Chapter 12
Verity fell into step with her mother as they walked near the bank of the Serpentine.
Her mother stopped every so often to converse with friends, although Verity would have preferred to finish this little outing and return home.
She had much on her mind, and she still needed to see what she could learn from the staff at Ravenscar House about the day the diamond had disappeared.
She knew that she could just ask Evelyn to investigate, but she felt that Evelyn was already overly concerned about what had happened to the diamond, particularly because her husband was sure to be blamed—again.
Verity didn’t want anything else to fall on Evelyn’s shoulders, and, truth be told, she also wanted to prove that she was capable of doing something valuable herself.
Her mother stopped again to speak with Evelyn’s mother-in-law, the dowager duchess, and Verity made her pleasantries before her gaze wandered, stopping on someone rapidly gesturing near a tree. What in the world?
She looked closer, squinting. It couldn’t be—but it was.
Julian.
He caught her eye and motioned again, and she placed her hand on her mother’s arm briefly. “I see an acquaintance. I shall return in one moment.”
She tried to make her way to the tree surreptitiously, stopping at an angle so her mother could see her but not to whom she was speaking.
“What are you doing?” she hissed.
“I needed to talk to you,” Julian said, serious for once, his brow furrowed.
“Here? Now?”
“It couldn’t wait,” he said, before telling her all about the conversation he had overheard, as well as his visit to the jeweler. “I think Eastclere was there, but I don’t know how to prove it.”
“I spoke to Lady Seraphina. She said Lord Eastclere has been acting strangely lately, although she doesn’t know why. She did say he fired his steward.”
“That’s interesting,” Julian said. “So, what do we do now?”
Verity tapped a finger against her lips. “It’s hard to say. We need to find proof of this or confirm whether Eastclere knows the diamond has been stolen again. Unless…”
“Unless what?”
“What if he stole the diamond? Then he could sell it without anyone knowing he had done so. For a diamond like that, there might even have been a guarantee on it, so then he could collect the value of it twice over, and there would be no gossip surrounding his financial distress.”
“That is an interesting theory,” Julian pondered. “One that has merit.”
Verity set her chin. “I think I need to get close to him. See if he will confide in me.”
Julian’s gaze darkened somewhat. “How do you propose to do that?”
“He wanted to marry me once.” She shrugged. “Maybe I could convince him that I am now interested.”
Julian was already shaking his head.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not safe.”
“In what way?”
“Because, Verity, you could actually end up married to him if you do so. That’s not something to play around with. Trust me, I know.”
Oh, yes, she knew very well the lengths he would go to in order to prevent being married.
“I would be careful.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t like it.”
“Well—”
“Verity?”
“That’s my mother,” she whispered. “I have to go, or you might be the one I end up married to.”
His eyes widened, and she whirled around, hurrying back, trying not to be hurt at just how shaken he had been at the idea when, in fact, the thought didn’t fill her with the complete horror that it did when other men were discussed.
Of course, he just happened to be the only one who had absolutely no interest in ever marrying her.
“Who was that?” her mother asked. “And why was she hiding behind a tree?”
Thank goodness her mother hadn’t seen who she was speaking to.
“Lady Seraphina,” she lied, hoping that there wouldn’t be any reason to call her statement into question.
“Why was she concealing herself back there?”
“She is trying to avoid an acquaintance.”
“Hmm,” her mother said. “I suppose I can understand that. Well, we'd best return home so that we can prepare.”
“For what?”
“We are invited to a soiree tonight.”
“We are?” Verity said in surprise. “Since when?”
“Since a few weeks ago,” her mother said smugly. “I didn’t tell you so that you wouldn’t have any time to formulate an excuse. Now you must come.”
Verity eyed her. “I could still come down with a headache.”
Her mother just shook her head at her before leading her back toward their Mayfair House. There would be a lot of work to get ready—work that Verity never enjoyed.
But it seemed she had no choice.
Although… perhaps the Marquess of Eastclere would be there tonight, and then she could put her plan into place.
It should make her excited to take the next step and get closer to answers.
So why did the idea twist her stomach in knots?
* * *
Julian hadn’t been planning on attending this soiree tonight. He hardly knew the couple hosting, but his mother had asked if he would attend with her, and he had denied her so frequently that he felt guilty enough to say yes.
He walked in with his mother, and the host and hostess stopped them.
“Lady Archer, good to see you. And… Lord Archer?”
He, the marquess. It nearly made Julian laugh until he remembered Asher used to think the same thing, and look where he had ended up. Fortunately, Julian’s brother already had an heir and a spare, so it was not a likelihood for him.
“Ah, no, that would be my brother,” he said. “I am Lord Julian.”
“Of course, my apologies,” the host said. “We appreciate you attending tonight. Please, do enjoy yourself.”
“I always do,” Julian said, stepping through and taking a quick look around the room for acquaintances. Eastclere was here. Interesting. For a man who was apparently near to falling to ruin, he sure found himself at a fair number of social events.
And now, walking in the door behind him — Lady Verity and her parents. It seemed they might have more time to sleuth tonight. Sleuth or possibly work on her lessons in seduction. Why did the thought cause his heart rate to pick up? It was all just a bit of fun.
He was about to walk up to her when she took him by surprise by crossing the room and joining Lord Eastclere and his ward, Lady Seraphina. Julian strolled over to take a drink close to them, keeping his back to them so they wouldn’t notice him eavesdropping.
“It is good to see both of you here tonight,” Verity said with a slight laugh that he recognized. That was her flirting laugh. It was ridiculous but—
Julian couldn’t help himself.
He turned around but stepped to the side so he was partially covered by a corner plant, praying she wasn’t doing what she had said and using his flirtation lessons to try to get Eastclere to open up. This could lead to trouble. More than she should risk.
Lady Seraphina, meanwhile, was looking at Verity as though she had gone mad.
Rightly so.
Verity’s hand was on Eastclere’s arm, her fingers trailing slightly along his sleeve, just as she had done with Julian.
Outrage filled him, but he had to approach this carefully, so as not to cause any interest in why he might oppose such a liaison. For he should have no interest at all. It was just… this wasn’t why he had agreed to offer his expertise. Not at all.
“Perhaps, Lord Eastclere, you could tell me more about that,” she was saying. “I hear this estate has beautiful gardens. We could take a stroll through them?”
No. Absolutely not. Time for Julian to take control of this situation.
“Lord Eastclere, there you are,” he said, striding up and interjecting. He didn’t miss the amused look on Lady Seraphina’s face, nor the annoyed one that Verity wore. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“Why?” Eastclere said icily, and Julian searched for a reason.
“We never finished our conversation the other day.”
“About what?”
“About…” he wildly searched for the answer, and then spoke without thinking. “The diamond.”
He really shouldn’t have said that. Verity stared at him, her eyes wide and her nostrils flaring.
But he didn’t care. He would rather this than for Verity to be lost with Eastclere tonight and possibly forever.
“Unless you have arranged for me to see my diamond with Ravenscar, then I don’t have much else to say about it,” Eastclere said frostily. “Where is Ravenscar tonight, anyway?”
“They had another event,” Verity said, rushing her words out. “But I’m sure the duke would be happy to show you the diamond sometime.”
Julian shot her a look, and she ever so slightly lifted her shoulders with a wince as though to say she had just reacted without thinking through what she was saying.
Eastclere turned to Verity. “I would be happy to walk in the gardens with you, Lady Verity.”
Now Julian’s nostrils flared. “Why do we not accompany them, then, Lady Seraphina?” he said, although he kept his gaze boring into Eastclere.
“I feel as though I should say no, but I cannot help but be entertained by all of this,” Lady Seraphina said. “Very well, let us go.”
She hooked her arm through Julian’s, but he didn’t read much into it—he got the sense that she was a rather affectionate woman.
They slipped out the terrace door, taking a few steps down into the small garden beyond the house. It was nothing like Eastclere’s own greens, and Julian waited for him to say something disparaging about it.
“Oh, Lord Eastclere, can you tell me what this plant is?” Verity asked, and Julian nearly rolled his eyes, for he had a good idea that she knew exactly what flower it was.
She just wanted him to explain, which he gladly did, launching into a soliloquy about the plant that looked the same as the rest of them to Julian.
Meanwhile, he couldn’t stop staring at the place where Verity’s arm was tucked into Lord Eastclere’s.
Verity was practically hanging onto him, looking up into his eyes—just the way Julian had taught her.
It caused a fire to grow inside his chest, an ache that he couldn’t explain. An annoyance, yes, but also a fierce protectiveness, and this need to cut in between them and rip Verity away from Eastclere nearly overwhelmed him.
“How’s that jealousy treating you right now?” Lady Seraphina murmured, and he whipped his head around toward her. He had actually nearly forgotten that she was there.
“Jealousy? I’m not jealous,” he said, in a low, hushed voice.
Her laugh was nearly a snort. “Are you lying to yourself or just to me?” she asked, turning to him with raised eyebrows, and when he didn’t have an answer, she continued. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think she truly means it.”
“I know.”
“You do, do you?” Lady Seraphina said with interest, and Julian realized he had said too much. “You know, two can play that game.”
She turned toward him, looking up at him. “Would you like to dance with me in the gardens, Lord Julian?”
“Now?”
“Yes?” she said, stepping in close to him, lifting his hand in hers, and he moved automatically, placing his hand on the small of her back.
As Verity and Eastclere spoke, their heads low together, Julian and Lady Seraphina danced through the garden, and all he could think about was doing the same with another woman—the lady in purple.
This all felt wrong. Being here with Seraphina, Verity with Eastclere—he couldn’t do it.
He stepped back. “I’m so sorry, he said. “I just can’t—”
“I know,” Lady Seraphina said with an impish grin, then leaned forward and whispered, “If it helps, she can’t stop looking over at you. And you’re welcome.”
“Lord Eastclere,” Lady Seraphina called out in a louder voice, “I have a question of my own.”
Eastclere had no choice but to walk over to her, leaving Verity with Julian.
Alone, though still proper, with Lady Seraphina and Eastclere in visual distance.
He couldn’t have been more pleased.