‘So, Anna tells me you’ve news about the baroness’s necklace,’ the earl said, handing Barrington his brandy. ‘Is it good news or bad?’
‘A bit of both, I’m afraid. Your good health, my Lord,’ Barrington said, raising his glass. ‘Lady Annabelle.’
He saw the delicate colour in her cheeks as she tipped back her glass and wondered if it was the potency of the sherry or the unwitting caress in his voice when he’d spoken her name. He’d have to be more careful about that in the future.
Thankfully, the earl seemed oblivious. ‘Well, what have you to tell us?’
‘The good news,’ Barrington began, ‘is that the necklace has been found.’
‘Has it, by Jove! Excellent!’ There was no mistaking the relief in the earl’s voice. ‘Jul—that is, the baroness will be very pleased. Where did you find it?’
‘That, I’m afraid, is the bad news.’ Barrington felt Anna’s eyes on him, but purposely kept his gaze on her father. ‘The necklace was found in your bedroom.’
‘My bedroom?’ There was a moment of stunned silence as Cambermere’s smile gave way to a look of utter confusion. ‘You found Julia’s necklace in this house…in my room?’
‘Actually, Peregrine found it,’ Anna said unhappily.
Her father turned to stare at her in bewilderment. ‘And would you care to tell me what Peregrine was doing in my room?’
‘He was looking for your watch.’
‘My watch.’
‘Yes. Edward said you had asked him to take it in for repair.’
‘Yes, I did. But I asked Edward, not Peregrine.’
‘But Edward had to go out, so he asked Peregrine to take it instead,’ Anna said quickly. ‘Edward told him where the watch was and when Peregrine went to get it, he found…the necklace.’
‘The necklace was in my wardrobe?’
Unhappily, Anna nodded. ‘In a leather bag next to your watch.’
‘But that’s impossible!’ Cambermere said. ‘The last time I saw that necklace, it was around Julia’s throat. You were both there, at the dinner party.’
‘Then you have no idea how the necklace came to be in your room?’ Barrington asked slowly.
‘I no more know how it came to be in my house than how it came to be taken from the baroness’s.’ The earl’s expression hardened. ‘I understood that was your job, Parker.’
The note of accusation was unmistakable, but Barrington merely inclined his head. Now came the hard part. ‘It was reported to me that someone saw you take the necklace from the baroness’s bedroom while she lay sleeping.’
Anna’s complexion paled. ‘Wh-what?’
The earl was furious. ‘How dare you, sir!’
‘Sorry, Cambermere. I’m only repeating what I was told,’ Barrington said calmly.
‘I don’t care what you were told! It’s a damned lie!’
‘Do you deny being alone with the baroness in her bedroom?’ Barrington pressed.
Upon hearing Anna’s muffled exclamation, the earl hissed, ‘Damn it, man! Must we talk about this in front of my daughter?’
Barrington glanced at Anna, aware that her face had gone as red as the glass globes over the lamps. He’d known it would, but it was too late to do anything about it now. ‘She asked to be present for the interview and since this is a critical point in the investigation, discussion of it cannot be avoided. If you wish to leave, Lady Annabelle, you are welcome to do so. I will call you back at a more appropriate time.’
‘Can’t imagine there being a more appropriate time for something like this,’ Cambermere muttered under his breath.
But Anna shook her head, struggling to overcome her embarrassment. ‘No, I’ll stay. And I am sorry, Papa. It isn’t Sir Barrington’s fault that I’m here. I insisted on being present during his questioning and I am truly sorry if my being here causes you embarrassment. But it is necessary that we get to the truth of the matter.’
‘Lady Annabelle isn’t mistaken, my Lord,’ Barrington said. ‘And I regret that the nature of the question had to be so indelicate. But while what you and Baroness von Brohm do behind closed doors is your own business, you would do well to remember that servants talk.’
‘Servants!’ Cambermere barked. ‘Are you telling me it was a servant who claimed to have seen me take the necklace?’ At Barrington’s brief nod, the earl’s face darkened ominously. ‘Give me his name, Parker. Give me his name and I’ll get to the bottom of this myself. I’m damned if I’ll have my name dragged through the mud like some three-legged dog dragging a stick. Whoever told you they saw me take Julia’s necklace was telling a lie. An out-and-out lie!’
‘Be that as it may, it isn’t a lie that you’ve spent time alone with the baroness.’
The earl coloured. ‘No.’
‘Then it’s possible a servant may have seen you in her bedroom—’
‘Perhaps it is best I leave.’ Anna abruptly stood up, glancing apologetically at Barrington. ‘I’m sure it would be easier for my father to talk about this if I weren’t here—’
‘No, wait,’ the earl said. ‘Wait.’ He cleared his throat, then reached for his glass. After downing the contents, he set the empty glass on the table. ‘This isn’t the kind of thing one normally discusses in front of…one’s children. Especially one’s unmarried daughter. But it would be naïve of me to think that…word of this might not leak out and that you wouldn’t eventually come to hear of it.’ He glanced at his daughter and sighed. ‘Yes, I’ve spent time alone with Julia. We’ve come to care for one another. I haven’t tried to hide that from you, Anna. And given that we are both widowed, we felt there was no harm in…moving forward with our relationship. Can you understand that, my dear?’
Anna nodded, and though Barrington could see that she was still having a hard time meeting her father’s eyes, her voice was steady when she said, ‘I understand. And I don’t blame you, Papa. But it doesn’t make things any easier.’
‘No, it doesn’t,’ Barrington agreed. ‘Because the question remains, why would a servant make up a story about having seen you take the necklace if there was no truth to it? What would they stand to gain by such a lie? And how do you explain the necklace turning up in your room?’
‘I can’t explain it.’ The earl shook his head, his anger spent. ‘I have no answer for any of your questions, Parker. I sincerely wish I did.’
‘I think it’s someone trying to stir up mischief,’ Anna said. ‘Someone who holds a grudge against you. The maid, perhaps?’
‘I questioned the young lady at length,’ Barrington said. ‘But she said she doesn’t know you and I believe that she’s telling the truth, so I doubt a grudge enters into it. Might it be someone to whom you owe money wanting to make things…unpleasant for you?’
The earl’s head snapped up. ‘What do you know about that?’
‘Only that you had a run of bad luck at the track last year,’ Barrington said quietly, ‘and that you have vowels outstanding to Lords Greening, Featherstone and Blakeley. Your son has also amassed rather staggering debts thanks to losses incurred at the faro table. Debts you have also been endeavouring to pay off.’
He heard Anna’s sharp intake of breath. ‘Is this true, Papa? Do you and Edward truly owe so much?’ When he reluctantly nodded, Anna said, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘Because it doesn’t concern you,’ Cambermere growled, though not unkindly. He glanced at Barrington and sighed. ‘I can’t deny that there are those to whom I owe money, but the debts are not so large that someone need go to these lengths. I assured Greening and Featherstone they would have their money by the end of the month, and Blakely a month or two after.’
‘And your son’s debts?’
‘With luck, they’ll be paid off by the end of the year.’
‘But what have debts to do with the baroness’s necklace being found in Papa’s room?’ Anna asked.
‘They provide a reasonable motive for theft,’ Barrington explained. ‘A gentleman’s debts
are seldom a well-kept secret. One has only to read the morning papers. I found out without any difficulty that your father’s and brother’s combined debts tally to well over sixty thousand pounds.’
Anna blanched. ‘Dear God, so much!’
‘You needn’t sound so horrified, it isn’t as large as that,’ her father muttered. ‘I’ve managed to pay off thirty thousand of it already.’
‘Unfortunately, your son accumulated another twenty this past week,’ Barrington said quietly.
The earl was aghast. ‘Twenty thousand pounds—in five days?’
‘I’m sorry to be the one to break the bad news to you, Cambermere, but you would have found out soon enough. And I suspect that whoever took the necklace knew of those debts and planned on using them as the justification behind your stealing the necklace.’
The earl seemed to age ten years as he stood there. ‘I can’t believe that someone would go to these lengths to incriminate me. But I stand by what I said. I did not steal Julia’s necklace. I wouldn’t dream of doing such a cowardly, selfish thing. To think how it would hurt her…’ He transferred his gaze to Barrington. ‘I don’t suppose you have any idea who is behind this?’
‘Not yet,’ Barrington said, ‘but I will find out.’
‘And until you do, I’m the guilty party,’ the earl said heavily.
‘You are not, Papa!’ Anna cried. ‘We all know you didn’t take the necklace.’
‘You and I know that, my dear, but I’ll wager Parker has his doubts. And so he should. Right now, the finger of blame is pointing squarely at me.’
‘Only as a result of circumstantial evidence.’
‘No. As a result of the fact that I was supposedly seen taking the necklace by a member of Julia’s staff, and that the said necklace was found in my room by a member of my own family,’ her father said bluntly. ‘The proof could hardly be less circumstantial.’ He clasped his hands behind his back and glanced at the man standing opposite. ‘Well, what do you intend to do?’
‘For now, I shall tell the baroness that I know where the necklace is, but that I am not at liberty to say where, or to reveal the identity of the person who took it.’
‘She’s bound to ask,’ Anna said.
‘Yes, but I am not required to give her an answer. I’ll tell her it may compromise the integrity of the investigation.’
‘Decent of you, Parker,’ the earl said gruffly. ‘I’d hate having Julia think she couldn’t trust me.’
It was that more than anything else that convinced Barrington of Cambermere’s innocence. If a man was that worried about what a woman thought of him, he wouldn’t knowingly do something that would destroy his chances of having a relationship with her.
And yet, as he walked home after the interview, Barrington thought about his feelings for Anna and realised he was guilty of doing just that. He was conducting an investigation into the theft of an extremely valuable necklace and, given the lack of any other viable culprit, was still holding her father up as the leading suspect—and earning Anna’s resentment as a result.
But was Cambermere guilty? Barrington’s gut told him no, but he’d met skilful liars before. Men who swore on their children’s heads that they were good family men who never lied, cheated, or stole so much as a crust of bread. All the while they were beating their wives half-senseless and mugging old men for brass buttons.
Oh, yes, he knew all about the complexities of deceit. Lies rolled off the tongues of the rich as easily as they did off the tongues of the poor. He’d even come across men he’d wanted to believe. Upright, likeable men whom he had respected until he’d found out what they were beneath the polished manners and charming smiles.
Good men turned bad, Barrington called them. Whether by chance or inclination, somewhere along the line they’d made the wrong choices. Some were driven by greed, others by desperation. And once a man faltered, it was only a matter of time until he did so again; the crime becoming a little darker, the stakes a little higher.
Had the earl faltered? Or was it all a carefully constructed plot to make it look as though he had? That was the ultimate question. And until Barrington ascertained who stood to gain by the earl’s downfall, the final answer would remain just beyond his grasp. Tantalisingly close, yet agonisingly far.
Chapter Twelve
Anna had no particular desire to pay a call on Julia the following day. Given what she knew about the necklace—and about her father’s relationship with Julia—she feared it would be both embarrassing and awkward. But when she received Julia’s beautifully written note asking her to visit, Anna knew it would be churlish to refuse. The woman’s spirits were desperately low as it was. How could she possibly be so cruel as to avoid her now, simply because she had no idea how to act?
And so she went, determined to appear as positive as possible. After all, there was really no reason for Julia to talk about the necklace. She knew the investigation was ongoing and that Barrington would inform her of any new leads the moment they became available. And she certainly wouldn’t bring up her relationship with Anna’s father. Married or widowed ladies did not talk to single ladies about matters pertaining to the bedroom, so there was no reason to think she would bring that up.
No, Anna was quite sure she was making a mountain out of a molehill. She and Julia would pass their time talking about the new books they were reading, or the poetry recital at Mrs McInley’s, or what they planned to wear to Lady Schuster’s masquerade a week from Friday. Safe, comfortable topics all.
Unfortunately, all thoughts of comfort fled when Anna walked into the drawing room and found, not just Julia seated on the blue velvet settee, but her brother, Edward, as well.
‘Edward! What are you doing here?’ Anna exclaimed.
‘Am I not allowed to pay morning calls the same as everyone else?’
‘I thought you did not care for the custom,’ she said bluntly.
Her brother’s handsome face curved into an angelic smile. ‘A man’s likes and dislikes can change given the right motivation.’
‘Pray do not take him to task him, Anna,’ Julia said quickly. ‘He has been most diverting company. He bade me speak about Vienna and I was amazed at how homesick I became. Then, we started talking about you—’
‘Me?’ Anna levelled a sardonic glance at her brother. ‘I can’t imagine what the two of you would have to say about me.’
‘Can you not?’ Edward said innocently. ‘I would have thought the possibilities endless. However, in this instance, we were talking about Sir Barrington Parker and the fact that he seems rather taken with you. He calls frequently at the house and I understand you have driven with him in the park. Although,’ Edward added with a smile, ‘I think he calls as much to see Father and Peregrine as he does Anna, so I suppose I could be mistaken as to which member of the family he is the most interested in.’
‘Perhaps it would be safe to say that Sir Barrington has become a good friend of the family,’ Julia said, obviously sensing an edge of conflict in the air.
‘You could say that.’ Edward turned to smile at his sister. ‘As you already know, Parker is something of an expert when it comes to investigating the dark doings of others. And unfortunately, my family is no stranger to infamy. Peregrine, for example, was foolish enough to involve himself in a sordid affair with the Marchioness of Yew—’
‘I’m sure the baroness has no desire to hear about that, Edward,’ Anna said coldly.
‘Why not? I found it extremely amusing,’ her brother replied unrepentantly. ‘Can you imagine, Baroness, an unsophisticated country boy coming to London for the first time and believing himself of interest to the beautiful Lady Yew? In fact, he even went so far as to claim that she was in love with him and that she had every intention of leaving her husband to be with him.’
‘Really?’ Julia flicked an uncertain glance in Anna’s direction. ‘I had not heard.’
‘It happened before you arrived in London,’ Anna said tightly. ‘And my brother ha
s no business speaking of it. Apologies have been offered and given that the marquess is agreeable to putting the matter behind him, I see no reason why my brother should not do the same.’
It was an awkward moment and Anna could practically feel the tension vibrating in the air. But she was damned if she was going to let Edward embarrass her in front of Julia with sly remarks about Barrington or inflammatory ones about Peregrine.
Unfortunately, her brother was a master at turning the other cheek. ‘How unfortunate it is that social calls must be of such limited duration, Baroness. I fear my time is up. But I did enjoy talking to you about Vienna. As you say, it is a beautiful city and I look forward to seeing it again, now that travel around Europe is so much easier.’
‘You must be sure to visit Schonbrunn Palace,’ Julia said, happy for the change of subject. ‘It is one of the loveliest places on earth.’
‘If you recommend it, I will be sure to include it in my travels. Perhaps we might even visit it together one day.’ Edward rose and bowed over her hand. ‘Until tomorrow.’ Then, straightening, he nodded at his sister. ‘Anna.’
Anna inclined her head, not quite in dismissal, but not far off—and Edward knew it. His eyes cooled as he smiled down at her. ‘You may be interested in knowing that just before you arrived, I was telling the baroness that I had stumbled upon some information with regards to her necklace. I expect to have more news very soon.’
He left the room with an elegant bow, but in the silence that followed, Anna felt as though a hand was closing around her throat. He knew about the necklace. And he was going to tell Julia her father was the one who’d taken it. There could be no other explanation for what he’d just said. And in exposing their father as the thief, Anna knew it would destroy any chance he might have had for a future with Julia. Worse, it would go a long way towards establishing Edward in a more favourable position with her—which meant she had to convince Barrington not only to tell Julia about the necklace, but to return it to her as soon as possible. Before any more harm could be done…
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