Page 68 of The Marriage Wager

Had her letters been discovered early? Constance wondered. Did Dominic and his parents know that she had fled rather than announce their engagement? Or perhaps the maid, despite the coin Constance had given the girl, had rushed straight to the butler with the news that Constance had left. But even if that had happened, why would Lord Selbrooke call her back? She was doing what he wanted without his even having to bribe her.

Perhaps it was Dominic who had sent the servant, not the Earl. Perhaps he was angry with her for leaving with only a note of explanation when he had been ready to sacrifice his entire future for her.

Constance’s hands knotted together in her lap. She did not think that she could bear to face a furious Dominic. She remembered the anger in him when he had told her what his brother had done to their sister. Constance did not want to have such a gaze turned upon her.

She wished desperately that she had not left the letters.

The ride was an agony of nerves for her, and by the time they arrived back at the stately old house, she was almost numb with dread. Reluctantly she climbed down from the carriage after Muriel and Lady Rutherford, and followed them to the front door. To her surprise, she saw that two footmen had come out and were unloading their luggage from the carriage.

She walked into the house to find Lord and Lady Selbrooke standing in the entryway. Lady Selbrooke’s face was a cool mask of hauteur; Lord Selbrooke looked thunderous. Constance glanced to one side and saw that several people had come down the stairs, most of them in various stages of dishabille. Dominic was in front, on the bottom step. He was dressed in a shirt and breeches, though clearly his clothes had been hastily donned, for his jacket and waistcoat were missing, and his shirt was not tucked in. His hair was still rumpled from sleep in a way that even in her present state of anxiety she found rather endearing. He appeared, she realized, not angry but puzzled.

Francesca was a few steps up from Dominic, wrapped in a brocade dressing gown, her hair tumbling loosely down her back. Behind her several more guests ranged up the stairs. Constance noted Calandra and Lord Dunborough, as well as all three of the Nortons. Everyone looked sleepy and confused, as though they had been pulled from their beds.

Constance turned her gaze back to Lord Selbrooke, feeling even more puzzled than before. She had no idea what was going on, but the look of calculation as well as anger in his eyes was enough to convince her that he had some sort of mischief in mind.

“Well!” he exclaimed, looking straight at Constance. “Miss Woodley! So this is how you repay our hospitality?”

“Father, what is going on?” Dominic asked sharply, coming down the remaining stairs and taking a few steps forward. “Constance? Why are you with Lady Muriel?” His eyes swept down her, taking in her gloves and bonnet and traveling dress. “Where have you been?”

Constance straightened, shooting a glance toward the other guests standing on the stairs. She could not explain this in front of everyone.

But she did not need to worry, for Lord Selbrooke was going on, giving her no chance to speak. “I will tell you what is going on. I awakened this morning to find that we had been robbed!”

There was a collective gasp from the guests on the stairs. Constance stared at the Earl blankly. Whatever she had envisioned the man saying, it had not been this.

The tableau was broken by the entrance of the two footmen who had gone out to unload the carriage. They carried a trunk between them, and Constance and the Rutherfords automatically parted to let them walk through. They set the trunk down on the floor in front of Lord Selbrooke. Constance saw with some astonishment that it was her trunk.

“Lady Selbrooke’s ruby necklace is gone,” the Earl proclaimed, gazing straight at Constance. “What have you to say for yourself, Miss Woodley?”

Constance gaped at him.

“Are you mad?” Francesca cried from the staircase, and she ran down the steps toward her father. “Surely you cannot think that Constance took the necklace?”

“I am certain of it,” the Earl retorted, still looking only at Constance. “Why else did she run away like this? A trifle odd, is it not, that Miss Woodley disappears on the same morning that the necklace does?”

Again there was a murmur from the staircase.

Anger shot through Constance, stiffening her spine, and she said clearly, “I took nothing from this house, my lord.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Dominic look consideringly from her to his father. Pain seared through her. Surely he could not suspect her!

“Indeed?” The Earl cocked one eyebrow and nodded toward one of the footmen, who knelt and unfastened her trunk, opening the lid.

There, on top of her folded clothes, lay a small box. The footman turned toward the Earl, and he nodded. The footman handed him the box, and the Earl opened it. Inside was a folded piece of black velvet.

The cloth looked quite familiar, and Constance felt suddenly sick inside.

The Earl placed the velvet material on the palm of his left hand and opened up the folds with his other hand. An elegant ruby and diamond necklace shimmered against the dark velvet.

“Then how do you explain this, Miss Woodley?”

Constance’s head swam. The Earl had placed the damning necklace in her trunk. It was the only explanation.

“You planned this!” she gasped. “When I would not take that necklace as a bribe, you put it into my trunk! You knew I was leaving, didn’t you?” Constance turned toward Lady Rutherford, realization breaking through.

It was no wonder Lady Rutherford had been so unexpectedly pleasant to her, even accommodating. She must have seen the possibilities Constance’s flight from the house offered and had gone to the Earl to suggest a way to rid themselves of the problem Constance presented to their betrothal plans.

“You planned this thing together!” Constance’s gaze went from Lady Rutherford to Lord Selbrooke. She could not understand why they had done this to her. She was leaving Dominic and the house; surely that was enough for them.