Page 16 of The Stolen Sparkler
Finally, after the last wish was read and the truffles triumphantly claimed by Lady Eleanor who generously offered to share them with her guests, I turned toward Lady Rosalynd, my tone dropping to a confidential murmur. “Shall we adjourn to the study?”
She nodded, her expression serene, though her eyes held the glint of determination. Laying claim to exhaustion, she wandered out of the drawing room.
As for myself, Needham asked me to join him in the study for a nightcap. Not unexpectedly, I’d previously informed himof our plans and devised this stratagem. We arrived at his study to find a servant had already delivered the crystal bowl full of wishes. Just as he was pouring generous splashes of brandy into two glasses, Rosalynd entered the room. After a brief discussion about the state of the investigation, Needham left us to it.
The study was quieter than the lively drawing room, its atmosphere subdued by the weight of our task. Without being prompted, Rosalynd carefully unfolded the blackmail note we had examined earlier in the day, smoothing the creased paper with steady hands.
“The handwriting,” she said, placing the note beside the stack of discarded wish cards. “It’s bold, hurried. Almost reckless.”
I leaned over the desk, my eyes sharply scanning the note. “A person under duress, perhaps,” I mused. “Or someone unaccustomed to such deceptions. Let us see if our game has revealed anything useful.”
One by one, we compared the cards to the blackmail note. Rosalynd’s eye for detail was unmatched, and I marveled at the precision with which she examined each flourish and stroke.
“What do you think of this one?” I asked, passing her a card that read:I wish for a Christmas pudding so large it could feed all of London.
“Lady Eleanor’s,” she said. “She has the kindest heart of all.”
I nodded, as she set the card aside. We worked through the pile systematically, discarding possibilities as the room grew quieter, the tension mounting with each eliminated suspect.
At last, only one card remained. Rosalynd’s eyes narrowed as she compared the bold, erratic handwriting to the note.
“This is it,” she said softly, her voice tinged with both triumph and unease.
I took the card and read aloud:I wish to own a castle in every country, each staffed with a fleet of butlers who speak only in limericks.
“Lavinia,” Lady Rosalynd said grimly. “She claimed it as hers during the game. She must have seen Felicity take the necklace. It’s the only explanation that makes any sense. She’s threatening to reveal all unless Felicity returns it.” She paused for a moment. “She also hinted at a scandal.”
“Wouldn’t the theft of the necklace suffice as one?”
Rosalynd shook her head. “I don’t think so. Felicity could simply say she borrowed it because she wanted to see it up close. The family would smooth over the entire thing.” She glanced up at me. “No. It’s more than that. But what could it be? I know of no scandal that pertains to Felicity.”
“There’s only one way to find out,” I said. We’ll need to confront Lavinia. But we’ll need to take care. She might perceive our intrusion as a threat, and desperation can drive even the most respectable person to extremes.” As I had good cause to know. I’d once made that fatal mistake and been paying for it ever since. A familiar darkness descended upon me as it often did when I thought of that time.
Unaware of my mood shift, Rosalynd said, “Not tonight, though. We must gather more evidence before we act. The Needhams deserve better than a scandal on their doorstep.”
Almost absentmindedly, I brushed a hand across my brow. “Yes. We must avoid that at all costs.”
She glanced toward the door. “I’ll leave first, shall I?” The same words she used before.
As I did. “Be careful you’re not seen.” And then I spoke without thinking. “It wouldn’t do to set off a scandal.”
She gazed at me, a confused look in her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Lady Rosalynd and the Duke of Steele alone in Lord Needham’s study,” I explained. “There’s no telling what they might have been up to in the dark.”
For a moment, she appeared stunned. “Why would anybody think anything of the sort?”
“They overheard Needham and I discuss a meeting in the study.”
“He’s not here!”
“But you and I are. And that makes it so much worse. It wouldn’t take more than that for a rumormonger like Lavinia to invent a lurid tale. You did say her correspondence was full of gossip, didn’t you?”
She shook her head, causing a glorious disarray of her copper curls. “It won’t wash, Steele.
“Why not?”
“Well, for one, I’m not in the market for a husband. And you don’t intend to marry again.”
