“While that is very accommodating of you,” the first man said, “you, sir, are not the one under our scrutiny. It is this woman whose name was upon the list of guests at various parties where the host’s jewelry went missing.”
“Was I at those parties, too?” Jasper asked.
“Some of them, but not all, sir. Only Miss Sudbury, or her sister, Lady Worthington, was at all of them.”
Jasper shrugged. “That is hardly proof. Some peoples’ names get left off the guest list, someone may bring a friend who is not noted. And now, it seems, you are implying the Countess of Worthington might also be involved. How absurd! In any case, I can assure you the thief was not Miss Sudbury.”
Julia doubted his assurance was going to make these accusations go away.
“What do you say for yourself, miss?” one of the men asked her
His question caught her off-guard as she had, by then, decided the three men were going to work it out between them as if she wasn’t there.
“What do I say?” she stalled. “I say there are many people at those parties. And I ... that is,” she trailed off and glanced beseechingly at Jasper, at the same time annoyed with herself for looking to him for help.
He stared directly into her eyes and then turned back to the Bow Street Runners.
“What my fiancée is trying to tell you, in a delicate manner, is that you should go to hell,” Jasper ground out.
“Your fiancée?” echoed the second man.
“Yes. What is that to you?” Jasper demanded. “I’ll tell you what it is. It ismyassertion that my future wife isnota thief. She may not be legally under my protection this instant, but she will be shortly.”
Julia had to clamp her mouth shut upon realizing it had fallen open.
“The House of Marshfield will not look kindly upon your trifling with my wife,” the earl added. “As a peer of the realm, I will take this up with the Prince Regent, but you men are finished here.”
“We have orders to take Miss Sudbury back to London,” said the first man. Then he hurriedly stepped back as Jasper bristled with every muscle in his impressive body.
“By whose orders?”
“The stipendiary magistrate, Mr. Denham.”
“You may tell the magistrate that the Earl and Countess of Marshfield will come see himafterthe Epiphany when we have married and returned to London.” He paused. “Unless we take our honeymoon first, in which case, we shall be further delayed, perhaps until mid-February. Now, I wish you good day.”
Not waiting for a response, Jasper took her hand and placed it upon his arm. Julia had never been so pleased to be in someone else’s control. They gave the men their backs and walked toward the open doorway leading to the house’s interior.
At that moment, the butler came back with a piece of paper. As they passed him, Jasper snatched it from Mr. Jeffers’s hand and crumpled it in his own fist.
“That won’t be necessary after all. Show these men out.”
Without a backward glance, he led her through the billiards room with the vivid memories of his teasing caresses. They continued walking in silence until they reached the back of the house and the gray salon.
His mother was there, reading. At their entrance, still holding on to one another’s arms, she cocked her head questioningly.
Julia had hoped they would have a moment’s privacy, but Jasper made his announcement immediately.
“I’ve asked Miss Sudbury to be my wife, and she has agreed.”
The dowager countess gasped, but when she spoke, her tone was one of delight.
“I hoped you two were forming an attachment. I am thrilled for you.”
“In point of fact, his lordship didn’t ask me,” Julia said, although she couldn’t find the will to be cross. After all, he had saved her once again.
The rakehell had rescued her and wanted to become her husband!
The dowager countess laughed. “That’s just like my Jasper. Not one to really ask but to go after what — or in this case, whom — he wants and make it happen. I couldn’t be more pleased. I’m sure he told you how much he values you. I’ve seen it these past few days.”
