Julia shrugged having a vague idea of a portly woman who spoke more than she listened.
“Lady Stridewell drank her tea with the most unbecoming affectation, holding her little finger up while she sipped. And that’s when I saw it. Your ring. In fact, I believe she was trying to show it off.”
“What did you do?” Julia asked. “Did you tell her it was mine?”
“Off course not. I couldn’t just proclaim the lady had your ring. I asked her where she got it, and she said from her husband.”
“Did you press the issue?” Julia hoped for more.
Sarah shook her head. “What could I do?”
Julia’s mind was racing. Her sister might not be able to do anything, but Julia certainly could. All she needed was to get invited to their home for dinner.
***
WHEN JULIA WALKED INTOthe Stridewells’ house later in the week, she had a singular purpose — she would leave with her ring, if she had to take the baroness’s finger with her!
She barely flinched when she noticed Jasper, all his bruises and his black eye healed, standing beside Lady Violet Rearing. A nice enough young woman with two particularly plump features that any man would admire, Julia almost felt sorry for her and refused to let seeing them together disrupt her goal.
Jasper spied her the minute she entered the drawing room, but Julia did her best to give him the cold shoulder while still greeting her hostess, whom she barely knew. By the grace of a countess for a sister, Julia had finagled a last-minute invitation and was warmly welcomed.
“Miss Sudbury,” Lady Stridewell met her with a gracious smile, “let me introduce you to my husband.”
Julia had no interest in the baron except to wonder how the man had obtained her mother’s ring. She also noticed at once the baroness wasn’t wearing it. Instead, she dripped with emeralds, from her eardrops to her necklace to her bracelet, and sported a large emerald-studded band on her left hand.
Julia sighed.Surely the woman didn’t need her little ruby ring.
“Don’t be nervous,” Lady Stridewell said, misinterpreting Julia’s emotions. “The baron won’t bite.” And then the baroness laughed at her own words. Julia tried to join in, glancing past her to see Jasper watching intently.
Then her view was blocked by the portly baroness who grabbed Julia’s hand as they crossed the room to where Lord Stridewell stood beside the fireplace, chatting with three others.
“Dear husband,” the baroness said, interrupting him mid-sentence, “this is Miss Sudbury. I believe I mentioned her sister, Lady Worthington, complimented me on my new ring. My husband is exceedingly generous,” she added, sweeping the group to make sure they all heard her.
The smallest flash of something appeared in the baron’s eyes — perhaps alarm, yet perhaps not.
Julia dropped into a curtsy, then asked, “May I know, my lord, where you obtained it?”
“It was one of a kind,” he insisted, pursing his lips against any further words.
“Naturally,” she said, her tone pleasant despite wanting to scream. “Still, I thought to surprise my sister with something similar since she was so taken with it, if you will but tell me where you ... bought it.”
After a brief hesitation, he said quietly, “I would rather not say.”
The baroness made a perfectOof her mouth, then looked sideways at Julia before turning back to her husband.
“Whatever can you mean, sir? Why won’t you tell Miss Sudbury? I thought you said it was from Neate’s shop.”
The others in the small group were also staring at the baron, whose face reddened. Finally, he made an exasperated sound.
“Honoria,” he snapped, making those around him flinch at the use of her first name in public, “I do not wish to discuss it further.”
Julia hoped the floor would open up and swallow her for causing such an embarrassing scene. The baroness, however, instead of backing down, took a step closer to her husband.
“Herbert Poulet, Baron Stridewell,” she said, annunciating each syllable loudly so the entire drawing room hushed. “If there is a secret regarding my new ring, I shall smoke it out of you.”
“You shall not,” he insisted. “Not here, not now.”
“Why won’t you tell me where the ring came from?” She waggled her hand in front of his face, even though she wasn’t wearing the item in question.
