Last Dance in London (Rakes on the Run #1) - Sydney Jane Baily Page 0,90

you I can behave in a manner befitting a gentleman, although you are the most tempting female I’ve ever encountered.” He finished by offering her his most charming smile, and she nearly forgot about the brooch.

And then the quadrille ended, and Jasper returned her to her chaperone.

“All in all, a splendid evening, over too soon,” he declared. “Shall we go?”

Unless she were in his bedroom sometime soon, Julia could think of no other reason for him to remove his coat in her presence or for her to have access to his pocket. Letting him make love to her would certainly be no hardship, but seemed a rather drastic manner of recovering the jewelry.

Inspired, Julia gave him a little shove back toward the chair while taking the one beside him.

“Let’s avoid the crush downstairs,” she said amiably. “Why wait in such a crowd for your carriage when we can stay here and chat.” Somehow, she would get her hand into his pocket.

Jasper beamed, obviously flattered by her invitation and by being entirely forgiven for his earlier improper behavior. Lowering himself onto the cane chair beside her, his smile slowly died and a strange look came over his face. Then he wriggled.

To her dismay, he yelped and sprang back to his feet.

Most bewilderingly, at the exact same time, a woman cried out a few yards away.

Splitting her gaze between Jasper and the lady in distress, trying to determine if they were somehow connected, she nearly missed him digging into his pocket.

His pocket!

“No, no, no!” wailed the woman, coming closer, clearing a path as she did by wildly gesticulating with her arms, her head swiveling from side to side. “Help!” she added, regaining Julia’s attention even though she knew Jasper was at that very moment discovering—

“My brooch!” shrieked the lady.

“A brooch!” exclaimed Jasper.

Hearing him, the woman made a line as straight as the crow flies. Not even pausing for courtesy, she snatched it from his hand.

“Where did you get that?” the woman demanded,

“From my pocket,” he said, sounding mystified.

“Your pocket! Oh!” she howled. “The clasp is bent.” She began to moan again.

“There, there, dear,” said a bespectacled man coming up behind her. “No need to fuss.” Apparently, he couldn’t stand his wife’s caterwauling any more than Julia could. What’s more, she’d just lost the means to make a final large donation of the year.

“Lord Marshfield had it all along,” the man continued in a soothing voice.

“And why is that?” the woman demanded, her apoplectic visage pushing close to Jasper’s chest and glaring up at him. “Why did you have my brooch in your pocket?”

“I haven’t the foggiest notion, madam. All I know is I just sat down, and your brooch nearly did me in. It’s got quite a wicked pin attached.”

“Your backside crushed it,” she accused.

“Lady Rampley, I appreciate your grave concern over my backside,” he said wryly, but Julia could hear the irritation growing in his voice despite how he tried to keep the situation light. “I suppose there is no harm done now that you have it back.”

“No harm!” the lady repeated, sounding unconvinced.

“Perhaps he needed to pawn it,” came a loud male voice from somewhere in the throng.

Julia and a few others nearby gasped. Whoever had said the offensive remark, she couldn’t tell. Luckily, nor could the earl, for in the blink of an eye he appeared livid.

Before he could pursue the matter, perhaps call the man out, Lord Rampley spoke again.

“Come now, my dear, let us thank your good luck to discover the brooch almost as soon as you’d lost it.”

“Did I lose it?” Lady Rampley persisted, not taking a step back, nor taking her gaze from Jasper.

Julia wondered at the impertinence of the lady, staring directly up Jasper’s nostrils. At the same time, she hoped he kept his temper and his patience.

“Or did this man steal it?” the lady wondered loudly.

Julia nearly smacked her own forehead at the turn of events.

Lady Rampley had all Jasper’s attention now. In the silence that followed her accusatory remark, he slowly looked down at her. While Julia couldn’t see his expression, it must have been quite something to behold for even in high dander, the lady took a self-preserving step backward.

Her husband grabbed her arm protectively.

“My lady, I think you owe the earl an apology. Perhaps he found it on the floor and put it in his pocket.”

Jasper still said nothing. And then, to Julia’s horror, he turned toward her. She tried not to flinch, to give no indication at all, even