Stop anybody from thieving them.’
‘But what if somebody finds them? Somebody
as scurrilous as Lord Sutton? Why, these people would be in as much
trouble as they are now. And some of these pieces,’ Miss Honeywood
picked up a ring and another necklace. ‘These must be sorely missed
by their owners. It would be cruel to let them believe they have
gone forever.’
‘You’re a great deal more female than I gave
you credit for,’ Aubrey observed dryly, ‘if you are worrying about
jewels.’
‘More the sensibilities behind their loss,’
she retorted swiftly.
Lampforth eyed the items before him
doubtfully. ‘Even so, not much we can do about it.’
‘There is something I can do about it,’
Harriet Honeywood said with complete certainty. ‘I can return these
things to their rightful owners. Help me find something to put it
all in, would you? I can’t help but feel we have been frightfully
lucky that nobody else has tried the front door. If we don’t hurry
ourselves our luck might run out and we will have somebody else
discover us. And that might just prove to be
disastrous.’
Chapter Three
Both gentlemen tried to persuade Harry to
leave the ill-gotten gains of the now defunct Lord Sutton behind,
but she did not listen to them. Truly, they could not understand
how much anguish a person must feel, believing that somebody held
something over them that could be used at any time. Or to keep
wondering where it was that you had lost a well loved piece of
jewelry? Returning the items seemed the only decent thing to do.
For those that his lordship had been blackmailing, it would be
agony to hear that the man had died and all of their secrets might
be exposed to the light of day at any moment.
With this in mind, she had had no trouble
ignoring Mr. Lampforth’s pleas and Lord Talisker’s strictures.
Discounting the viscount, in particular, was remarkably satisfying,
as he seemed to believe that females were sadly mawkish in their
sensibilities. His comment about her being unable to fully
comprehend the situation – if that had indeed been the implication
– still rankled a little. Harry was quite pleased with her
levelheaded behavior throughout the night, although she was
exceedingly grateful that she had not given in and let Sarah come.
She really would have had hysterics at the discovery of a body and
then the whole world would have known that something was amiss. As
it was she had been able to discover the necklace, so really the
entire adventure had worked out well. Except for Lord Sutton, of
course. But when she considered all of the things that the man had
in his possession, all of the pain he must have been subjecting so
many people to… well, while she would not wish anybody dead, she
could hardly find it in her to be surprised that he had come to an
unpleasant end. He must have been a most unpleasant man.
When it had become clear that she intended
to take the items with her, Mr. Lampforth had grudgingly found her
a bag in one of the hall cupboards. His lordship continued to argue
but Harry had ignored him. Or she had tried to. He could be most
persistent. Finally she had rounded on him in exasperation. ‘What
if it were somebody you know that had lost one of these things?
Your mother or your sister or… or…’
‘I hardly think a relative of mine would
have written anything unsavory enough to be used by Sutton.’
‘Oh, so you came here tonight to pass the
time with the gentleman?’ she demanded incredulously. It had been
satisfying to see the slow rise of color in his face. She knew
about the viscount, of course. There was not a female in all of
London who did not know about Viscount Talisker. He, too, had been
pointed out to her at one of the many dances that her aunt liked to
drag her along to. Rich, under thirty and good-looking; his virtues
were manifest. Harry hadn’t minded the look of him, it must be
admitted. With his dark brown hair, stylishly arranged, that
aquiline
‘But what if somebody finds them? Somebody
as scurrilous as Lord Sutton? Why, these people would be in as much
trouble as they are now. And some of these pieces,’ Miss Honeywood
picked up a ring and another necklace. ‘These must be sorely missed
by their owners. It would be cruel to let them believe they have
gone forever.’
‘You’re a great deal more female than I gave
you credit for,’ Aubrey observed dryly, ‘if you are worrying about
jewels.’
‘More the sensibilities behind their loss,’
she retorted swiftly.
Lampforth eyed the items before him
doubtfully. ‘Even so, not much we can do about it.’
‘There is something I can do about it,’
Harriet Honeywood said with complete certainty. ‘I can return these
things to their rightful owners. Help me find something to put it
all in, would you? I can’t help but feel we have been frightfully
lucky that nobody else has tried the front door. If we don’t hurry
ourselves our luck might run out and we will have somebody else
discover us. And that might just prove to be
disastrous.’
Chapter Three
Both gentlemen tried to persuade Harry to
leave the ill-gotten gains of the now defunct Lord Sutton behind,
but she did not listen to them. Truly, they could not understand
how much anguish a person must feel, believing that somebody held
something over them that could be used at any time. Or to keep
wondering where it was that you had lost a well loved piece of
jewelry? Returning the items seemed the only decent thing to do.
For those that his lordship had been blackmailing, it would be
agony to hear that the man had died and all of their secrets might
be exposed to the light of day at any moment.
With this in mind, she had had no trouble
ignoring Mr. Lampforth’s pleas and Lord Talisker’s strictures.
Discounting the viscount, in particular, was remarkably satisfying,
as he seemed to believe that females were sadly mawkish in their
sensibilities. His comment about her being unable to fully
comprehend the situation – if that had indeed been the implication
– still rankled a little. Harry was quite pleased with her
levelheaded behavior throughout the night, although she was
exceedingly grateful that she had not given in and let Sarah come.
She really would have had hysterics at the discovery of a body and
then the whole world would have known that something was amiss. As
it was she had been able to discover the necklace, so really the
entire adventure had worked out well. Except for Lord Sutton, of
course. But when she considered all of the things that the man had
in his possession, all of the pain he must have been subjecting so
many people to… well, while she would not wish anybody dead, she
could hardly find it in her to be surprised that he had come to an
unpleasant end. He must have been a most unpleasant man.
When it had become clear that she intended
to take the items with her, Mr. Lampforth had grudgingly found her
a bag in one of the hall cupboards. His lordship continued to argue
but Harry had ignored him. Or she had tried to. He could be most
persistent. Finally she had rounded on him in exasperation. ‘What
if it were somebody you know that had lost one of these things?
Your mother or your sister or… or…’
‘I hardly think a relative of mine would
have written anything unsavory enough to be used by Sutton.’
‘Oh, so you came here tonight to pass the
time with the gentleman?’ she demanded incredulously. It had been
satisfying to see the slow rise of color in his face. She knew
about the viscount, of course. There was not a female in all of
London who did not know about Viscount Talisker. He, too, had been
pointed out to her at one of the many dances that her aunt liked to
drag her along to. Rich, under thirty and good-looking; his virtues
were manifest. Harry hadn’t minded the look of him, it must be
admitted. With his dark brown hair, stylishly arranged, that
aquiline
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