Page 47 of Lady Sophia's Lover
“You are a spinster?” he asked, following her slowly.
“I am unwed,” she acknowledged.
“Why would a woman like you remain unmarried?”
The questions were strange and inappropriate. Uneasily Sophia decided that it would be wise for her to leave as soon as possible. “You are kind to spare me your concern, sir. However, I have duties to attend to. If you will excuse me—”
“Sophia,” he whispered, staring at her with what seemed to be longing.
Startled, she wondered how he knew her first name. She stared at him with wide eyes, but then a sudden noise distracted her. It was the sound of laughter and cheering, accompanied by a vigorous swell of music and a cacophony of fireworks explosions. Bursts of brilliant light lit the sky and flickered through the windows. It must be midnight, Sophia realized. Time for the unmasking. Automatically she looked toward the sound.
The stranger moved behind her, so swift and silent that she did not sense him until she felt something cold drop on her chest. She reached up and fumbled at the foreign weight, then heard a smooth click as something was clasped around her neck.
“Good-bye,” came a warm whisper near her ear.
By the time she had turned around, he was gone.
Dumbstruck, Sophia put both hands to her chest and felt a web of stones and precious metal. A necklace. But why would a stranger do such a thing? She was bewildered and terrified, her feet carrying her swiftly outside. She pulled at the heavy necklace, searched for the clasp, but could not seem to unshackle herself.
Anxiously Sophia rushed to the open conservatory, where she had left Ross and his grandfather. A crowd had gathered around them, with many more coming from the ballroom. Rockets filled the sky with clusters of brilliant color, forming shapes of trees and animals, while rain-fire drifted downward through billows of smoke. The scene was chaotic and deafening.
Sophia stood huddled against the side of the house, her hands ineffectually trying to cover the rich glitter at her throat. Although Ross could not possibly have seen or heard her, his head turned as if he sensed she was there. At the sight of her starkly pale face, he reacted instantly. He moved through the cheering crowd, his gaze never leaving her, and he reached her in a few strides. The noise made it impossible for them to speak.
Ross took one of her hands and gently pulled it from her throat, exposing the mass of diamonds. His eyes narrowed at the sight. Sophia tugged helplessly at the heavy collar, trying to remove it. Suddenly she felt his warm fingers behind her neck. The clasp was unfastened, and the weight of gold and jewels slid away from her throat. Pocketing the necklace, Ross took her hand and drew her inside the house.
He did not stop until they reached the blue parlor adjoining the central hall. After the earsplitting noise and jubilant brilliance of the fireworks, the quietness of the room was almost shocking. “What happened?” Ross asked tersely, closing the door.
Sophia tried to explain in a coherent fashion. “I was going to the kitchen, and a man stopped me. He was wearing a mask. He said he had been looking for me. I am certain I have never met him before, but somehow he knew my name.” Unsteadily she described the odd conversation that had taken place, and then the stranger’s astonishing act of clasping the diamond necklace around her throat before disappearing.
As she spoke, Ross stroked the side of her neck lightly, as if he were erasing the other man’s touch. “What did he look like?”
“He had brown hair and blue eyes. And he was tall, though not quite so tall as you. At first I thought he was one of the runners. He had a powerful build, and he even seemed to move in the way they do—that is, he seemed unusually agile for his size. He was dressed in fine clothes, just like the party guests…but I don’t think he was one of them.”
“Did he have any scars or marks?”
Sophia shook her head. “Not that I could see.”
Grimly Ross extracted the necklace from his pocket and spread it on a mahogany table. Standing close by his side, Sophia stared at the piece in awestruck dismay. She had never seen anything so magnificent, a glittering collar woven of strings of diamond flowers and emerald leaves. “Is it real?” she whispered.
“Those jewels are not made of paste,” came his flat reply.
“It must be worth a fortune.”
“Three or four thousand pounds, I would guess.” Ross’s assessing gaze traveled over the necklace. “Your admirer is either a very wealthy man or an accomplished thief.”
“Why is this happening to me?” Sophia whispered. “I’ve done nothing to encourage anyone’s interest. What does he want? Why would a stranger do something like this?”
Hearing the note of panic in her voice, Ross bent and kissed her temple reassuringly. “I intend to find out. Don’t be afraid—I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She closed her eyes and breathed in his familiar scent, gaining comfort from his solid strength.
“Come,” he murmured. “I’ll take you to the kitchen.”
“And then?”
“I’m going to recruit some of the footmen to help me search the grounds, in case your stranger is still lurking about. Though I doubt he would be such a fool.” Reaching for the necklace, Ross dropped it back into his pocket. “A necklace like this didn’t appear from thin air…it is unique and valuable. I suspect it won’t be difficult to trace its origins. Which leads to an interesting conclusion. Your admirer wants you to discover his identity—otherwise he wouldn’t have given you such a telling piece of evidence.”
“Do you think he is the one who sent me the lavender gown?”
