Julia stared back at him, her pretty eyes wide. He thought he heard her sigh with exasperation. She had no possible defense to her actions, so he reached out and snatched the bracelet from her hand.
He still hoped she would say something which would alter what he’d seen with his own eyes. Instead, she pursed her lips and glared at him, unremorseful.
“Why are you here?” she demanded.
“I followed you, of course.”
“You shouldn’t have,” she said adamantly.
Pushing past, she skirted him but was unable to escape before he snatched hold of her arm with his free hand.
“And why not?” Jasper demanded. If he hadn’t, she would have put the bracelet in her reticule and escaped back downstairs to the dinner with no one the wiser.
Her damned reticule!He recalled dancing with her and being hit by a bag that seemed filled with rocks. Undoubtedly, he’d been assaulted with her stash of pilfered precious stones!
“How dare you!” came the outraged voice of Lady Daphne Rancur.
“That’swhy not,” Julia muttered.
Slowly, Jasper released Julia’s arm, and they both faced their apoplectic hostess.
“Marshfield, if this were merely your taking liberties with my home and having a dalliance with one of my guests inmybedroom, that would be outrageous in the extreme. However, worse than that, I catch you stealing from me.”
Jasper felt the full weight of the situation, as he looked from Lady Daphne to the bracelet between his fingers, then to Julia’s pale face. He could take the blame, which made him appear to be the worst slithery blackguard, or blame Julia, which could end with her going to trial. Or he could try to talk his way out of it.
“This is not what it looks like, Lady Daphne.” Those were the words he’d hoped Julia would say to him. And they sounded ridiculous.
Their hostess’s anger didn’t diminish one whit.
“No? Then why don’t you explain why you and Miss Sudbury are loitering in my chamber, with you holding my bracelet.” With those words, Lady Daphne held out her hand, palm up.
Quickly, Jasper deposited the jewelry onto her palm. He’d been acquainted with Lady Daphne for years, although they’d never had a romantic liaison. Their parents knew each other, and her brother had been at All Souls College with him. Because of this, she knew he had an eye — and more — for the ladies, and he decided to rely upon that.
“It’s true I’d hoped to have a moment alone with Miss Sudbury. You know me,” he added.
“I’m not sure I do know you,” she countered.
He smiled. “I simply wanted to kiss the lady. We breached your private floor and were about to enjoy a moment in the hallway.”
He had Lady Daphne’s interest, but Julia was listening to his tale with an expression of horror upon her face.
“A servant came near so I opened the first door and drew my lovely quarry in here. Can you blame me wanting a single kiss?”
Julia groaned with humiliation.
“I heartily doubt you would have stopped at a kiss,” Lady Daphne said. “You rakes never do. I would have come in here later to find my bedlinens rumpled.”
She sounded a little less peeved, however.
“Gentleman’s honor,” he said, offering her a grin. “Nothing but a kiss.”
“The bracelet?” Lady Daphne asked, jangling it in front of him.
“It was on the floor, right there,” he said, gesturing behind him toward the dresser. “I had only just picked it up to replace it. Miss Sudbury, whose reputation is spotless, was about to leave, so I grabbed her arm, and then you came upon us. The blame is all mine, but the crime was passion, not theft.”
“Hm.”Lady Daphne passed him by to examine her dresser. Apparently seeing nothing else amiss, she dropped her bracelet atop the rest of the jewels. “I suppose it’s possible I swept it off by mistake,” she allowed.
“After all,” Jasper reminded her, “I am the Earl of Marshfield, and have no need to steal your baubles, no matter how pretty.”
