Page 28 of The Missing Book (Bluestocking Book Club #3)

A melia’s hands were clammy as she began to speak, fully aware that what she was about to say could put everything awry. Yes, Lord Broughton’s reassurance had been wonderful but it did not take away from the difficulty that could soon be brought.

“When we first spoke to Mr. Lackington, he told us that three books had been returned to him out of the six, for which he was very grateful. However, when I spoke to you, Lord Melford, you told me you had returned four.”

There was a brief silence, only for Lord Melford to shrug. “I must have miscounted. I was, as you recall, a little dazed given that I had injured my head during the commotion.”

Pressing her hands even more tightly together to contain her worry, Amelia glanced toward Lady Isobella, who caught her gaze and nodded just a little.

“Of course,” Lady Isobella said kindly, giving Amelia a chance to regain her courage. “We quite recall that. Lady Amelia told us as much.”

“It does seem strange, however.” Miss Templeton shrugged lightly. “Yes, we agree that you could have been a little confused after your fall and might well have forgotten but there is also another explanation.”

Amelia licked her lips, seeing the way Lord Melford’s eyebrows began to draw together. It was not as though she had expected him to admit at once that he had been involved but all the same, his silence was beginning to grate on her.

“We have, each of us, gone to various booksellers throughout London to see if we can find the remaining three books.” Miss Sherwood looked around the room.

“We did not find any of them. My thoughts are that the gentlemen who stole the books would go elsewhere to sell them so that they would not be found in London.”

“Though the proceeds would be shared,” Lady Isobella added, as Amelia let her gaze turn to Lord Broughton, seeing how he watched everyone who spoke, clearly paying great attention. “Between the gentlemen involved in the theft, you understand.”

“The two who stole from the Temple in the first place,” Lady Anna said, speaking for the first time in some minutes. “Is that what you mean?”

“I do, yes.” Lady Isobella looked back at Amelia who, with a deep breath, continued on. Turning her attention to Lady Gwendoline, she pinned her with a firm gaze. “Lady Gwendoline, we saw you speaking with one of the gentlemen involved in the theft. Baron Wishart.”

Lady Gwendoline’s gasp was heard by everyone, her eyes rounding as she began to shake her head.

“That does not mean that I knew he was involved!” she exclaimed. “We are acquainted only, that is all.”

“Baron Wishart and Lord Burlingham,” Lady Rosalyn said, with a firmness to her tone that Amelia had not heard before.

“I made some small enquiries this afternoon – forgive me, ladies for not informing you of this sooner – but it seems that both Lord Wishart and Lord Burlingham were involved in this theft. Lord Wishart because he has very little coin and Lord Burlingham because, as I understand, he is now to wed a lady who has a very wealthy father. He now requires some additional funding to ensure they start married life with enough wealth to keep her in the style with which she is accustomed.”

Amelia, who had not heard of this so far, looked back at Lady Gwendoline.

The lady was still very pale though there was a hardness in her expression that suggested she might be more than a little unwilling to tell Amelia anything they wished to know, much less admit to what part she might have had to play in it all.

Had she known of Lord Melford’s plan? Surely, Amelia considered, she must have done!

Mayhap I should take a gentler approach.

“Lady Gwendoline.” Speaking in a gentle tone, Amelia leaned forward in her chair, as though it were only herself and Lady Gwendoline in the room. “I have heard of your attachment to Lord Melford. It must be very difficult for you indeed to know that Lord Broughton would be against the match.”

In an instant, the hard glint faded from Lady Gwendoline’s eyes, though she turned her gaze at once to Lord Melford, a slightly panicked expression coming over her face.

“We all know of it,” Amelia continued, the whole room now covered in a heavy silence save for her voice. “Lord Melford, you need not pretend that there is only friendship between you. Trust me, it will do no good to cling to lies.”

Lord Melford dropped his head, his hands pushing through his hair, his elbows on his knees.

“Melford,” Lord Broughton murmured, his eyes holding nothing but concern. “Is this true?”

“Why should you care?” Lord Melford lifted his head and glared at his brother.

“You already made it very clear to me – on more than one occasion, I might add – that Lady Gwendoline was not suitable when it came to making a match. I know what you are like, Broughton. You are harsh and severe, determined to cling to the smallest thing and make it a nearly insurmountable difficulty. You continually tell both myself and Anna what we have done wrong and what we must improve. I could hardly bear the thought of what you would do if I were to tell you of my interest in Lady Gwendoline.”

Amelia’s heart ached, both for Lord Melford and the agony he was in, but also for Lady Gwendoline, who had to pull her handkerchief out to press against her eyes.

“Is that true, Melford?” Lord Broughton’s voice was hoarse, pain in his expression. “You thought I would judge you harshly for it?”

“I knew you would,” his brother responded, scowling. “I thought that if I could find a way… ” He trailed off, looking away. “It does not matter.”

Taking in a deep breath, Amelia set her shoulders.

“I think it does matter,” she said, loudly enough to command everyone’s attention.

“Lord Melford, you wanted to improve Lady Gwendoline’s dowry in some way, knowing that if she had a larger dowry, it would bring a little more contentment to your brother as regarded the match.

Though you could not simply give her your own money, for that would cause all manner of difficulties. ”

“No, it cannot be!” This time, it was Lady Anna’s whose face turned so pale, Amelia feared she might faint. Nothing was said, with Amelia leaving Anna and Lord Melford to look at each other, hoping that this would make the truth come out without any further aid from her.

“You should keep your thoughts to yourself, Anna,” Lord Melford grated, angrily. “You have already said more than enough. Why ever did you tell Lady Amelia of my interest in Gwendoline? I told you – ”

“Melford, did you steal the books so that you might add to Lady Gwendoline’s dowry?” Anna interrupted, her voice a little shrill. “Is that what you did? Was this planned by you?” Her gaze swung to Lady Gwendoline. “By you both?”

Lady Gwendoline looked at the floor, her face slowly beginning to turn a shade of red.

“No, you could not have done such a thing!” Lord Broughton exclaimed, now sounding utterly horrified. “Why would you go to such extremes? Why would you even think to do such a thing as that?”

“Because I love her!”

Lord Melford’s exclamation was so loud, it rang around the room.

Amelia’s heart beat furiously, her eyes fixed on the scene before her.

It seemed that, whether he had meant to or not, Lord Melford had now admitted he had, in fact, been involved with the theft.

She swallowed thickly, the silence breaking through to her very bones and making her tremble.

At this juncture, she could not even think about what the outcome of this conversation might be, afraid that both Anna and Lord Broughton, despite his reassurances, might view her very differently thereafter.

“You did steal the books, along with Lord Wishaw and Lord Burlington,” Anna cried, her hands gripping the arm of the chair as she leaned towards her brother. “How could you do such a thing? How could you pretend that you were some great hero who returned them to Mr. Lackington?”

Lord Melford scrubbed one hand over his face.

“I could not have anyone looking at me. Lord Wishaw and Lord Burlington have dreadful reputations but I knew they could easily smear mine if they so wished to. Therefore, I had to look as though I was the one seeking to return the books so that, even if they decided to throw my name out as one as much involved as they were, very few would believe them.”

“And you had to take a book for yourself,” Amelia added, as Lord Melford threw a fierce look in her direction. “Lord Wishaw had one, Lord Burlington the other and you, the third. I presume you took the most valuable?”

Lady Rosalyn caught her breath before Lord Melford could answer. “The coat!” She swung her gaze towards Lady Gwendoline, who had suddenly gone very still. “Lord Melford threw his coat to you and you met him when he returned. But that was before he handed the books back to Mr. Lackington, yes?”

Lady Gwendoline closed her eyes and began to sob just as clarity rushed into Amelia’s mind.

“You gave Lady Gwendoline the third book,” she said, looking to Lord Melford who now had something of a resigned look on his face.

“She hid it in your coat as you returned the other three to Mr. Lackington. Then, when you returned to her and collected your coat from her arms, the book was already hidden in the pocket.” This was all a guess, of course, but given the way that Lord Melford shoved his hand through his hair and closed his eyes again, Amelia believed she was correct.

She let out a long, steady breath as relief dropped onto her shoulders.

Though this had not been what she had wanted, there had now come the satisfaction of knowing the truth about it all.

“I am sorry.” Lady Gwendoline, still crying, spoke through her tears.

“I love Melford so very much and I want nothing more than for us to wed. I thought this was the only way, I feared that you would refuse our connection, that you would set us apart from each other so when Melford saw the books in the case, realized their worth and suggested this course of action, I could not do anything but agree.”

Amelia’s heart squeezed. Could she not understand that, even if she did not agree? To have such a depth of feeling, to know just how much you valued the other and how desperately you did not want to be set apart from them, could she not feel even a little of that?

“This is my fault.”

All eyes turned towards Lord Broughton who, after another moment, got to his feet and then set one hand on his brother’s shoulder, coming to sit beside him.

“This is all my doing,” he continued, with a heaviness in his voice.

“You told me, so very often, that I was much too severe with my standards and my expectations. I cannot imagine how worn down you must have felt from my near constant criticism.” He closed his eyes.

“You are right, however. I will not deny that. I would have complained and argued with you, had you come to me to speak about Lady Gwendoline. You are well able to make such a decision yourself, I know, but I would have caused you difficulty, would I not?”

“Yes.” Lord Melford lifted his head and looked straight into his brother’s eyes. “Yes, you would have done. And I would have fought for her but you might very well have found a way to bring the connection to an end.”

Lord Broughton’s expression tightened though he did not disagree.

“You arranged with those two rouges to steal the books,” Lady Anna said, speaking so quietly that Amelia was afraid to even breathe for fear that she would not hear her.

“Then you brought four books back to Mr. Lackington but gave the most expensive one to Lady Gwendoline. She hid it in your coat so that you had it on your person by the time you walked out of the Temple.” When Lord Melford nodded, Lady Anna closed her eyes and took in a shuddering breath.

“You did it because you love her and you want to marry her. I can understand that, Melford, truly.”

“Can you ever forgive me?” he asked, throatily, as both he and Lady Gwendoline looked towards Anna. “I kept so much from you but it was done out of fear, not because I did not trust you. I did not want you to be implicated in any way either.”

Amelia’s heart broke apart with sympathy and understanding as Lady Anna nodded but cried at the very same time. There was much for this family to discuss, she realized, much that needed to be shared and restored.

“I think we bluestockings could retire to the parlor,” she said, getting to her feet as Lord Broughton looked back at her, his smile barely there but gratitude in his eyes. “Please, take as long as you wish. I will send another tray up as well.”

“I thank you, Amelia.” Lord Broughton set one hand to his heart. “Thank you all. I am glad that we know the truth now, at least.”

Amelia nodded but said nothing more, rising to her feet and leading the way as she and the other bluestockings quite the room.

She gave a last, lingering look to Lord Broughton but he had his face in his hands, his shoulders rounding as Lady Anna rose to come to sit with them both.

Her heart ached for them, silently praying that, somehow, through it all, there would be something still for both herself and Lord Broughton.

The truth might have been revealed and the answers to their questions discovered, but there was no promise that all would be well between herself and his family.

That would have to wait for another time.