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“ Y ou are to walk with her? Here?”

Theodore nodded, looking all about him as Lord Castleton and Lady Castleton walked beside him. “Yes. That was the arrangement.”

“So, you have taken what I suggested seriously, then?” Lord Castleton looked a little surprised as Theodore nodded. “Goodness. I am a little astonished.”

“You are?” Theodore looked at his friend as Lord Castleton nodded. “Why is that?”

Lord Castleton winced, though he smiled with it. “Well, I suppose that -”

“He thought you quite determined to blame Miss Trentworth for the necklace,” Lady Castleton put in, squeezing her husband’s arm lightly and smiling up at him as she spoke. “Though he is a good deal less convinced and I confess that I agree with him.”

Theodore, who had expected that his friend would share all of this with his wife, smiled lightly. “You are a lady of good judgment, I think, so I shall certainly take your considerations to my mind, Lady Castleton.” He let out a small sigh. “I am well aware that there is a good deal of evidence that would suggest she has nothing whatsoever to do with it but still, there is a pressing niggle in my mind that says she might still have been involved. Her mother dislikes mine and any daughter ought to be loyal to their mother, yes?”

“Of course, but bear in mind that Lady Melford is not the only lady who dislikes your mother,” Lord Castleton said plainly, though Lady Castleton let out a small exclamation as though she was both shocked and displeased with her husband speaking in such a plain manner. “There will be others at the soiree who had just as much displeasure within their hearts upon seeing Lady Albury’s arrival.” Patting his wife’s hand, Lord Castleton said something comforting to his wife, though Theodore did not pay too much attention. That was true, certainly, though it was not something he had given a great deal of consideration to at present. Mayhap he had been a little too fixated on Lady Albury and Miss Trentworth.

“Lord Albury?”

He turned his head to see Lady Castleton nodding in one direction, her eyes following. “I think Miss Trentworth is approaching you.”

Much to his displeasure, Theodore’s heart leaped in a most unexpected way. He had not once taken any great note of Miss Trentworth, he told himself, though now that he watched her come near him, he could not help but recall how he had, in fact, considered the beauty of her eyes on at least two separate occasions. Surely it could not have been the thought of her eyes that made his heart leap so! Any such emotion in that regard was utterly foolish and Theodore, pushing it aside, tried to concentrate solely on the matter at hand.

“Miss Trentworth.” He inclined his head. “And Lady Rosalyn, a pleasure to see you both.”

“And you also,” they both murmured, though Lady Rosalyn quickly made her way towards Lady Castleton, with the two ladies falling into quick conversation. Theodore swallowed thickly, surprised that he felt himself a little nervous now, even though there was nothing whatsoever to bring him any sort of anxiety! He was left facing Miss Trentworth, almost unwillingly bringing his eyes to hers and, in doing so, feeling his heart leap up all over again in the strangest fashion.

“Miss Trentworth.” He demanded that his lips curve into a smile, relieved that that Lord Castleton had not yet moved away but stayed beside him. “I do hope you have had a pleasant afternoon.”

She smiled lightly at him. “I have, yes. Though there is much now for us to discuss, is there not?”

Theodore nodded and, seeing Lady Castleton and Lady Rosalyn begin to meander, arm in arm, along the path, turned so that they might all follow after them. “Are you permitted to walk with us, Miss Trentworth?”

She glanced up at him, then looked over her shoulder. “So long as I do not stray too far from my mother, all shall be quite well.”

Without a word, Theodore began to follow after Lady Castleton and Lady Rosalyn though, much to his concern and slight frustration, Lord Castleton hurried to catch up with his wife, slipping his arm through hers so they might walk together. That left himself and Miss Trentworth almost alone, their conversation unheard by others, and, strangely enough, that sent Theodore’s heart into a quickened pace.

“The other bluestockings and I spoke at length yesterday afternoon,” she began, making her way directly to the point of their meeting. “They are all quite determined to find your necklace, Lord Albury, just as I am.”

“Because they are determined to prove that you were not in the least bit involved,” he murmured, as a smile danced across her lips. “You have loyal friends, Miss Trentworth.”

Her expression softened, a gentleness about her eyes as she tipped her head up to look at him. “Yes,” she said, quietly. “I do. I am glad to see that you recognize that, Lord Albury.”

“And they all speak well of your character,” he admitted, a trifle heavily. “You are too astute for me to pretend that I do not still have a vague suspicion, Miss Trentworth, but I can assure you that it is only a mild one.”

Much to his surprise, she laughed at this, a quiet, tinkling sound that made his eyebrows lift in surprise. “Do you think that it makes me feel any better?” she asked, as he frowned. “To have any suspicion upon me, Lord Albury, is a heavy weight to bear but bear it I must, it seems! I cannot force you to believe that I have done nothing wrong but I must hope that, in time, your suspicion will fade completely, even if we do not find the necklace.” Taking a deep breath, she set her shoulders and looked away from him again. “I must ask you something, Lord Albury, and I pray that you will not take it badly.”

“Oh?”

She caught his eye and then turned her head a little so they could no longer look at one another. “Whether you wish for my help or not, my friends and I will continue in our investigation, so that I might prove myself to be innocent. In that, however, I must ask you whether or not there are any other ladies in the ton that have the same… contention that is between your mother and mine.” A tiny dot of red came into her cheeks and began to grow as Theodore watched, their steps slow but steady. He had to admit that he was a little surprised by her question but also the bold manner in which she asked it. It was direct though, he told himself, he ought not to be surprised by that given what he knew of her.

“I suppose that there will be, yes,” he admitted, though he shook his head as he spoke. “The difficulty is, Miss Trentworth, in being able to tell you as to who these ladies are, for my mother has a very strong desire to make herself as great in society as she can be.” He winced as he admitted this, finding it a little difficult to speak what he knew to be the truth. “My mother is determined to be the greatest of all ladies, even though her husband – my father – was no great gentleman. He was an Earl, as I am now, but we did not have the greatest wealth in all of London, not by any means! There are many above us by way of title and standing, but my mother appears to desire to have greatness in any form she can have it. That means she will do whatever she can to push herself to the fore – and the heirlooms are one way to do it.”

The lady looked at him for a long moment. “You said before that your mother wore the heirlooms without your consent.”

“ And my awareness,” Theodore admitted, surprised at how much he was willing to tell the lady, even though they were not exactly well acquainted. “That is why I took the necklace from her when you returned it the night of the soiree. I wanted to keep it safe and secure, doing what I had stated from the beginning.”

“I see.” The lady hesitated, then spoke again, her voice a good deal gentler now. “I am sorry for all of this, Lord Albury. There must have been difficulty enough with the heirlooms already and then to discover the necklace exchanged for paste when you thought it secure must be a heavy burden.”

Theodore’s heart warmed as he smiled briefly. “I thank you for your understanding, Miss Trentworth.” After a moment’s pause, he offered her his arm and, much to his inner delight, she accepted it without question. At that moment, Theodore felt his lingering suspicions begin to fade all the more. Could he really, truly believe that she had taken his mother’s necklace? The sudden, almost instant camaraderie between them felt strange but Theodore welcomed it all the same, a little surprised that he felt so. It was the first long conversation they had shared, he supposed, ever since the incident with the necklace. It seemed as though she held no ill will towards him which, Theodore had to admit, was both surprising and appreciated.

“We will find it, I am sure,” she said, sounding more confident than Theodore felt. “I am here to tell you that the bluestockings and I are going to investigate as best we can. I have asked you about the particular ladies that are rivals, as my mother is. That way, I can consider each in turn. Lady Amelia is to ask her friends where they might go to purchase paste jewelry – for the replica was made to a very high standard. Lady Rosalyn is to go to various libraries and read as much as she can about the heirloom itself, though I am sure she will also come to speak to you about it, and Miss Sherwood is going to assist me in my investigations.”

Theodore blinked, a little overwhelmed by all that the ladies had thought to do. While he was busy worrying about Miss Trentworth and her involvement in the affair, she had been organizing her friends to do a great deal more! “Goodness, Miss Trentworth!”

“What is it?” Her eyes widened as she looked back at him, clearly a little concerned that she had said something to upset him. “Do you not think it is enough?”

“No, you quite misunderstand me!” Theodore exclaimed, feeling her fingers tighten just a little on his arm. “Miss Trentworth, I am more than a little impressed by your determination! The way you have planned what is to happen, the way you all work together to find out what you can… I am both amazed and appreciative of your clear decisions and forward thinking.”

The way she smiled at him, the light that shot up into her eyes, and the delicate pink which rose in her cheeks made Theodore’s heart roar. How strange it was that in this one meeting, his thoughts towards her – his feelings, even – had altered so quickly! He looked away, fearful of what she might see in his expression if he permitted her, fearful even of what he felt.

“I am only grateful that you have accepted our offer of help, Lord Albury,” she said with a smile in her voice. “Will you ask your mother about any particular rivals of note? I know it may be an awkward conversation but it will help a great deal.”

“I shall,” he promised, looking at her again and seeing that smile still lingering there. “And I will send a note to you with their names the very moment I hear from her.”

There came a moment of silence between them, just a breath and nothing more. As Theodore held her gaze, his heart thudded violently and snatched at his breath, forcing him to turn his head away sharply.

“We should return to your mother, I think.” Miss Sherwood broke the silence and Theodore quickly dropped his arm, releasing Miss Trentworth from his side as her friend drew near. “We have walked a little farther than we ought, I think.”

Miss Trentworth looked over her shoulder, let out a small sigh but gave her friend a resigned smile. “I think you are right.” When her attention once more returned to him, Theodore did not know where to look, a buzzing in his ears that both confused and disconcerted him. “Thank you, Lord Albury. I look forward to hearing from you very soon.”

He bowed. “Of course.”

Without another word, Miss Trentworth and Miss Sherwood walked away, arm in arm and, as they walked, a lilting laughter ran back towards Theodore.

He did not smile. Something had happened in that one moment between them, something that he did not like and was certainly unsure of. This had been a most illuminating afternoon and, strangely enough, the necklace now appeared to hold a little less importance for him.

Though quite why that could be, Theodore was entirely unsure.

“I presume that the conversation went well?” Lord Castleton touched Theodore’s shoulder and he started, pulled out of his thoughts. “You appear to be in a good deal of thought, my friend.”

With a small nod, Theodore offered a wry smile. “Indeed, though I will say that Miss Trentworth has a clear plan and intention for what must happen next.”

“That is an excellent thing!” Lady Castleton exclaimed, coming to stand beside her husband. “I am sure that you will soon have no suspicions about her whatsoever.”

Theodore chuckled. “You may be correct in that.”

“Really?” Lord Castleton’s eyebrows lifted, though he grinned thereafter. “I am very glad to hear it! You will have solutions to all your concerns very soon with her assistance, I am sure.”

With a nod and a smile, Theodore continued to walk along the path again though, inwardly, he silently wondered whether being in company with Miss Trentworth might soon bring him more questions than answers.