Page 21 of The Stolen Sparkler
“It’s the least I can do. We would first need to solve our current conundrum, however. Otherwise, he’d have no future.”
“I’ve been thinking,” Rosalynd said. She sat across from me, poised, her hands folded as if carved from marble. But her eyes—those sharp, unyielding eyes—revealed the torrent of her thoughts.
“You’ve determined a course of action,” I said. She’d come up with a plan while I’d been wallowing in despair.
“I have.” She leaned forward, her voice steady but urgent. "If the necklace is in Lord Burkett’s possession, we must reclaim it without alerting him.”
Needham’s knuckles whitened against the arms of his chair. "How? The man is shrewd. He’ll never willingly part with it."
Rosalynd smiled faintly, it was the sort that held the promise of mischief. "Not willingly, no. But he needn’t know it’s gone until it’s too late."
Intrigued by her words, I asked, "You propose a theft, Lady Rosalynd?"
"A reclamation," she corrected. "If Felicity had no qualms stealing from Eleanor, then we are justified in retrieving what’s rightfully hers. But I would need assistance to access Burkett’s quarters. He’ll keep it close, I’m certain."
This was a bold woman, and I appreciated boldness. My lips curved in approval. "A daring plan. I like it."
"Highly irregular!" Needham sputtered, his expression torn between reluctance and desperation.
"Desperate times," I countered smoothly, "demand unconventional measures." I turned back to Rosalynd. "Lady Rosalynd, you and I will manage this. Burkett is unlikely tosuspect a young lady, and I have some experience with subtle extractions."
She arched an elegant brow at me, her skepticism wrapped in charm. "Experience, Your Grace?"
"Let’s say my education wasn’t confined to the classics," I replied dryly, my tone making it clear I wasn’t about to elaborate.
Needham sighed heavily. "Do what you must. But if Felicity discovers this, she may retaliate."
Rosalynd’s expression darkened. “She must be removed from the field of play.”
“You don’t intend to harm her?” Needham exclaimed, his expression a study in horror.
Lady Rosalynd grinned. “No, Lord Needham. Only arrange for her to be somewhere else. She can’t interfere with our plans or even learn about them if she’s away from Needham Hall. I suggest you tell Eleanor what we’ve discovered. Have her take Felicity on a carriage ride with Cumberforth and Lord Harringford. She seemed quite taken with him last night.”
“But where would they go?” He gazed out the window. “The weather has turned. We might even get some snow.”
“Your local church. Harringford was waxing poetic about it last night. Something about its medieval spire. That should keep them far from here until this afternoon. By then, we shall have located the necklace.”
“Good heavens, Rosalynd,” Needham said. “I did not know you had such deviousness in you.”
“Comes from having eight brothers and sisters, many of whom get up to all kinds of trouble.” She turned to me and asked, “That plan should work, don’t you think?”
“As long as Felicity agrees, I don’t see why not.”
“What about Lavinia?” Needham asked. “She needs to be dealt with as well.”
“Her threat to expose Edwin’s lineage requires a different strategy,” Rosalynd said with conviction.
Meeting her gaze, I inclined my head. "Lady Rosalynd is correct. Lavinia must be incentivized to keep her silence."
Running a hand over his face, Needham sank into a chair. "What incentive could possibly work? The woman thrives on chaos."
“Her life’s ambition is to marry a peer of the realm,” Rosalynd said. “She can’t very well do that if a particularly nasty rumor is spread about her. She loves gossip and knows how damaging it can be.”
“What kind of rumor?” Needham asked.
“I’m sure Eleanor will come up with something.”
“My Eleanor would never devise, much less spread, a nasty rumor!” Lord Needham exclaimed.
