Page 32 of The Earl's Error
She quickly stopped her pacing. “Oh?”
“I cannot… that is to say, it is not worth expressing it at the moment,” he said, slowly, as her lips pressed tight together. “It is only that… well, someone has come to my mind but I cannot understand why they would do such a thing, nor why they would then place the necklace into your bedchamber! That does not make any particular sense and thus, I do not feel confident in sharing the name as yet.”
“Oh.” Miss Trentworth nodded but looked away. “I understand, Lord Albury, truly. Though might I ask if there is a way to determine whether or not your suspicion is right?”
Theodore hesitated, looking back at her and, after a moment, rising to his feet so that he too might meander around the room. It appeared to help his myriad of thoughts settle just a little, though there came with that a growing tightness in his chest.
“Yes, there is,” he said, slowly. “If you are to go to Hamilton and Sons, then I presume that, somehow, you are to find a list of names of those who have ordered paste jewels of late?”
She came closer to him. “Yes, we are. Quite how we are to go about that, we have not yet decided but the intention is there.”
“Good.” Running one hand over his chin, he looked away again, aware that her increasing nearness was distracting him from his thoughts. “Might you be willing to share that list with me, once you possess it?”
She stepped closer still. “Of course, Lord Albury. There is nothing that I would keep from you.”
As he turned to look into her eyes, the tightness in his chest disappeared in an instant, though his heart began to beat at a furious pace. “Thank you, Miss Trentworth,” he managed to say, fearful that she would hear the slight huskiness of his voice, a hoarseness that had only just come on. “I – I am sorry that I have ever thought you guilty of this theft.” It was not something he had meant to say in this conversation but, in hearing her fervency and in seeing the hope in her eyes, he realized just how foolish he had been in thinking her responsible. “I can see now that I have been entirely mistaken.”
For a few moments, Miss Trentworth did not say a single word. Her eyes were a little rounded at the edges, her lips in a flat line as though she was trying to ascertain whether he truly meant such a thing. Theodore could do nothing but look into her face and pray that she believed him.
“Well, Lord Albury, this is a little unexpected!” Again, she took a step closer to him, a hint of a smile gracing the corners of her mouth and, to his surprise, a teasing note in her voice. “Though did we not state that, when the time came for you to admit that you were wrong in your belief, you would make me a most profuse apology? And that, indeed, you would makemultipleapologies until I was satisfied?”
The smile on her face grew and Theodore could not help but return it though, within him, there came a squirreling, nervoussensation, a little concerned that this was what she desired from him. “I believe that I did agree to that, yes.”
“Then will you do it?” she asked, a glint in her eye that did nothing to help Theodore ascertain whether she was being genuine in her request.
He swallowed. “If – if you wish it from me, Miss Trentworth, then I shall do so until you are satisfied.” Taking in a breath, he lifted his chin. “Indeed, I shall go on my knees before you and beg for your forgiveness, if you wish it.” Without giving her time to respond, he made to kneel only for Miss Trentworth to let out a shout of laughter and catch his forearm, making sure to keep him on his feet.
“I hardly think that you need to do such a thing, Lord Albury!” she laughed, though her hand remained where it was. “I was only teasing you, for I can tell from your expression that you are sincere.” Her laughter faded though her eyes still shone with light. “That means a great deal to me. I am grateful that you now see that I am telling you the truth.”
“I ought never to have doubted you.” Her fingers were still around his arm, near to his wrist, and ever so slowly, it felt as if his entire body was slowly being consumed with fire. “I was already angry about the heirlooms and, as I have said, my mother wearing them without my awareness. When I realized they had been stolen, my only thought was how to retrieve them, feeling myself shamed and –”
“Shamed?” Miss Trentworth sounded surprised, looking up at him with wide eyes that reminded him of the very emeralds he had lost. “Why? You had nothing to do with their loss.”
Theodore opened his mouth and then closed it again, a little surprised at just how much he wanted to be honest with her. A tentative frown danced across his forehead, seeing her waiting for his response and, after another few moments of consideration, he gave it.
“The heirlooms were given to me by my father. They have been passed down from generation to generation and he instilled in me just how much value they had – not only in monetary worth but to our family name.”
Miss Trentworth’s lips pursed, making Theodore hesitate.
“Is something wrong?”
“Oh, no, not at all.” She flushed red and dropped her hand from his arm, sending a surge of frustration through Theodore, aware that he wanted to do nothing more now than to reach out and take her hand in his again. “Forgive me, it was only that I was sure that Lady Rosalyn told me something about the necklace but mayhap she was mistaken.”
Theodore reached out one hand, unable to resist the desire to catch her fingers in his for only a moment, heedless now to the fact that, aside from the maid, they were quite alone. “What is it? Please, you must know by now that I trust you.”
This brought him a small, almost tender smile. “You are quite right, Lord Albury.” Her shoulders lifted as she took in a long breath. “It was Lady Rosalyn who told me that from what she had read – and she was unsure if you were aware of this – the heirlooms were sold to the Earl of Albury, though that was some decades ago, it seems.”
Shock crashed into Theodore’s chest.
“I do not know who the family was that sold it,” Miss Trentworth continued, seemingly unaware of just how much of a difficulty this was bringing Theodore. “Lady Rosalyn said she could not find out from what she had read, though she did say that the information provided stated it was because of financial difficulty.”
There was such an ache in his throat that no amount of swallowing seemed to rid him of it. The quickness of his breath and the cold hand that seemed to grab at his heart meant thatTheodore had to turn away for fear that he would lose his composure directly in front of her.
“I – I have astonished you.” Her hand was at his elbow now, though Theodore sat down heavily, not willing to gaze back into her eyes. “I did not know that you would be so astonished by this.”
Theodore closed his eyes. “I was never told this. I was only informed that the heirlooms belonged to my family and had done for generations upon generations.” He scrubbed at his eyes, then opened them to see her concerned face close to his as she sat down next to him. “Perhaps my father did not know of it.”
“Mayhap he did not.” Miss Trentworth settled her hand on his. “I do apologize, Lord Albury. I should have taken greater care in speaking as I did.”
