Page 26 of The Earl's Error
“Please, sit down, Lord Albury.” Joceline gestured to a chair, hoping that she sounded welcoming and not in the least bit nervous, but Lord Albury shook his head.
“I shall not take up more than a few minutes of your time, Miss Trentworth,” he said, his eyes affixing to hers with an intensity that seemed to steal her breath from her. “I have listened to all that you have had to say and spoken at length to Lord Castleton.” He took in a breath, clasping his hands behind his back. “I have determined that to turn down any sort of help would, indeed, be very foolish. My only concern at this present moment is to find the necklace so that I might then restore it to my family. That is the only goal I have in mind, the only thing that I am determined to do.”
Joceline exchanged a glance with Miss Sherwood, all too aware that as yet, he had not said anything about whether he thought her guilty or entirely innocent.
“I should very much like to accept your offer of help, if it is still given,” he said, clearly, his chin lifted and his shoulders pulled back. “Though if it is not, then –”
“Of course it is!” Joceline exclaimed, both thrilled and astonished that he had been so determined to ask for her help that he had come to call upon her at the house! “I should be glad to help you.”
“We all would,” Miss Sherwood said, with a smile of her own, though there was a gleam in her eyes as she spoke. “Though youdounderstand, do you not, that we seek to do all of this for Joceline’s sake, Lord Albury? We can see that you think she might have been involved in the theft of your necklace and we are quite determined to prove to you that she has nothing whatsoever to do with it.”
Joceline, who had not been expecting her friend to say any such thing as this, ducked her head and looked at the floor but Lord Albury, when he spoke, sounded truly genuine.
“I can understand that and I commend your loyalty to your friend. You all know her a good deal better than I, and as my friend Lord Castleton has said, many things about this situation would seem to point away from any involvement on your part, Miss Trentworth.”
Lifting her head sharply, Joceline looked straight into Lord Albury’s eyes. “Is that true, Lord Albury? Or are you saying such a thing to placate me?”
Her direct question seemed to surprise him, given the way he flushed but he did not, to his credit, look away. “I may be seeking to placate you, Miss Trentworth, but I am also speaking the truth. I have spent almost all of last evening, through the night, and into this morning thinking about it all. Lord Castleton came to call this morning and I was able to discuss the matter with him. You will not be surprised, mayhap, to know that heis entirely of the belief that you are innocent in it all, Miss Trentworth.”
She smiled, thinking well of the gentleman. “I am very glad to hear it. Though I should like to hear those words from your lips also, Lord Albury.”
Again, her frankness appeared to disconcert him, for he looked away and then rubbed one hand over the back of his neck. No response was given to her and Joceline’s heart dropped to the floor, a pain tightening around her chest.
“There is still a small part of you that believes Joceline has done something,” Miss Sherwood said, softly. “Is that not so?”
Lord Albury shook his head. “I am doing my utmost to find the truth and to gain clarity to do so as I seek it.”
That was not the answer that she wanted but Joceline told herself she had to be contented with that. The truth would out soon enough and when the time came for him to see it, there would be, she hoped, a profuse apology from him. “Very well, Lord Albury. Even though you cling to a faint thought that I am involved in this, I will offer you my help and the assistance of the other bluestockings, so that I might prove to you that you are entirely wrong. I also want to find your necklace, so that you will be able to see the truth for yourself! That is the only thing I desire.”
“Then I am grateful.” Lord Albury came a little closer to her, his eyes searching hers and making a streak of energy rush down her spine. “I am sorry that I cling to this, Miss Trentworth. You have been entirely honest with me, have you not? Therefore, I hope you will see my desire in being perfectly truthful with you also.”
She nodded, a little surprised by the faint warmth in her body that now lingered. Lord Albury was a gentleman that she ought to be stepping back from, that she should be keeping at arms length, should she not? So why was there now this strange desireto step closer to him and, as she had done before, catch his hand in hers?
“We shall have to discuss the matter again, perhaps in more detail.” Lord Albury’s eyes flashed to Miss Sherwood though he directed his question towards Joceline. “Might you be willing to walk with me in the park one afternoon? We could discuss the matter then.”
“A walk?” Joceline repeated, something catching in the back of her throat. “You and I?”
The Earl nodded, though a hint of red brushed against his cheeks. “Yes, Miss Trentworth. I thought that might be something we could do together, unless I am mistaken in my thinking and you have told all of this to your mother?”
Not fully understanding his remarks, it took Joceline a moment to gather herself. A flurry of warmth in her stomach betrayed her and she curled her hands into fists for just a moment, trying to understand him. “You think that if we walk together, she will not overhear.”
“Because I thought that, at the moment, you had not discussed this idea of assisting me with the discovery of the necklace,” he said, slowly, a slight frown pressing down on his forehead. “You said last evening that you had kept this all from your mother but I presumed that –”
“Yes, yes, of course.” Heat began to rise in Joceline’s face as she flushed hot, feeling utterly foolish. There had been, for a brief moment, the thought that the Earl had wanted to walk with her in the park because of his interest in her though now, of course, she saw that such a thought was entirely mistaken. Why had she even permitted herself to think such a thing? It was not as though she had any interest in the Earl and certainly he did not think highly of her! “That is a wise thought, Lord Albury. Mayhap my friends and I shall all walk in the park together and we might unexpectedly come upon you. That way, there will beno notion of us meeting together.” Her smile was tight. “After all, the last thing we want is for society to have the wrong impression in all of this.”
“Quite.”
His short, clipped response made Joceline’s heart sink low and the embarrassment in her chest grew even greater. With a nod, she looked to her friend. “Miss Sherwood, do you think the others would be amenable to that suggestion?”
“Of course.” Instantly defensive, Miss Sherwood stood straight and pinned her gaze to Lord Albury. “We are, as you know, Lord Albury, already quite determined to stand by Joceline and reveal the truth to both youandto her. Therefore, we shall do whatever is needed – and I hope that, once you learn that you are mistaken, you will offer a sincere and determined apology to my friend, for this doubting of her innocence is a heavy weight to bear.”
For whatever reason, Lord Albury’s eyebrows shot up as if he had never once thought of such a thing. His eyes, still rounded, turned to Joceline, and though he said nothing, the surprise was evident in his expression. Joceline held his gaze steadily, wondering if he truly believed that she had been able to brush aside his suspicions without a second thought!
“I – I shall, of course, apologize,” he said, after a few seconds of silence. “And indeed, Miss Trentworth, I realize now that I have never given much thought to how all of this must be weighing upon you. That has now given me some more to think upon.”
“I am glad to hear it,” Joceline replied, spiritedly. “I shall, Lord Albury, demand a perfect apology from you when the time comes. Indeed, you may have to give it to me over and over again until I am quite satisfied.”
“Is that so?” A tiny hint of a smile pressed at his lips, a flash in his eyes that seemed to warm Joceline through. Inclining hishead, he ran his fingers over his chin and then turned away, the heat in Joceline’s frame quickly fading. “Then I quite agree to do so.” He nodded. “Until tomorrow. I look forward to speaking with you then, Miss Trentworth.”
