With Lord Blakely off on a mission to recover the Waverly heiress, and the Duke of Hawkhurst on his honeymoon, only Emmett and Lord Cortland are left to man the Home Office, which makes it difficult when both are sent on missions of their own. The Earl of Billingswood, Lord Cortland's uncle, offers help where he can but is not actually employed there. They need someone else they can trust to head up the office while they are away. Mrs. Penelope Smythe uses her position as headmistress at the St. Joseph's convent school as a front for her work. When she learns that Lord Davenport is trying to find her husband, she is distrustful of the charming lord and evades. After sending him on a wild goose chase to distract him from learning of Benedict's death, he returns to find her home ablaze. Even though he's torn between frustration and worry, he offers to help her uncover the truth. The same men who murdered her husband for finding something he wasn't supposed to are determined to finish the job. An image of a coat of arms is their sole clue. Who is the mysterious Crowned Griffon Society, and what are they after?