and never lying about it, except he wasn’t asking for her forgiveness.
The best she could do was show a kindness to the other woman whose heart might be lost to him already.
“Why, look at how you are causing Lady Violet undue concern,” she added.
As soon as he glanced toward the young woman, Julia slipped away. She could only go as far as the other side of the drawing room in hopes their hosts would stop the loud disagreement and recall they had a duty to make their guests comfortable.
And then, with any luck at all, she would recover her ring before they were sent out into their carriages at the end of the evening.
By the pudding course, however, Julia still wondered how she would get upstairs. While the hosts had recovered themselves enough to sit at opposite ends of their dining table, each carrying on separate conversations, Lord Stridewell hadn’t disclosed anything, and Lady Stridewell made sure to send him a scathing glare every few minutes. The tension during the meal was palpable.
Moreover, with Jasper sending her warning looks every few minutes, Julia hadn’t tried to use the facilities, knowing he would follow her as he had at Lady Rancur’s home.
And then an opportunity presented itself. After dinner when the women left the dining room while the men remained for brandy and cigars, Julia managed to be last through the door, trailing behind the bevy of silk-clad ladies. When the last of them disappeared into the salon for madeira and poetry, she lifted her hem and dashed up the stairs.
It was easy to find the baroness’s bedroom, all overdone with lace and more lace. A smattering of jewelry lay on a mirrored tray upon the chest of drawers, and there, right before her, was her ring. She snatched it up, knowing she couldn’t put it on her finger. Instead, she tucked it into the small, elegant reticule dangling from her wrist, feeling her first sense of peace since it had disappeared.
Not risking detection by pausing — indeed, no longer interested in taking anything after feeling the terrible loss of her own single piece of jewelry — Julia hurried along the hallway to the stairs. She was halfway down when Jasper came into view, making her falter. He stood, looking up, arms crossed and wearing a face of severe judgment.
“I greatly disrelish your behavior,” he said quietly.
She barely hesitated before continuing her descent. After all, what could he do?
“Hand it over,” he ordered, his tone still soft, when they were nose to nose with her one step above him.
Julia made a face and tried to skirt around him. He effectively blocked her.
“The ladies are awaiting me,” she said, but he snagged her arm.
“They are awaiting a guest, not a thief.”
She looked from his hand holding her arm and back to his disapproving face. They were too close should someone discover them.
“If you must know, I had to reclaim something that belongs to me.”
One of his eyebrows rose. “Really? Something of yours was in the private rooms of Lord and Lady Stridewell?”
“It’s true.” She didn’t particularly care whether he believed her.
“I bet it sparkles.”
“It does.”
“Let me see it,” he insisted.
“No. Release me before we’re discovered. Don’t you have a glass of brandy to drink?”
He ignored her question. “I cannot allow you to do this.”
“It is not your place to allow or disallow. Just as I cannot make you behave better. I don’t allow you to trifle with women and then discard them. You simply do it.”
She bit her tongue, having started along the path of a vitriolic diatribe which she didn’t truly wish to traverse. It showed him far too much of her vulnerability.
“You have always known how people view me and how I conduct myself.”
“Yes,” she agreed, feeling defeated. He wasn’t denying his awful behavior, nor had he any intention of reform. That much was certain.
“Release me,” she repeated.
Instead, he snatched her reticule off the arm he was holding. Gasping, she tried to take it back, but before she could stop him, he undid the drawstring and upended the contents onto his palm.
“Ah-ha!” he said when the ruby ring fell out.
“It’s mine,” she hissed.
Julia saw the moment he realized the truth, for he frowned, realizing he’d seen it before upon her hand. Without waiting, she grabbed it from his palm.
“What is going on here?” Lady Stridewell’s outraged voice came from behind Jasper, and Julia flinched, peering around his shoulder to see their hostess standing outside the drawing room. Seconds later, the