“You’re treading carefully, Marshfield. You don’t want to say anything that might hurt my feelings. I suppose I should appreciate that, but I think you’re foolish not to take the offer to save yourself and this girl’s sister. After all,” she put her hands upon her shapely hips, “everyone is the same in the horizontal position with one’s eyes closed.”
Jasper had a mulish expression, and Julia was certain he wasn’t going to be pushed by the viscountess into doing anything.
Lady Chandron recognized the same and sighed.
“Anyway,” she turned her attention to Julia again, whom she’d all but dismissed. “I like new experiences and new people, too.”
“No,” Jasper said firmly. “Do not even think it.”
Julia’s gaze swiveled between him and the viscountess, puzzled as to what was happening.
Having got his dander raised, Lady Chandron looked pleased with herself.
“I’ll let you both off my fisherman’s hook for the price of one of you. I prefer Marshfield, but I don’t particularly mind which one I take.”
“I beg your pardon,” Julia said, having lost the thread of their discussion. “Take one of us where?”
For the second time, the viscountess dissolved into riotous laughter.
“Exactly what hook do you think I’m on?” Jasper asked, looking decidedly unamused.
“Why the loss of your fortune, of course. A desperate secret you want none of our set to discover. Why else would you be helping this girl steal jewelry and selling your own at Rundell and Bridge?”
Jasper’s gaze darted to her, and Julia flinched from the flash of anger she registered in their tawny depths. This was her fault. And she’d learned when they were at Lady Daphne’s, the earl did not like his fortune to be called into question.
“I assure you, madam, the Marshfield estate is as healthy as ever it was,” he said. “Your information is wrong, and I am not on your hook in any manner whatsoever.”
“Really? So, you can afford to buy a pair of horses?” The viscountess pursed her mouth into a petulant moue. “Too bad.” She turned her attention back to Julia, licking her lips as she carefully scrutinized her from head to toe. “I guess I’ll take you, then.”
A shudder raced through Julia as she finally grasped the woman’s meaning.
“But I ... that is...”Good lord!
“No,” Jasper said again.
“Then you’ll give me what I want,” Lady Chandron concluded, taking a step toward him. “We’ll take up where we left off.”
His clenched his jaw again, no longer even glancing at Julia. Then he nodded.
“My word!” the viscountess exclaimed. “Chivalry has reared its head in the form of a rake saving a woman’s virtue. How rich!”
Quick as a whip, she pulled something from her side seam pocket and handed it to Julia.
“A token that I shall keep my word and not bother your sister, or you, any further.”
Staring at her sister’s calling card in her palm, Julia ought to feel relief, but her thoughts were swirling. Jasper was going to “take up” with this woman again.For her sake!
“I won’t let you do this,” she told him, wishing he would look at her.
But it was the viscountess who spoke. “This has nothing more to do with you. Consider yourself lucky. If Marshfield hadn’t agreed, I would have given my distraught statement toThe Timesabout two sisters who work together. One uses her title to garner the invitations, the other enters in her place and nabs the baubles. I suppose after the outcry, I would have had to go to the magistrate’s office as well.”
At that moment, with Lady Chandron’s face twisted into petulance and threat, she looked like a monster.
“You can go,” Jasper said evenly, and Julia realized he was dismissing her from harm’s way.
“Unless you want to watch,” the woman quipped. “In which case, I will offer you a comfortable chair in my bedchamber. In fact, let’s all have a glass of wine and go upstairs. I’m already feeling quite damp at the thought of our fun tonight.” And she whisked out a fan from her sleeve, popping it open before waving it over her face and neck.
“Miss Sudbury will leave at once,” Jasper said, this time forcefully.
