, but brilliant at acting how a woman should in society and around men. Eliza was demure, hated both London and socializing. She scored near-perfect marks in all of her studies, was excellent at the pianoforte, embroidery and watercolor yet was bashful around men her age. Penelope helped Eliza add color to her life and Eliza held Penelope back from reckless rash decisions...until now.

Eliza finally pushes the drapes on her bedposts open to fetch the pitcher of water Lucy left her and as she raised the glass to her dry lips, she heard a tapping sound on her window. She froze with the glass next to her chin and moved her eyes over to the window by her vanity. A large tree sits outside the window, so occasionally branches scrape against the glass, causing eerie sounds to fill Eliza's room. But this sound seemed more deliberate, more of a knock than a scrape. Eliza drops her glass back onto the tray and moves toward the window when she hears the sound again. She slowly looks outside and gasps when she sees a pair of eyes looking back at her. Her hand goes to her throat as she prepares to scream, but then the eyes come closer and she realizes she recognizes the blue eyes. Colin hovers on a branch, waving at Eliza to open the window.

She realizes she's in her cotton nightdress, so she grabs the silk robe hanging over her vanity chair and tugs it on as she crosses back to the window. She pushes the left panel out and Colin shimmies into her room.

"I don't know whether to be horrified or intrigued right now," Eliza breathlessly tells Colin as he settles onto the floor. "If anyone knew you were in my room right now, we'd both be done for."

Colin adjusts his jacket and smooths his dark hair down before saying, "Well if your butler would let me speak to you properly, I wouldn't have to resort to breaking and entering." Surprised, Eliza raises an eyebrow and replies, "Oh? He hasn't mentioned that I've had visitors."

"Well, you have and he refuses to let me speak with you until your parents have returned from the country. But unfortunately, murder cases need to be solved quickly so I don't have time to wait," Colin says with a hint of annoyance. He frowns at Eliza, but when he takes in her sad swollen green eyes the frown softens. He takes a half step closer to her and with a hand remaining on her vanity he adds, "I'm sorry for barging in here. But I really do need to speak with you." Eliza clutches onto the top of her robe and gives him a nod. Her hand instinctively runs down her frizzy braid, but she quickly realizes she can't muster up the energy to care about her appearance. It's not what Colin is here for anyway.

"You're bold Lord Bradshaw. And for climbing up that tree and risking breaking your neck, I suppose the least I can do is give you a few moments of my time," Eliza replies. Colin's eyes dart to the door and Eliza quickly adds, "I've sent the staff away and Lucy has already checked in on me. No one will be opening that door."

Colin nods and then says, "I'm not trying to be callous Lady Eliza. I know you've had a shock and are going through a hard time. But the Vanderwahls have hired me on to their daughter's case. And you seem to be the only one that knew Lady Penelope."

Eliza shakes her head, "No, I was the only one that thought they knew Penelope. It seems I had no idea about her life. Not really." Eliza shakes her head and looks to the floor. She gulps back tears before looking back to Colin.

"You knew she had plans to run off. That's more than anyone else knew," Colin adds, but Eliza shakes her head again, "Anya, her lady's maid, knew as much."

"Anya's not talking. I think she's terrified of the repercussions. If Lady Vanderwahl thought Anya knew Penelope was going to run off with someone and didn't say anything, she might find herself unemployed with no reference," Colin says stiffly, sympathetic toward Anya, but at the same time annoyed at her silence.

"I asked her to find Penelope's diary. I'm sure she had one, it's just a matter of finding it," Eliza says, still clutching onto her robe. "It may shed some light on who she was sneaking around with." Colin stuffs his hands into his pockets and rocks on his heels as he replies, "Lady Vanderwahl is adamant that Penelope wasn't involved with any man. She seemed appalled that I even insinuated it. She refused to listen to any evidence that suggested otherwise." Eliza sighs and then crosses over to her bed. She sits on the edge and stuffs her feet into the red velvet slippers lying next to it. She drops her hands in her lap and says, "I want to find out what happened to Penelope, but I don't want to drag the Vanderwahls through the mud. How do I keep Penelope's memory safe? If I tell you what I know, I could ruin any good image anyone had of her. I don't want to be the one responsible for tarnishing her reputation. Which is the entire reason I have stayed mum before now."

Colin tilts his head while looking to Eliza sympathetically. He sighs and grabs the chair next to Eliza's vanity. He drops into it so he's eye level with her and leans forward as he says, "Penelope made her choices. And I will do my best to keep her secrets safe from the gossip mongers. But I can't find out who did this to her with no leads to go on." Eliza bites her lip and contemplates asking the question that's been on her mind since her crying stopped. One that's been turning over and over in her mind, driving her mad. She worries the answer will give her nightmares but she decides to ask, "Something has been on my mind since you...delivered the news."

"Oh?"

"You see I was wondering...how do you know Penelope was...what makes you suspect foul play? How were you able to come to that conclusion so quickly? It seems you found her, identified her and labeled it murder very quickly," Eliza asks and Colin sits up in his chair.

"Actually you helped us identify her. I knew you were looking for a friend, who I had assumed was about your age. You told me she had blonde hair and large blue eyes. When the body was pulled out of the river, your description came to mind and I told the Deputy Commissioner that I has wondered if this was the missing girl. His daughter, Ms. Greensbury told him you had a blonde friend named Penelope Vanderwahl, which led us to her mother. Her mother immediately identified her." Eliza solemnly nods and Colin continues, "We suspected murder because...Penelope had a stab wound in her torso. It appears your friend was with child."

Eliza freezes as her jaw slightly falls opens. Another revelation about Penelope that Eliza had no idea about. Her hand covers her shocked mouth and her eyes glaze over. Penelope was pregnant? She was doing more than planning an elopement it seems and she never said a word to Eliza. She spent hours talking about everyone else that was bed-hopping, but never mentioned that she was no longer a virgin. How had Eliza's best friend never mentioned something as major as that? Eliza shakes her daze away and asks, "What if she took her own life? An unmarried, pregnant daughter of a viscount...she'd be ruined."

He shakes his head, "There were assault wounds on her face and neck Lady Eliza, that's not something Penelope could have done herself." Eliza stares at Colin in shock. She can't believe what she's hearing. Suddenly Penelope's reputation and memory no longer seem as important as catching the vile man that did this to her. What's the point of keeping her secrets now? It will only help shield the murderer.

Eliza grows hot as her heart stammers in her chest. She pushes herself off the bed and surprises Colin with her sudden movement. She begins pacing in front of him as she rapidly asks, "How could this be? I knew Penelope was reckless but...a pregnancy? Why would she risk everything? Her title, her wealth, her reputation."

"We're doing our best to keep this under wraps," Colin assures her and she nods while continuing to pace in front of him. She finally snaps her focus to him and says, "Alright, I'll tell you what I know. It's not much, it's hardly anything, but I'll do whatever I can to bring this monster in."

"Anything and everything helps." Colin tells her and he pulls out a small notebook from the inside of his jacket pocket. He then pulls out a pencil and looks to Eliza, eager to write down everything she tells him.

"She told me she was eloping because the man she had fallen for wasn't someone her parents would approve of. My guess is the beast isn't of our class, that's the problem right there," Eliza snaps, thinking of what monster could do this to her friend.

"Did Penelope say where she met the man? Or what was alluded to that made you believe he isn't part of the Beau Monde?" Colin asks with his pencil hovering above the paper.

"She said they were eloping to the countryside where money didn't matter. That he wanted to farm, while she raised the babes. What high society man would give up his riches to go frolic and farm in the countryside?" Eliza asks quizzically. Colin looks to her but doesn't give an answer. She sighs and adds, "She said she'd die if she couldn't be with him. I thought she was being dramatic, not literal."

"Have you seen Penelope with any man? Does any name spring to mind?"

Eliza shrugs, "I've seen her with lots of men. Find her old dance cards. There are names written all over them. She was a beautiful girl who loved to flirt her way around a ballroom. I know she had several callers, but she never seemed interested in any of them. She just liked to bath in the attention."

"Well, someone caught her attention."

Eliza sighs, "You're right. So, it's not going to be any man that's been circling around this social season. This one caught her eye for a reason and I haven't seen her want any one man's attention since June. If it was any man that's been around since her first season last year, she would have had no hesitations in telling me. Why would she?" Eliza's question hangs in the air as Colin's pencil lays limp in his fingers.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" Colin asks while tapping his notepad against his thumb. She shrugs, "That's all I know. She was in love with big ideas of country living after an elopement at Gretna Green. She was reckless and it got her killed. That's all I know." Colin pushes himself off the small wood and velvet chair while stuffing his notebook back into his breast pocket. He doesn't want to chance being caught alone in a lady's bedroom, so he doesn't dilly dally. He strides over to the window and then turns to face Eliza, "I'll do everything I can to bring justice to Lady Penelope."

She nods, "Good. If I can be of any assistance at all, please let me know. I'll leave the window unlocked." Colin gives her a small, reassuring smile before turning and climbing back out the window.