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J oceline looked around the room. “Ladies, thank you all for joining me.”

“We were all glad to!” Miss Sherwood smiled warmly at her. “It seems to me to be an excellent notion to have all of us bluestockings together.”

After she had learned the truth about the necklace from Lord Albury, Joceline was determined to do something about it. Once the shock had worn off a little, she had recognized how he did not trust her completely and, in that, saw the need to prove herself innocent. This, along with her offer of aid towards Lord Albury, was precisely what she needed. Having just completed her explanation of what had happened thus far to both Lady Rosalyn and Lady Amelia – for Miss Sherwood and Lady Isobella had already been told all of it – Joceline reached to serve the tea. “Now you know what has happened and the worry that I have.”

“I can imagine that this must be very difficult for you,” Lady Rosalyn murmured, as the other ladies glanced at each other. “Why would someone lay the necklace on your bed?”

“They wanted her to take the blame for the theft, mayhap? Or the exchanging of the heirloom for the paste jewels?” Lady Amelia shook her head. “This is dreadful. I am especially disappointed that Lord Albury seems to believe that you are in some way guilty! That does not make any sense. I thought he would be more sensible than that.”

Joceline took in a deep breath and nodded. “Indeed. But though he does not hold me responsible entirely, there is still a part of him that distrusts me. I say this with certainty for though he did not say a word to me in that regard, I could see from his manner towards me and from the way that Lord Castleton pushed him at certain moments to keep him from saying what he was thinking. That is why I offered my help – offered our help, in the hope that you will all be willing to come alongside me in this.”

The response to her request was immediate. All the ladies spoke as one, a slight hubbub of noise breaking across the room as Joceline smiled, grateful to her friends for their willingness and determination to help her.

“What is it that you want us to do?” Lady Amelia wanted to know. “How can we be of aid to you, my dear friend?”

“I do not know precisely,” Joceline answered, serving the tea cups one at a time. “But if Lord Albury thinks that I am the one behind the stealing of his necklace, then I must find a way to prove him wrong. And the only way I can do that is to work with him and show him the truth.”

“Which means you must first find the truth.”

Joceline nodded in Lady Rosalyn’s direction. “Exactly.”

“There is so much that we could investigate!” Lady Isobella exclaimed, her eyes bright. “First of all, we can search for the person responsible for making the necklace in the first place! Lord Albury might not be able to do so with the same ease, for he will simply throw open the door of a shop and demand to know whether or not they made such a thing… and I highly doubt he will get any answers that way!”

This made Joceline chuckle, fully aware that what her friend said was quite true, though she knew that it was not because of anger that Lord Albury behaved in that manner. He was upset, and it was more than just the necklace itself. Something about his mother having taken the heirloom without his consent had bitten at him, hard, and as Joceline considered, she wondered if there was a part of him that blamed himself for the loss of his necklace. Sitting down with her cup of tea, she mulled over Lord Albury’s reaction to her telling him the truth about where the necklace had been found. There had been shock in his expression, of that she was quite certain, but he had not said anything to her for some time. The way that he had watched her, however, with that steadiness in his eyes that was, at the very same time, filled with questions, had left her with no uncertainty as to what he thought of her. He was not sure of her, it seemed though part of her could understand that, given the strangeness of the connection between her mother and his. If, as she suspected, he understood that his mother had a good deal of animosity towards Lady Melford, then would he not suspect that it had been she involved in the theft of the necklace? Perhaps in some hope of gaining back some standing or simply to take Lady Albury down in her own estimation? A small, sad smile touched the corners of her mouth. The truth was, having Lord Albury tell her that he thought her bluestocking ways to be nothing of consequence had been greatly refreshing and there had been both surprise and a little stirring of interest in her heart. Now, however, that was over. Of that, she had no doubt.

Which is a great pity, she thought to herself, sipping her tea. For there might have been –

“Joceline?”

She looked up, seeing Lady Isobella smiling at her. “Yes?”

“You were lost in thought, which is quite understandable given the weight you must have on your mind,” Miss Sherwood said, with a smile. “We were suggesting that we meet together as often as we can while, at the same time, each of us seeking to investigate what we can, where we can.”

Joceline’s eyebrows lifted. “That is a wise thought, I must say.”

“I can speak to my friends and acquaintances and ask them where they would go to purchase paste jewelry,” Lady Amelia suggested. “Rosalyn thought that she might find out a little more about the necklace itself though that would require careful study.”

“There must be something written about it, if it is an heirloom,” Lady Rosalyn interjected. “I can find the information, however, I am sure. There are so many circulating libraries here and, of course, the great London Library that I am sure I will be able to find something.”

With a nod, Joceline set her teacup down. “I thank you. I will have to speak to the maid again in detail, to find out exactly what happened. I will have to question the staff in general, I think, to see if they saw any of the guests coming near to my bed chamber.”

“Though do be careful,” Miss Sherwood warned. “We all know just how terribly the servants whisper.” Holding Joceline’s gaze, she paused for a moment. “Might I ask if you are going to speak with Lord Albury again?”

“I have every intention to, yes,” Joceline answered. “Though whether he will accept my offer of help, I cannot say.”

Lady Amelia put out her hands either side and shrugged. “Even if he does not, that will not prevent you from finding out the truth, will it?”

“No, it will not,” Joceline said, decisively. “Thank you all for coming to join me in this.”

“Though,” Lady Rosalyn said, slowly, “we did wonder if there is something we ought to say which might… explain our meetings.”

Joceline frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Only that the ton is aware of everything,” Lady Isobella said, with a sigh. “Someone will notice that we are meeting together very regularly, even more than close friends might. We cannot exactly state that we are seeking to solve the mystery of the missing necklace but nor do we want society to start whispering about it all! You know as well as I that rumors could abound within a few moments!”

Considering this, Joceline winced. “You are quite right. There could be all manner of things said about us.”

“We could be seen as wallflowers, disinclined towards company and shunning society,” Lady Amelia murmured, with a roll of her eyes. “There might be a suggestion that we think ourselves above others in society and that is why we are so singular in our meetings.”

“You are quite right,” Joceline agreed, her heart heavy as she thought of all that the ton might say of them. “So, what shall we do?”

The ladies looked around at each other and Joceline said nothing, waiting for one of them to make a suggestion. She did not know what it was they could do, aware that they would need to be rather secretive but at the same time, afraid that the ton might begin to whisper about them all which would not be in the least bit satisfactory.

“I have it!” Miss Sherwood’s eyes flared wide, a broad smile settling on her face. “We shall simply say we meet to discuss books!”

Delight flung itself at Joceline’s heart. “An excellent idea!”

“Yes, indeed!” Lady Amelia clapped her hands. “The gentlemen have their clubs, do they not? Then we shall have our own!”

“The Bluestocking Book Club!” Joceline exclaimed, the name coming to her in an instant. “What say you all to that?”

The rousing chorus from the other ladies made Joceline’s heart lift high, her spirits going with it. She had nothing to fear, she told herself. Here and now, even when she was concerned about her reputation and what would become of her in the midst of all of this, she had her friends around her. Her friends understood exactly who she was, what her passions were, and how much she adored every single moment of learning she could garner for herself. Her friends, loyal and determined to stick close to her – what had she to trouble her? With them all by her side, she could believe without hesitation that the truth about the necklace would be discovered and all would be well.

“I think it is an excellent name,” Lady Isobella smiled. “We shall tell all who ask that we are joining together as the Bluestocking Book Club.” She hid a smile. “My mother will not be particularly pleased that I am declaring myself so but I do not give a fig about that! I am determined to be known for who I am, just as you all are.”

“Precisely,” Lady Amelia agreed, as Lady Rosalyn beamed at Joceline. “And, even in naming ourselves this, we shall keep others away from us, for I do not think that there will be many other young ladies who will be eager to so blatantly declare themselves to be a bluestocking by joining us!”

This made Joceline laugh, though it was a little rueful given that she knew just how true that statement was. “That is indeed exactly what shall happen! Though I am glad we shall be able to declare it to society.” Her smile slipped a little. “My mother, given that she now has this rivalry with Lady Albury – though she is not the only one – appears to care very little about society knowing me as a bluestocking. It seems as though she has forgotten about it almost entirely, even though I know she has not.”

“A distraction is not always a bad thing,” Miss Sherwood said, gently, seeming to know what Joceline felt. Yes, it was good that Lady Melford had forgotten about Joceline’s bluestocking interests but at the same time, Joceline would have preferred her mother still showed an interest in her all the same. At the present moment, all her mother seemed to be speaking of was Lady Albury though, given the upset, Joceline could not blame her for that.

“Then we are to go forward as the Bluestocking Book Club?” Lady Rosalyn asked as every other lady nodded. “We are contented with that?”

“I am,” Joceline said, as the others agreed. “We shall masquerade as a book club whilst, under our guise, seeking to discover the truth about this necklace and free me from Lord Albury’s suspicions!”

As though he knew he had been spoken about, a knock came to the door. When the maid entered, she held out a calling card to Joceline and, as she read the name, Joceline felt her heart slam hard in her chest.

She blinked, then looked to her friends. “Lord Albury has come to call.”

Lady Rosalyn was the first to speak. “Send him in at once! Let him hear all that we have to say.”

“Careful there,” Miss Sherwood said, gently. “We do not want to push him in a direction he does not wish to go. I can understand that our desire is to prove to him that we are all solely devoted to Joceline and to her innocence being proven but we must be cautious.”

Joceline nodded slowly, looking down at the calling card and wishing she had more than a few moments to come up with her decision. “I shall speak with him in the parlor,” she said, rising to her feet. “With you also, Miss Sherwood? And the maid too, of course.”

Her friends all nodded their understanding and Miss Sherwood came to join her in an instant. Handing the card back to the maid and instructing her to take the gentleman to the parlor, Joceline quit the drawing room and walked to the parlor, resisting the urge to grasp Miss Sherwood’s hand such was her sudden, rising anxiety.

“All will be well,” she heard Miss Sherwood say, as they stepped into the empty parlor. “Even if he believes you guilty, what does that matter? You will be able to prove it soon enough.”

Joceline could not give her friend an answer for at that moment, the door opened and Lord Albury stepped into the room. He glanced first to Miss Sherwood and then looked to Joceline, quickly bowing low before coming into the room all the more.

“Please, sit down, Lord Albury.” Joceline gestured to a chair, hoping that she sounded welcoming and not in the least bit nervous, but Lord Albury shook his head.

“I shall not take up more than a few minutes of your time, Miss Trentworth,” he said, his eyes affixing to hers with an intensity that seemed to steal her breath from her. “I have listened to all that you have had to say and spoken at length to Lord Castleton.” He took in a breath, clasping his hands behind his back. “I have determined that to turn down any sort of help would, indeed, be very foolish. My only concern at this present moment is to find the necklace so that I might then restore it to my family. That is the only goal I have in mind, the only thing that I am determined to do.”

Joceline exchanged a glance with Miss Sherwood, all too aware that as yet, he had not said anything about whether he thought her guilty or entirely innocent.

“I should very much like to accept your offer of help, if it is still given,” he said, clearly, his chin lifted and his shoulders pulled back. “Though if it is not, then –”

“Of course it is!” Joceline exclaimed, both thrilled and astonished that he had been so determined to ask for her help that he had come to call upon her at the house! “I should be glad to help you.”

“We all would,” Miss Sherwood said, with a smile of her own, though there was a gleam in her eyes as she spoke. “Though you do understand, do you not, that we seek to do all of this for Joceline’s sake, Lord Albury? We can see that you think she might have been involved in the theft of your necklace and we are quite determined to prove to you that she has nothing whatsoever to do with it.”

Joceline, who had not been expecting her friend to say any such thing as this, ducked her head and looked at the floor but Lord Albury, when he spoke, sounded truly genuine.

“I can understand that and I commend your loyalty to your friend. You all know her a good deal better than I, and as my friend Lord Castleton has said, many things about this situation would seem to point away from any involvement on your part, Miss Trentworth.”

Lifting her head sharply, Joceline looked straight into Lord Albury’s eyes. “Is that true, Lord Albury? Or are you saying such a thing to placate me?”

Her direct question seemed to surprise him, given the way he flushed but he did not, to his credit, look away. “I may be seeking to placate you, Miss Trentworth, but I am also speaking the truth. I have spent almost all of last evening, through the night, and into this morning thinking about it all. Lord Castleton came to call this morning and I was able to discuss the matter with him. You will not be surprised, mayhap, to know that he is entirely of the belief that you are innocent in it all, Miss Trentworth.”

She smiled, thinking well of the gentleman. “I am very glad to hear it. Though I should like to hear those words from your lips also, Lord Albury.”

Again, her frankness appeared to disconcert him, for he looked away and then rubbed one hand over the back of his neck. No response was given to her and Joceline’s heart dropped to the floor, a pain tightening around her chest.

“There is still a small part of you that believes Joceline has done something,” Miss Sherwood said, softly. “Is that not so?”

Lord Albury shook his head. “I am doing my utmost to find the truth and to gain clarity to do so as I seek it.”

That was not the answer that she wanted but Joceline told herself she had to be contented with that. The truth would out soon enough and when the time came for him to see it, there would be, she hoped, a profuse apology from him. “Very well, Lord Albury. Even though you cling to a faint thought that I am involved in this, I will offer you my help and the assistance of the other bluestockings, so that I might prove to you that you are entirely wrong. I also want to find your necklace, so that you will be able to see the truth for yourself! That is the only thing I desire.”

“Then I am grateful.” Lord Albury came a little closer to her, his eyes searching hers and making a streak of energy rush down her spine. “I am sorry that I cling to this, Miss Trentworth. You have been entirely honest with me, have you not? Therefore, I hope you will see my desire in being perfectly truthful with you also.”

She nodded, a little surprised by the faint warmth in her body that now lingered. Lord Albury was a gentleman that she ought to be stepping back from, that she should be keeping at arms length, should she not? So why was there now this strange desire to step closer to him and, as she had done before, catch his hand in hers?

“We shall have to discuss the matter again, perhaps in more detail.” Lord Albury’s eyes flashed to Miss Sherwood though he directed his question towards Joceline. “Might you be willing to walk with me in the park one afternoon? We could discuss the matter then.”

“A walk?” Joceline repeated, something catching in the back of her throat. “You and I?”

The Earl nodded, though a hint of red brushed against his cheeks. “Yes, Miss Trentworth. I thought that might be something we could do together, unless I am mistaken in my thinking and you have told all of this to your mother?”

Not fully understanding his remarks, it took Joceline a moment to gather herself. A flurry of warmth in her stomach betrayed her and she curled her hands into fists for just a moment, trying to understand him. “You think that if we walk together, she will not overhear.”

“Because I thought that, at the moment, you had not discussed this idea of assisting me with the discovery of the necklace,” he said, slowly, a slight frown pressing down on his forehead. “You said last evening that you had kept this all from your mother but I presumed that –”

“Yes, yes, of course.” Heat began to rise in Joceline’s face as she flushed hot, feeling utterly foolish. There had been, for a brief moment, the thought that the Earl had wanted to walk with her in the park because of his interest in her though now, of course, she saw that such a thought was entirely mistaken. Why had she even permitted herself to think such a thing? It was not as though she had any interest in the Earl and certainly he did not think highly of her! “That is a wise thought, Lord Albury. Mayhap my friends and I shall all walk in the park together and we might unexpectedly come upon you. That way, there will be no notion of us meeting together.” Her smile was tight. “After all, the last thing we want is for society to have the wrong impression in all of this.”

“Quite.”

His short, clipped response made Joceline’s heart sink low and the embarrassment in her chest grew even greater. With a nod, she looked to her friend. “Miss Sherwood, do you think the others would be amenable to that suggestion?”

“Of course.” Instantly defensive, Miss Sherwood stood straight and pinned her gaze to Lord Albury. “We are, as you know, Lord Albury, already quite determined to stand by Joceline and reveal the truth to both you and to her. Therefore, we shall do whatever is needed – and I hope that, once you learn that you are mistaken, you will offer a sincere and determined apology to my friend, for this doubting of her innocence is a heavy weight to bear.”

For whatever reason, Lord Albury’s eyebrows shot up as if he had never once thought of such a thing. His eyes, still rounded, turned to Joceline, and though he said nothing, the surprise was evident in his expression. Joceline held his gaze steadily, wondering if he truly believed that she had been able to brush aside his suspicions without a second thought!

“I – I shall, of course, apologize,” he said, after a few seconds of silence. “And indeed, Miss Trentworth, I realize now that I have never given much thought to how all of this must be weighing upon you. That has now given me some more to think upon.”

“I am glad to hear it,” Joceline replied, spiritedly. “I shall, Lord Albury, demand a perfect apology from you when the time comes. Indeed, you may have to give it to me over and over again until I am quite satisfied.”

“Is that so?” A tiny hint of a smile pressed at his lips, a flash in his eyes that seemed to warm Joceline through. Inclining his head, he ran his fingers over his chin and then turned away, the heat in Joceline’s frame quickly fading. “Then I quite agree to do so.” He nodded. “Until tomorrow. I look forward to speaking with you then, Miss Trentworth.”

Joceline watched the gentleman leave and, once the door was closed, flopped back into a chair, one hand at her forehead. “Goodness! That was unexpected.”

“But it is good, is it not?” Miss Sherwood asked, her voice bright with seeming enthusiasm. “He wants our help, Joceline! That is an excellent thing.”

“Unless he merely wants me close to him so he can catch me with the necklace,” Joceline muttered, still rather uncomfortable with the strange happenings within her heart when it came to Lord Albury. “I do not like that he still thinks I might be guilty.”

Miss Sherwood waved a hand. “That will pass, and quickly too,” she said, unequivocally. “He will have no reason to doubt you very soon, I am sure. With all of us together, the truth cannot escape us for long.”

“I must hope so.” Pushing herself up out of her chair, Joceline made for the door. “Come now, let us go and tell the other members of the Bluestocking Book Club about these developments.” She smiled as she spoke, the name of the book club lifting her heart. “You are quite right, Eugenia. Together, we are certain to find the truth.”

“Yes, we shall,” her friend said, coming after her. “And you will be proven entirely innocent – and Lord Albury shall have no choice but to grovel at your feet in apology.”

Laughing at the picture her friend presented, Joceline made her way back to the drawing-room though, as she walked, she could not quite forget the small smile that had touched Lord Albury’s lips when she had spoken about his soon-to-be-required apology. It had sent light into his eyes and transformed his expression… and much to her frustration, had set her heart quite awry.