Star of the East: A Lady Emily Christmas Story by TASHA ALEXANDER

hold me,” he said, making a great show of kissing my hand.
    “I do not think it would be possible for such a thing to occur,” I said. “One can only go so low, Mr. Capet.”
    “Do not force me to beg you to once again use my given name. You are not so cruel, are you?”
    “Why did you not tell me you have such a charming friend, Emily?” my mother asked. “Mr. Capet is quite a connoisseur of art and is desperate to see my murals.”
    “Your mother was kind enough to open the room for me,” Sebastian said, “and even more kind not to object when I suggested we have champagne while we view them.”
    “Mr. Capet tells me he has never seen their equal, even in Italy,” my mother said. The murals in the alcoves of the ballroom at Darnley House were, so far as I could tell, competent enough but largely unremarkable. I looked around the room, trying to determine what Sebastian actually wanted to see. Surely he would not attempt to steal the Murano chandeliers?
    “I was hoping, Mother, that I might speak to Mr. Capet privately, just for a moment. You will excuse us?” I smiled sweetly as I led him to the far corner of the room, my heels echoing in the empty space. “What, exactly, are you doing?”
    “I expected a kinder greeting, Emily. It was you who reached out to me.”
    “Via an ad that has not yet run in the newspaper.”
    “I have a friend at The Times who gets in touch whenever someone places a classified with any of the words in ancient Greek.”
    “Does this happen often?”
    “More than you would think,” he said. “I fear we are not the only ones who rely on the language of Homer to communicate our true feelings.”
    “I had hoped you would not misinterpret the passage,” I said. “Fly for me, O gnat, a swift messenger.”
    “I knew you were not suggesting I am a gnat, and I do know the rest of the verse: one awaits thee waking; and thou sleepest, O oblivious of thy lovers.”
    “I did mean to suggest, Sebastian, that you are the gnat.”
    “I am the gnat?”
    “Yes.”
    “I shall consider it a term of affection and adopt the gnat as my standard.” He tapped his long fingers against his cheek. “I wonder if Garrard could do me a diamond cravat pin in the form of a gnat. It could look rather elegant, so long as it was done in a size larger than life.”
    “Enough,” I said. “What do you know about the missing jewels?”
    “What missing jewels?” he asked.
    I sighed. “Please do not trifle with me.” I met his eyes directly. “If you have ever cared for me in the least, do not trifle with me.”
    “I was able to wriggle very little out of your mother’s footman. Something has been stolen?”
    I explained as quickly as possible. Sebastian made no attempt to conceal his mirth at the situation. “What a missed opportunity! If only I had known. I should never have returned the Star of the East, cursed or not. What sort of a fool would do such a thing?”
    “Do you swear on whatever it is you find sacred that you had nothing to do with this?” I asked.
    “Emily, it is perfectly clear that the maharaja and his family ought to have the tika . I feel no need to liberate it from them. Only someone who truly appreciates an object would insist on keeping it even after the power of its curse has been demonstrated. It makes me rather fond of the old boy, if you must know. I do hope his son proves to be a worthy successor.”
    “Were you following the maharaja? Wearing a saffron-colored turban?”
    “No, but it slays me to not be able to claim the idea. Brilliant. I shall reserve it for future use.”
    “Do be serious, Sebastian,” I said. “Can you offer me any assistance in this matter?”
    “You’ve a motley crew of suspects,” he said. “Are you quite sure your mother isn’t behind it all? She’s rather wily.”
    “She is mortified that it occurred in her house.”
    “I should have thought she would be angry,” Sebastian said. It was almost as if he knew her.
    “She