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“ W hat are you going to do?”

Theodore leaned back against the wall of the drawing room he stood in, watching a few of the other guests. “I am not yet sure.”

“You will have to find a way to get the list of the guests,” Lord Castleton said, handing him a whisky. “That will be the first thing to do.”

“I already have it,” Theodore muttered, swirling his whisky around. “Lady Melford sent me a strongly written letter along with a list of the guests present that evening.”

Lord Castleton looked astonished. “Did she? Did you write to her to tell her about what had happened?”

Theodore winced. “No, I did not. I did something… else.”

His friend frowned. “Then what did you do?”

Taking a sip of his whisky, Theodore let out a small sigh. “I acted foolishly, I will admit. I strode into Lady Melford’s townhouse and spoke directly to Miss Trentworth.” Seeing his friend’s eyes widen, he closed his for just a moment. “There was no one else present and I am well aware that it was improper.”

A series of small, strangled exclamations escaped from Lord Castleton’s throat but Theodore only sipped his whisky, aware that he deserved every word of chagrin that was now bound to follow. He had acted in a most ridiculous manner, letting his anger, upset and confusion push him into behaving in a way that he would never have done otherwise.

“Do you want to be wed to Miss Trentworth?”

“Wed?” Theodore’s head whipped around. “Of course I do not! Why should you ask me such a thing?”

Lord Castleton rolled his eyes. “Because that is precisely what will happen if you continue to do such foolish things. What would have happened if Lady Melford had walked into the room and seen you together?”

“There was a maid present also,” Theodore mumbled, mortified. “Though I see your point. You can be assured; I will not do such a thing again.”

His friend snorted. “It is a little too late for such promises. You ought never to have done such a thing in the first place! I know that you are deeply angry and worried about this heirloom but Miss Trentworth would not have taken your presence well, I imagine.”

Again, Theodore could only nod and agree with all that his friend had said.

“And she, in turn, then told her mother all that you had said and that is why you received such a firm letter,” Lord Castleton finished, as if he were reprimanding a child. “Please tell me that you did not accuse Miss Trentworth of anything?”

“Not directly,” Theodore answered, quickly, as Lord Castleton let out a low groan. “I did not once state that I believed she had stolen the necklace. All I said was that I wanted to know what she had done with the necklace. I wanted an explanation as to what had exactly happened when the necklace had been returned to my mother.” Though when I asked her that, I meant to ask her outright what she had done with the emeralds, Theodore admitted to himself, his regret ever increasing. “Though you must understand, Castleton, I cannot help but think that the lady or her mother might have had something to do with the disappearance of my emeralds! After all, Lady Melford is a rival of my mother’s, that is plain enough. Therefore, I cannot simply dismiss the idea. That would not be wise.”

With a click of his tongue, Lord Castleton made it clear what it was he thought of this statement.

“Miss Trentworth did say that whoever had this made knew precisely what the necklace looked like,” Theodore continued, a little lamely. “She recognized that it would have had to have been prepared well in advance, with the expectation that my mother would wear it that evening.”

Lord Castleton nodded. “That is a relief, at least.”

“A relief?”

“That she was willing to speak with you,” Lord Castleton responded, with a wry smile. “Had it been any other young lady, I think you would have been thrown from the house and thereafter, given the cut direct!”

This made Theodore consider, his jaw tight as he thought about the lady. She had been upset with him for how he had spoken to her, perhaps a little afraid at first given the way he had strode towards her across the room towards him, and that had given him pause. Thereafter, she had responded to him with determination and that had made him step back. Her sharp but clear words had made him realize how poorly he had behaved – and yes, he had to admit, Lord Castleton was right. Any other young lady might have had her servants throw him from the house and might even have dragged his reputation into the mud thereafter, but she had not done so. Instead, she had seen his suspicions and had clearly stated she had not been in any way involved, going on to make some very wise and considered statements thereafter. She had thought, as he had, that his mother might well be involved, even though she did not fully understand the situation as regarded the heirlooms. She had also ascertained that there had been careful planning and prior preparation, revealing to him her quick mind and steady thinking.

A fresh wall of shame rose before him and Theodore winced as it crashed down over his shoulders, making him feel the weight of his actions. “I did not speak well. I will admit that.”

“Does this mean that you think her entirely innocent, then?”

Theodore opened his mouth to say yes, only to close it again. Seeing his friend frown, he let out a small sigh. “I am sorry. I know that you want me to say that yes, I was wrong and that she could have had nothing whatsoever to do with it, but what if the connection between her mother and mine is what ties this situation together? I will admit that she promised me outright she had no cause to take the necklace and indeed, she did seem surprised – bewildered, even – when I told her about the paste jewels but then again, I can only presume that what she expressed was genuine. It might not have been so.”

“Lord Albury?”

Heat roared up his spine and into his neck as he turned to see none other than the very lady he had been speaking of looking up at him, a slight lift at the corners of her mouth though her eyes were glinting gently. Had she overheard him? And if she had, what was she going to say to him?

“Miss Trentworth.” Theodore bowed quickly, aware of the sweat breaking out across his forehead. “Good evening.”

“Good evening,” she said, gesturing to her friend. “You remember Lady Isobella, yes?”

“Yes, of course.” Theodore glanced to Lord Castleton, who smiled at both the young ladies. “Good evening, Lady Isobella.”

“Good evening.”

After this, there came a long beat of silence during which Theodore’s stomach twisted this way and that, wondering what it was that Miss Trentworth was going to say. What was her purpose in coming to speak with him? Lord Castleton was right, he recognized, in stating that she was most extraordinary in her response to him. As he considered this, as the silence continued to grow, he noticed the shifting colors in Miss Trentworth’s eyes and, for whatever reason, that seemed to still him. The greens merged into the blues, only for the blues to then swirl back into green. His gaze traveled to the curve of her cheek, then the soft pink of her lips.

“I wanted to offer you my help.” Miss Trentworth looked to her friend and smiled. “ Our help.”

“Help?” Theodore repeated, a little confused. “What do you mean?”

Miss Trentworth looked back at him. “You know that we are bluestockings, Lord Albury. We have made that clear. Therefore, we would like to use our knowledge and the like to assist you with this mystery,”

Theodore, a little confused, frowned. “You mean with the necklace?”

She nodded. “Yes. Though…” Pressing her lips together, she lifted her chin and looked back at him directly. “There is something that I must say to you. You will be a little frustrated, I am sure, but the reason I tell you this is because I want there to be trust between us.”

This did not sound particularly good to Theodore and he said nothing, looking back at Miss Trentworth and wondering why it was she appeared so anxious all of a sudden. Was there something about the necklace that she had not yet told him?

“I hope you will understand my hesitation in sharing this with you. Indeed, I have not even told my own mother about this!” Miss Trentworth let her gaze drift to Lord Castleton. “And after speaking with your wife, Lord Castleton, I know that you are a gentleman who can be trusted. You will not gossip about what I have now to say.”

This made Lord Castleton smile. “My wife has spoken highly of me, it seems. She always thinks the very best of me and it is not always deserved. But in this case, it is quite true.” He put one hand to his heart. “I shall not say a word to anyone about whatever it is you wish to share.”

“I thank you.” Miss Trentworth’s throat bobbed. “Now, Lord Albury, before I begin, I must tell you that the reason I kept this from not only you but from the rest of the guests was solely because of my concern.”

“Your concern?” Theodore asked, frowning. “I do not understand.”

Her smile lifted only a little, then faded. “You shall. You see, I – ah, Miss Sherwood. Thank you for joining us.” The color in her cheeks rose just a fraction and then faded. “I know, Lord Albury, that you said to me before that you did not think you could trust Miss Sherwood’s word given that she was my friend but I think it wise that she is here, all the same.”

Theodore practically felt Lord Castleton’s eyes boring a hole into him, though he only cleared his throat and nodded. Yes, he realized that he ought not to have mayhap stated such a thing, outright. He could think it, certainly, but to have said it aloud might not have been the best idea.

“As I have told you, the maid was the one who found your necklace.” Miss Trentworth gestured to Miss Sherwood. “In turn, she handed it to Miss Sherwood.”

“And I took it directly to Miss Trentworth, who was in another room altogether,” Miss Sherwood stated, plainly. “That is all that took place.”

Theodore frowned. “I am already aware of this.”

Miss Trentworth’s eyes closed briefly. “Yes, Lord Albury, but what you do not know is that we did not find the necklace in the parlor, as was said.”

Theodore’s eyebrows shot upwards.

“To my great distress and confusion, it was found in my bedchamber,” she continued, speaking clearly and calmly though there was a flicker of something in her eyes. Fear, mayhap? “Laid on my bed, in actuality. Though quite what it was doing there and who put it there, I cannot imagine.”

At that moment, Theodore wanted to raise his hand, shake one finger and Lord Castleton, and whisper, ‘I told you so’ into his ear. He had been right, it seemed! He had a lingering suspicion that Lady Melford and her daughter had, in some way, been involved with the disappearance of the necklace and now he knew it for certain!

Though why would she admit to it now?

The quiet thought in his mind grasped a hold of him, making Theodore scowl. He wanted to rail at the lady, wanted to tell her that he knew she had been involved, that he had not had any cause to feel guilty or upset by his behavior, but that nudge to his heart silenced him.

“This will be upsetting for you to hear, I am sure,” Miss Trentworth finished, with a glance to Miss Sherwood, who nodded. “But I did not tell the truth because, quite frankly, I did not see a need to do so.”

Because you had stolen the necklace, Theodore thought to himself, fiercely, and then the exchange has been discovered, meaning you now must absolve yourself of blame!

“Of course you did not!” Lord Castleton remarked, making Theodore’s heart slam hard into his chest at his friend’s clear trust in Miss Trentworth and her words. “To your mind, the necklace had been found and there was no need to state where it had been discovered.”

Relief poured into Miss Trentworth’s face, her shoulders dropping, her eyes widening just a little and a quick breath escaping from her as she nodded.

“I was present when the maid found the necklace.” Miss Sherwood spoke directly to Theodore. “I can assure you that Miss Trentworth was nowhere near her bedchamber at that time.”

Theodore’ jaw jutted forward. “That does not mean –”

“There seems very little reason for Miss Trentworth to have told you about this if she was not entirely innocent,” Lord Castleton interrupted before Theodore could say more as if he were trying to protect Theodore from saying anything he would regret. “I can well understand why a young lady would desire to save her reputation! Especially if she considered that the necklace had, in fact, already been found.”

“ And it was Miss Trentworth herself who told the servants to search all the rooms in the house,” Miss Sherwood put in, her eyes narrowing a fraction as though she knew that Theodore did not truly believe Miss Trentworth innocent. “It would be very strange indeed for a lady to do so when she knew that the necklace was not only placed in her room but sitting on her bed!”

A streak of what felt like lightning ran up Theodore’s spine. “On your bed?” he repeated, as Miss Trentworth nodded. “Are you telling me the truth, here?”

“I am indeed.” Miss Trentworth’s lips pulled to one side and she flung out both hands either side of her. “For whatever reason, the necklace was found on my bed, placed there as though whoever it was that had taken it wanted for it to be easily seen!” She swallowed again, her eyes still away from his. “I did not tell you of this, Lord Albury, for I have been somewhat afraid that the reason it was placed there was because the person responsible wanted me to be ruined. They wanted my reputation quite pulled away from me, wanted me to be shamed in front of all the ton . I was afraid.” Her eyes pulled back to his. “I was terrified, in fact. What if someone discovered the truth of where the necklace had been found? There would have been many people blaming me, thinking that I was a thief! I could not let that be known.”

“And yet,” Theodore muttered, half talking to himself, half to the lady, “you told me about it.”

Miss Trentworth nodded. “I had no choice. In coming to offer you my help, Lord Albury, I am doing so with as much determination to aid myself as to help you but I was all too aware that I needed to be honest. Though whether you choose to believe me is entirely your own decision.”

Lord Castleton shifted his stance a little and, in doing so, nudged Theodore heavily. “You are very wise, I think. And you have great courage in coming to speak to us as you have done. Little wonder that you are offering your help, Miss Trentworth! The worry as to who might have sought to ruin your reputation must be a difficult one to bear.”

Theodore, all too aware that his friend had nudged him to force a response from him, grimaced. Yes, he could see the sense in what Lord Castleton said; he could understand why his friend was so willing to believe Miss Trentworth but, at the very same time, he did not give her the same belief. Not fully, at least. He did not know if she could be trusted! He did not know if these explanations were all that they appeared to be. What if the lady was merely seeking to defend herself from his suspicions and, using her wiles, her lies, and her green, sparkling eyes to have him believe her?

“I will think on all that you have said, Miss Trentworth,” he said, a little curtly. “Including the offer of help from you all.”

Miss Trentworth’s shoulders lowered instantly, her brows pulling together and her gaze, after a moment, tumbling to the floor. Guilt tried to press its way into Theodore’s heart but he ignored it, telling himself that he was quite right to be thinking of her in this way. He had to be careful and cautious, did he not? Just as his mother was so very tricky and deceitful, could not Miss Trentworth be the very same? The guilt he had been trying to press back roared upon him as he let his mind turn to this and he swallowed hard, disliking what he had thought but yet still refusing to let go of it. Yes, Miss Trentworth gave the appearance of being considerate, kind, and certainly at times, a somewhat outspoken bluestocking, but he did not know her well enough to be fully aware of her character. As she lifted her gaze to his, Theodore ‘s heart leaped up in his chest but he hurriedly turned his head away… though Lord Castleton was scowling at him.

“We should take our leave,” Theodore continued, as Lord Castleton’s eyes grew darker with every word that left Theodore’s mouth. “We shall speak again very soon, Miss Trentworth. Good evening.”

The murmurs of ‘good evening’’ followed after Theodore as he made his way from them all without another word. Lord Castleton, seemingly a little reluctant, came with him, though Theodore could not help but overhear the incredibly heavy sigh that followed.

“I cannot simply accept her help without considering it all first!” he exclaimed, his gaze fixing now on Lord Castleton. “You clearly see her innocent whereas I do not.”

“It makes sense to my mind, all that she has said,” came the reply. “She came to tell you to truth for fear that you would view her as guilty otherwise!”

“She could be hiding the truth even behind that !”

“And what guilty creature would tell the servants to search the very room she knew the necklace to be in?” Lord Castleton continued, clearly ignoring him. “If I was someone who had planned to take the necklace, then I would certainly not have demanded that the servants search my own room also! Nor would I have been foolish enough to leave it on the bed for everyone to see! Besides which,” he continued, speaking so quickly that Theodore could not get a word in, “you forget that the lady had no prior knowledge of your mother’s necklace! She had not seen it before, had she? She had not recognised it to be of value so why would you think that she sought it for herself?”

“Because of her mother.” With a slightly hard look towards Lord Castleton, Theodore made his position quite clear. “Her mother and mine have a rivalry, just as my mother has with other ladies in the ton , so I know full well that she is not the only one! However, it might well be that this rivalry was enough to push Lady Melford into action and, thus, her daughter became involved also.”

Lord Castleton rolled his eyes. “Or they could be entirely innocent,” he stated, sounding a trifle frustrated, “and you entirely mistaken.”

Theodore shook his head, refusing to let go of Miss Trentworth’s involvement entirely. Yes, it might be that she did not have anything to do with it but there was still something about her that niggled away at him.

Though quite what that was, Theodore could not make out.