“Mr. Belvedere never asked me to search for a letter,” Sophia said. “It was me—it wasus.Lady Marston and I?—”
“You are hysterical,” Lady Marston snapped. “Compose yourself.”
“I think we had better hear her out.” Captain Wentworth put out a hand to caution her. “But if you are only feeling pity, Mrs. Scott, and have some idea of saving this man—don’t involve yourself.”
Mr. Belvedere himself weighed in, looking exasperated with Sophia. “He’s right. The damage is done! Don’t involve yourselfnow, that’s only throwing good money after bad.”
Sophia shook her head. “No, I can’t. This was wrong—I’m so sorry.”
Captain Smythe was frowning mightily. “You have caused quite enough trouble, young lady! If Lady Marston is willing to forgive you, you had best be content with that and not stir coals.”
“Let her speak,” Captain Wentworth objected. “She hardly seems hysterical.”
“I’m not,” said Sophia, although the height of her nervous tension might soon send her into hysteria. She couldn’t look at Mr. Belvedere and instead spoke to Captain Smythe’s throat. “I can’t let this go on. Lady Marston had a letter to destroy, and I was to help her find it. It wasIwho woke Donny that first night, and it was I who panicked and left the bags untied. I tried several other times, most notably during the storm when I knocked my head, and that final time, when Caroline and the colonel caught me. It wasneverMr. Belvedere, but when they gave me that excuse, I used it. It was always me.”
“Blimey,” said Sir Mark. “You’ve blown the gaff now.”
22
Sophia grew light-headed with relief. “I know I have done very wrong, but I have no reason to lie about this. Mr. Belvedere guessed that I was the culprit and even questioned me about it, but he was never in league with me. Nor I with him. He probably is not the man from the newspaper at all—I have no idea. I succumbed to the temptation to make him my scapegoat, which I should never have done.”
Mr. Belvedere exhaled mightily. “Mrs. Scott—Sophia, stop. There is no point to this—self-immolation.”
Lady Marston’s fingers dug bruises into her arm. “I don’t know what you mean with this ridiculous explanation, but evenhethinks you’re mad.”
“But why would Lady Marstonwantto destroy a letter?” Caroline asked.
“I don’t know,” Sophia spread her hands helplessly, “but I know it has something to do with the solicitors who are handling Sir Mark’s inheritance.”
Mr. Belvedere whistled. “Can’t say I thought of that one.”
“Yes,” said Sophia, “and we found it last night when we searched the mail. Lady Marston took it.”
The captain reeled in genuine confusion, “What?”
“I mean—she must’ve destroyed it already, so I can’tproveanything?—”
“Of course she cannot,” said Lady Marston. “She is only attempting to throw mud on the matter in hopes of getting this gentleman set free. Well, I wash my hands of you, Sophia! This is beyond anything! Captain, if she is in on the plot, you may take her to the consulate with my goodwill. She shall certainly not be inmyemploy ever again.”
“Oh, no,” Anne protested. “Let’s not be hasty. We still do not know what happened.”
“Sophia, how could you agree to this and not knowwhy?” Caroline asked. “That is absurd.”
“I—I was not in a position to demand answers. I assumed the letter contained some legal matter that might get Sir Mark disinherited. Perhaps an entail or a note from debt collectors…”
“No, no,no,” said Captain Smythe, not willing or able to rearrange his ideas so quickly. “What of the necklace? You will hardly say that you took it from Lady Marston! Or that she stole it from herself. That had to have been Mr. Belvedere.”
Sophia shook her head. “That was Lady Marston. She wished to draw attention away from the cargo hold since you had set a watch there. She hoped that if a theft occurred in the passenger quarters, you would relax your worries for the mail. Which you did.”
Mr. Belvedere cocked his head. “So itwasn’tyou who took the necklace. I thought you were lying.”
“It was and it wasn’t,” Sophia said. “I knew—or at least, I guessed what she had done. I believe Sir Mark kept the necklace on himself that night we searched.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Sir Mark, for everyone remembered that he had been the one to “find”the necklace among the jumble of mail.
“Well, now, see here—I don’t—she hadn’t ought to—It was Lady Marston’s idea!”
Lady Marston’s hawk nose was predatory. “Be quiet, you fool.”
