Chapter 5 #2
“I will bid you good day, Miss Jude.” Lord Cartwright bowed, his damp hair falling before his eyes.
With a quick toss of his head, the wayward lock flew to the side, and again she sensed that they’d crossed paths before.
“Thank you for your offer of transport, but I will procure my own conveyance home.”
Without another word, he turned on his heels and marched across the rolling lawn toward the house, his feet squeaking softly in his saturated boots.
As soon as Lord Cartwright rounded the side of Lord Haversham’s townhouse, Jude hurried across the lawn to where Sam sat with Lady Chastain.
Both women were dressed in the height of London fashion, yet their look of boredom showed.
Their feet were tucked beneath their skirts as they rolled a small ball back and forth—likely left by Neill, Lady Haversham’s son.
Lady Chastain stood when Jude lowered herself to the blanket.
“I will return shortly.” Lady Chastain—Ellie—hurried off to where her sister stood speaking with several older matrons. She must be overcome with boredom to seek out such a group.
“What did you learn from Lord Barton?” Jude asked in a hushed tone, spying the elderly man nowhere.
A dour look crossed her twin’s face, creating creases at the corners of her mouth and above her brows. “Nothing of import.”
“That is good to hear because I do not plan to be a part of any future misdeeds. Things were too close last time and I cannot place myself—or you—in that position again. We must hope to sell the vase.”
“I am sorry for deserting you with Lord Cartwright.”
Jude saw no sense in gaining Sam’s curiosity with regards to Jude’s opinion of Cart. “Lord Cartwright is a nice enough man. The few minutes we spent together were far more illuminating than your time with Barton, I would assume.”
“How so?” Sam straightened her shoulders.
“He is a collector,” Jude confided, allowing Sam’s brain to work to the same conclusion hers had during her stroll with Cart. “Amateur collector and antiquities broker.”
“And you think he will be interested in the vase?” Her twin’s mind worked fast. “Lord Barton said he is an earl…seems unlikely a man of his status has extensive knowledge of historical artifacts. He may be the correct man to approach.”
“I agree,” Jude said, leaning in closer to make sure their conversation was not overheard. “I have not seen him about town, nor does he appear overly acquainted. We can only hope he does not know of the vase’s theft—or make the connection to us.”
“You did not tell him of the vase already, did you?” Sam asked.
“Certainly not.” Jude should be insulted that her sister would think her so daft as to speak out of turn. Besides, there had not been enough time before he’d taken his tumble into the pond. “He did inquire about calling on me at a ‘later date’.”
“Oh, that sounds promising.” Sam raised a brow. “I was certain you’d have fled with Barton and me when given the chance, but there was obviously a reason you stayed to assist the clumsy man.”
It was on the tip of Jude’s tongue to chastise her sister for speaking thusly about Lord Cartwright—her twin’s unfair assessment was hurtful. And Jude hadn’t stayed behind to learn more about his interest in antiquities, or at least not entirely.
Lord Cartwright intrigued her.
A man of the ton; however, he showed all the signs of a highly intellectual man—educated at the finest universities in England, no doubt.
Not only in the common areas of financial and estate management but also in history, arithmetic, and the sciences.
She’d met many men in her short time moving through London’s elite who claimed cleverness.
But Jude found most lacking except in their inflated esteem of themselves.
Oh, and their need to align others to their delusions of grandeur.
Lord Cartwright was different; she’d known it from the moment they met.
Jude’s stare drifted across the crowd to avoid Sam noticing her ire at her sister’s insensitive comment, or deducing that there was a far greater reason she’d stayed with him after Lord Barton and Sam had fled the unsavory scene.
“If Lord Cartwright calls,” Jude said flippantly, “I will question him further in regards to his fascination with antiquities. He may be precisely who we have been searching for.”
“And if he suits, you will do what is necessary?” Sam probed.
It irritated Jude to no end that her family saw her as the weak twin—the one who’d buckle under any pressure.
Even Sam thought this of her. Apparently, stealing into two households hadn’t changed her sister’s opinion in the slightest. If Marce, Payton, and Garrett knew all she’d done of her own volition, they’d certainly think differently.
And if Sam saw herself as the leader between the pair, she was greatly mistaken.
“Have no fear, I am dedicated to my family and will do all that is required to secure the money Marce needs.” Every word she said was true.
There was nothing more important to Jude than relieving what pressure she could from her eldest sister, even if that meant putting herself in jeopardy of discovery.