Brushed by Scandal (19 page)

‘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.

A
nna 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 has 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…

‘Anna, are you all right?’ Julia enquired softly.

Anna looked up, aware that her worries must have been reflected on her face. ‘Fine. It’s just that Edward and I are not on the best of terms these days.’

‘No, I thought not. Never mind, I’m told it often happens between siblings,’ Julia said, making an attempt at lightheartedness. ‘But I am surprised Lord Hayle and Mr Rand are not on better terms. I would have thought they’d be good company for one another, being so close in age.’

‘I believe that was my father’s hope as well, but it is not to
be,’ Anna admitted with a sigh. ‘They are two very different men and they do not see eye to eye on anything.’

‘How unfortunate,’ Julia murmured. ‘Your brother has been so kind to me. He’s called several times this week to see how I was faring and to ask if there was anything I needed. When I enquired as to how your father went on, he said it was unlikely he would call, given the nature of the investigation surrounding my necklace. I didn’t know what he meant by that.’ Julia chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip. ‘Or what he meant when he said he was following up on some leads of his own.’

‘I don’t know either,’ Anna said, hoping she sounded convincing. So, Edward was paying regular calls on Julia and dropping hints as to his father’s involvement in the theft. What a dutiful son, she thought cynically.

She
had
to talk to Barrington. If Julia was to hear from Edward that their father had taken the necklace—

‘Ah, Jones, there you are,’ Julia said as a maid came in with the tea tray. ‘I was just about to ring.’

‘Beg pardon for the delay, ma’am,’ the girl said. ‘Cook wasn’t able to find the right jam.’ She put the tray down hard and one of the sandwiches fell to the floor. ‘Oh, I’m ever so sorry.’

‘That’s all right,’ Julia said as the girl bent to retrieve it. ‘That will be all.’

The girl’s cheeks went as bright as cherries, and hastily stuffing the fallen sandwich into her apron pocket, she bobbed a curtsy and left.

‘My apologies, Anna,’ Julia said. ‘The girl is new and sadly in need of training.’

‘What happened to your other maid?’

‘Unfortunately, Miss Smith left to attend to her sick mother. At least, that’s what she told me, though I wonder if there might not be a man involved,’ Julia confided. ‘I noticed
a definite change in her over the last little while, both in manner and in appearance. She lost weight and didn’t seem as competent at her job. When I asked her if she was all right, she assured me she was, but given that I wasn’t about to pry into her personal life, I left it at that. But I was sorry to lose her. It’s not easy finding good staff.’

No, it wasn’t, Anna reflected, but neither was finding a good position. Were Miss Smith’s reasons for leaving as simple as Julia made them out to be? Anna hadn’t forgotten the sight of her brother and the maid locked in a passionate embrace. Had Miss Smith been caught in the arms of another guest and the discovery forced Julia’s hand? If the maid had allowed Edward to kiss her, who was to say that she hadn’t allowed other men to do the same—or worse?

Still, Anna knew it was none of her concern. Servants no more appreciated their affairs being discussed by their betters, than those above stairs liked thinking their problems were being discussed by those below. As such, she wasn’t at all sorry when the conversation veered back to the upcoming masquerade and to the elaborate costume Julia was planning to wear. They spent the next half-hour happily discussing hairstyles, with neither Edward nor the missing necklace being mentioned again.

* * *

It wasn’t often that Barrington found himself in a quandary. His nature was such that when he was given a task, he set about resolving it as efficiently as possible. That was the manner in which he had approached the Marquess of Yew’s request that he find his wife’s latest lover, and the manner in which he had expected to solve the case of the baroness’s missing necklace.

But when faced with the daughter of the prime suspect
insisting
that he return the necklace
before
the identity of the
thief could be confirmed, Barrington realised that resolution was going to be neither quick nor easy.

That
was his dilemma as he stood beside her at the Billinghams’ soirée two nights later and the reason for his preoccupation. Because by doing what Anna asked, he risked compromising the entire investigation. There were always a series of steps that needed to be followed. Questions that had to be asked. Leads that had to be investigated. Following the steps in order helped ensure that he didn’t miss a vital piece of information.

Doing what Anna suggested threatened to throw everything off. It was like closing the barn door after the horse had bolted. Granted, he was relieved to have the necklace back in one piece, but it wasn’t just a simple matter of handing it back to the baroness now and calling the case closed. He had to find out what had prompted the theft in the first place. He’d meant what he’d said when he’d told Anna that if the thief found out his first attempt to discredit the earl had failed, he might well try again.

But how could he not try to accommodate her when doing so would make her so happy—

‘Barrington?’

Her voice, gently insistent, recalled him to the moment. Guiltily, he looked down to find her watching him. ‘Forgive me, Anna, I was following a train of thought.’ They had slipped into the comfortable habit of calling each other by their first names when they were alone and Barrington was glad of it. Somehow, it lessened the distance between them. Now, as he gazed down at her, he tried not to notice how glorious she looked in the beautiful cream-coloured gown, the soft swell of her breasts rising provocatively above the edging of fine lace. ‘You were saying something about your brother?’

‘I was saying that I’m afraid he’s going to expose my father
in front of Julia,’ Anna whispered. ‘Why else would he have said what he did?’

‘I don’t know.’ Barrington tried focusing his attention on her face, but that didn’t work either. Her smile captivated him, her mouth entranced him. And her lips…her lips were an invitation to seduction—

‘Barrington, are you even listening to me?’ she accused. ‘Yes, of course.’ He dragged his mind back with considerable effort. ‘What makes you think your brother would turn on your father in such a way?’

‘I’m not saying he would. But you said yourself, there’s been tension between them of late and that’s why I need you to return the necklace to Julia as soon as possible. If she has it in her hands, she won’t believe that my father had anything to do with its theft, no matter what kind of rumours she hears.’

‘Why would she believe your father guilty of having taken the necklace if she
didn’t
have it in her hands?’ Barrington asked logically. ‘Has she any reason to doubt your father’s integrity?’

‘No, but Edward can be very persuasive when he wants to be. If he wished to put my father in a bad light with Julia, he is entirely capable of doing so. And I didn’t like the way he was looking at her. It was far too…familiar. And Julia admitted that he had been to see her several times since the theft of the necklace.’

Barrington let his gaze travel around the room, his thoughts occupied with what she had just said. So, the son was paying court to the woman his father was in love with and making no attempt to hide it. It wasn’t a pleasant situation for anyone and it had the potential to cause considerable harm. ‘Anna, I understand your concern—’

‘No, I don’t think you do. You don’t know my brother the way I do. You don’t how vindictive he can be.’

Having born witness to Hayle’s temper during the fencing match, Barrington was strongly tempted to disagree, but, equally aware that voicing an opinion would only stir up another hornet’s nest, he said, ‘Very well. If it means that much to you, I will return the necklace to the baroness tomorrow.’

‘You will?’

‘Yes, but you are to tell no one that I’ve done so, and I shall counsel the baroness to do the same. The integrity of the investigation
must
be maintained—as much as it is now possible to do so.’

Anna glanced down at the floor, but when she raised her head and smiled at him, Barrington caught his breath. He had been the recipient of a thousand smiles, but none had ever affected him to the degree hers did. ‘Thank you, Barrington. I am now and for ever in your debt.’