CHAPTER ONE

Lord Julian Hartford was annoyed.

Mostly at the slight woman standing in front of him, her nose in the air. One who had a backbone that belied her small frame. 

He had been passing through the main foyer of his very best friend’s house — and an incredible house it was — when he had overheard something that caught his interest enough to pause his footsteps. 

To be honest, he’d had enough of this blasted mystery that had kept Asher spellbound for months now. Although, Julian supposed, it had worked out in Asher’s favor, for he had gotten a wife out of the entire deal.

A wife he actually liked, too, which was a rarity.

“I need to tell you something,” Julian had heard as he’d been about to walk by the door of the drawing room where they had all recently been sequestered for the grand reveal. 

This particular tidbit came from Lady Verity Merrow. She had never been his biggest fan, but then, most young ladies of the ton were either infatuated by him or repelled by him. There weren’t many opinions in between.

He inched closer to the door, hoping neither Lady Verity nor the two friends with her — Evelyn, Asher’s new wife, and Lady Thalia, Asher’s sister — heard him.

“What is it?” Evelyn asked. Julian supposed he should call her “your grace,” being that she was now a duchess, but he’d remember to do so when he spoke to her aloud. 

“I found something,” Lady Verity said. “Letters. Very old letters. And I think they are related to the diamond.”

Julian froze. Had she discovered something that she shouldn’t have? Something that could lead back to his family? He had thought they were in the clear. That no one would connect the diamond to his father. But if Verity had more information…. 

Never one to shy away from confrontation, he stepped through the door.

“What did you just say?”

“Lord Julian,” the duchess said, rising to her feet. “I thought you went with Asher.”

“I forgot something in my cloak,” he said, taking two measured steps into the room, not removing his eyes from Lady Verity. “Repeat what you said.”

Lady Verity stood, holding herself straight and tall. “That was part of a conversation between her grace, Lady Thalia, and me,” she said. “Not one meant for anyone to overhear. Most especially you.”

“Is that so?”

He was as much of a guest in this house as she was.

“I think we should all take a moment,” Evelyn said, raising her hands in the air and stepping forward. “I don’t believe any of us need to be overly concerned. Norwood won’t bother us anymore, not once the Crown knows the truth. We have the diamond and the note within. All is well.”

“Is it, though?” Verity asked, staring at her. 

At that, Asher Fairborne, the Duke of Ravenscar and Julian’s very best friend, filled the doorway. 

His regal face, as ducal as they come, was filled with… well, horror.

Or maybe panic. Julian couldn’t be sure.

“Evelyn?” he said, staring at his wife.

“What is it?”

“It’s the diamond,” he said. “It’s gone.”

“You must be joking,” Evelyn demanded, but Asher was not one to joke. Not anymore.

“I went to make sure all was set to rights so that we could return it, but…” he lifted his hands to the side. “It is no longer there.”

The room went silent, an eerie tension settling over the five of them.

“It wasn’t me again, I swear it,” Lady Thalia said, breaking the silence.

“Are you sure it wasn’t just misplaced?” the duchess asked, her optimism clear. 

“I don’t see how that’s possible,” Asher said, his agitation obvious, reminding Julian of how much he missed the old Asher, the one from when they were both second sons, before Asher had lost his father and his brother, when the two of them had spent their days and nights revelling and worrying about nothing but pleasure. Asher ran a hand over his face. “What are we going to tell Eastclere?”

“What were we planning on even doing with the diamond?” the duchess asked.

Asher sighed. “That is another discussion entirely. My father originally bought the diamond, and we practically gave it to the former Marquess of Eastclere, but that was for political reasons, not because of the piece's actual value. Part of me wonders whether it should just go to the crown now.”

“What did Lord Eastclere expect when he left?” Lady Thalia asked.

“He said that he will be waiting for the diamond to be returned to him at a time that we can ensure its security upon transport.”

Julian grimaced. “That puts you in a bit of a pickle, doesn’t it, your grace?”

“Well, at this point, it doesn’t much matter, as we don’t even have it,” Asher said. “But the question is, how was it stolen out of our home?”

“There were a fair number of people here when Evelyn told us her theory,” Lady Verity said. “All of us in this room were here of course, as well as Evelyn’s father, the dowager duchess, the constable, Lord Eastclere, and the solicitor, Mr. Pine.”

“Who is the most likely suspect?” Julian asked with a frown.

“Would you like me to be frank?” Lady Verity asked.

“Why would you not? We are among friends.”

Lady Verity raised a brow, and Julian looked at her — truly looked at her — for the first time in a long time. He had known her family forever. She was Lord Eastclere’s cousin and was part of the same circles, even though he usually preferred to keep himself out of the social events of the ton. He preferred to stick to those on the borders of society. 

Lady Verity had always been rather salty toward him, if he was being honest, but she was a few years younger than him, and he had always seen her as a child.

It didn’t help that she dressed in a way that never drew attention to herself, that he couldn’t remember ever having seen her on the dance floor, and that she was not one to spend a great deal of time socializing with eligible young men.

But he realized now that somehow over the past few years, she had grown up. Her dresses were still rather dull, but the necklines had lowered. Her hair was pulled back, revealing a delicate expanse of neck. And those eyes that were a rather soft, almost pastel mauve, were older, more experienced, assessing.

“You could say we are among friends,” she said. “Or acquaintances. Because the truth is, Lord Julian, of everyone in this house tonight, the one most likely to steal the diamond is you.”

~~~~~

Verity’s words echoed around the room in the silence that remained.

She knew it was a bold statement, but if Lord Julian had been so undaunted to enter a conversation in which he had not been invited, then why could she not speak her own truth?

He stared at her now, those dark brown eyes almost black with anger, the shock of brown hair falling across his forehead.

Every other young lady of the ton thought him handsome, most eligible, but she knew better.

Unfortunately.

But it would protect her now, especially as she felt nothing when he stared at her with undisguised anger. The only part of his stare that unnerved her was, perhaps, the slight bit of hurt that lingered there.

“Just what,” he said icily, “is that supposed to mean?”

“I am not accusing you,” she said calmly. “But I think you should be prepared for questions. Who else in that room would stand to gain? Your gambling debts are notorious—”

“Excuse me!” he blustered, and she shot him a look.

“Do you or do you not have gambling debts?”

“I gamble as much as any other young gentleman,” he blustered, but the duke cut him off with a sigh.

“He has gambling debts.”

“Precisely,” Verity said. “The diamond was already in the possession of the Ravenscar family, so they have no reason to steal it. Thalia already admitted to doing so once, but her motive would make no sense now. Lord Eastclere believed he would receive the diamond back in due time. I can see no reason why Evelyn’s father would want it, especially if he is attempting to woo the dowager duchess.”

Asher made a slight sound from the back of his throat.

“Which leaves only the solicitor and the constable, who, I suppose, could also be considered suspects except that I am fairly sure the butler escorted them from the door to the drawing room and back again, leaving them no opportunity to have been alone in the house.” She looked at Evelyn, the smartest person she had ever met. “Am I missing anything?”

“No, I believe you have assessed that all accurately.”

Lord Julian stood there, mouth agape.

“Just what are we supposed to do with that information?”

“I never said you had to do anything,” Verity said. “I was only answering a question.”

“Fine,” Lord Julian said, biting out the words. “Search me.”

He lifted his arms and turned toward the duke, who shook his head.

“I trust you as much as almost any other person in this world,” he said. “I will not search you.”

“I beg you,” Lord Julian said. “So that you are able to later tell anyone who might question it that I had nothing to do with this.”

The duke stared at him, and Verity felt a twinge of guilt that she had been the one to suggest this, but Lord Julian was right. He would be better off to have evidence of his innocence. 

Asher walked to the door. “Lloyd!” he called out, and the butler appeared moments later.

“Yes, your grace?”

“Can you please—” he had to stop for a moment until he choked out the words, “—search Lord Julian?”

The butler appeared uncertain until Lord Julian nodded to him. “It’s fine. Just to prove that I took nothing, have nothing to hide, if we are ever questioned later.”

“Very well,” Lloyd said, waiting for the ladies to excuse themselves before giving him a pat down. 

Once the three of them were standing in the hall, Evelyn eyed Verity.

“Was that wise?”

Verity shrugged. “Would you not have said the same had you believed it?”

“I would have, yes. That doesn’t mean it is wise,” she said. “Plus, there is the fact that your dislike for Lord Julian is apparent.”

“What?” Verity said. “I hardly think—”

Evelyn eyed her. 

“Oh, very well,” Verity sighed. “Yes, I dislike him.”

“Why?” Lady Thalia asked, and Evelyn opened her mouth, but Verity shook her head.

“Another time,” she said before returning her gaze to Evelyn. “Just when we thought this was over.”

They heard a slight whimper from beside them and turned to look at Lady Thalia. 

“This is all my fault,” she said in a low voice. “If I hadn’t initially stolen the diamond —”

“Then Asher would have been suspected by the crown of treason because of the evidence Lord Norwood planted,” Evelyn said, placing a hand on Thalia’s shoulder. “You did the right thing.”

Thalia took a shaky breath as Asher called them to return to the room.

“All is fine,” he said. “Julian is exonerated.”

“For now,” Lord Julian muttered before tipping is head to the side, “but, then again, sometimes a little scandal just adds to the intrigue.”

Verity stared at him, blinking. “You cannot be serious.”

“I rarely am,” he said, winking at her.

“Lord Julian,” she protested. “This is of great importance.”

“Everyone says that about everything,” he said, waving his hand. “But each person can decide what is important, can they not? This tswzdaoo shall pass.”

“It’s about responsibility,” she said. “And honour.”

He shrugged. “And then one spends his days in constant worry,” he said. “Just look at Asher. Until he met Evelyn, he was tenser than a coiled spring, ready to snap at any moment.”

She stared at him. 

“Thank you, Lord Julian.”

“For what?”

“For proving to me that you are exactly what I always thought you were.”