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admiration or faint alarm.
Tell me, my dear, how does that grandfather of yours go on?
I have not seen him for& oh, it must be twenty years or more.
He is keeping well, sir, considering he has turned seventy.
And does he still indulge in his hobby? Collecting butter-
flies, if my memory serves me correctly.
Emily had not been quite certain whether or not the gen-
tleman now seated beside her was in fact acquainted with her
grandfather, but she was no longer in any doubt and began to
relax. Sticking pins into butterflies was merely one of his
barbaric pastimes.
136 Lord Hawkridge s Secret
Sir Giles smiled grimly. I visited his home only once, long
before you were born, but I seem to recall that ornithology
was another of his hobbies. He kept several stuffed specimens
about the place. As I recall, birds of prey interested him most
of all.
Emily, who had been absently studying the painted figures
on her fan, was suddenly alert, and looked directly into her
companion s eyes, which were of a similar hue and betrayed
the same depth of intelligence as a certain other gentleman s
of her acquaintance. Unless she was very much mistaken Sir
Giles Osborne was none other than the person with whom Se-
bastian worked closely.
Yes, sir. That is correct& his particular favourite, and
mine, being the kestrel.
Thin lips curled into an appreciative smile. Clever girl,
he murmured. Now that we understand each other, we can
be comfortable.
He took a moment to stare about the room at the assem-
bled throng, before favouring Emily with his full attention
once more. You have beautiful eyes, Miss Stapleton, use
them wisely whilst you remain in town. Try always to look
beneath the surface, for people are not always what they seem.
How very true, sir. And you, if I may say so, are a prime
example.
Once again Sir Giles smiled appreciatively. You have a
ready wit, child. My friend Hawkridge chose wisely.
I sincerely trust I am able to live up to his expectations, sir,
for I ve been of precious little help thus far. I was hoping that
someone present tonight would betray a marked interest in the
necklace. But the truth of the matter is that everyone has.
Hardly surprising, child. But do not be disheartened, and
do not make the mistake of underestimating your quarry.
He s a cunning rogue and will not betray himself easily.
I suppose it is safe to assume that it is a man behind it
all, sir?
Anne Ashley 137
Yes, I think we can safely assume that much, simply
because it is more difficult for a woman to move about so
freely. But do not rule out the possibility that he might well
be in league with a female. He seems to have the knack of
discovering the whereabouts of these expensive items of jew-
ellery when they are most easily purloined. It is quite feasible
that he attains information from a lady who moves in polite
circles. Anything is possible, so be on your guard at all times.
Sir Giles, ever alert himself, noticed the tall, immaculately
attired figure of their host heading purposefully in their di-
rection, and rose at once to his feet. Your fiancé evidently
feels that I have monopolised you for long enough, so I shall
tactfully withdraw and leave you in his care.
The instant the Baronet had moved away, Emily revealed
without hesitation that she now knew Sir Giles was the one
with whom Sebastian was collaborating, but could not resist
adding, as Sebastian took a hold of her wrists and gently
pulled her to her feet, that he might have told her this himself.
His lordship was not slow to detect the note of resentment
in her voice, nor had he any difficulty in understanding the
reason behind it. Disabuse yourself of the least notion that I
do not trust you, Em. I would trust you with my life, my
darling, he assured her. It was simply that Sir Giles consid-
ered it might be prudent to keep his involvement in my
personal crusade secret, but seemingly he chose to take you
into his confidence. He s an extremely astute judge of char-
acter, Em. Evidently he made up his mind swiftly that you
could be trusted. I assured him you could. None the less the
decision to confide in you had to be his.
He could see at once that this had gone some way to soothe
her ruffled feathers, but was not unduly surprised when she
said, I wish you would confide in me more, Hawk. I m
certain there is much you ve chosen not to reveal. For
instance, do you suspect the person you re seeking is present
tonight?
138 Lord Hawkridge s Secret
He could well be, yes, he conceded. I have a list of
names in my library, any one of whom might turn out to be
the miscreant. I ll show it to you tomorrow. In the meantime
I have a far more pleasurable task to undertake, namely part-
nering my future bride in a waltz.
Emily was immediately conscious of the fact that they
were the focal point of many pairs of interested eyes, as they
made their way on to the dance floor. Most looked on with
indulgent approval, while a few others, especially the older
female guests, were frowning dourly, and it didn t take Emily
many moments to appreciate the reason why.
I do believe I m in the gravest danger of ruining my rep-
utation by standing up with you, my lord, she announced,
secretly hoping that he had not detected the little convulsive
shudder which had rippled through her the instant his hand
had grasped her waist. I might spend most of the year buried
in the depths of rural Dorsetshire, but I am not completely
ignorant of the ways of the polite world, she added, striving
to ignore the tingling in her fingers as that other shapely mas-
culine hand clasped hers. The waltz is still very much
frowned upon in certain quarters, and any young lady caught
performing it is instantly labelled fast.
Have no fear, my child. I assure you your reputation will
not suffer as a consequence of standing up with me now. The
dance is increasingly performed at private functions here in
the capital, and those fearsome patronesses of Almack s are
forced to turn a blind eye. I did, however, take the added pre-
caution of attaining the consent of one of them, the loquacious
Sally Jersey, no less, whose company, thankfully, we have
been spared this evening.
The lady in question was not universally liked, and clearly
Sebastian was one of those who did not hold the Regent s ex-
mistress in the highest regard. Nevertheless he wasn t above
making use of her, it seemed, when it served his purpose.
Emily couldn t suppress a gurgle of mirth at his sheer
Anne Ashley 139
audacity which unfortunately induced her to miss a step as
the dance began. Determined not to disgrace herself further,
she concentrated hard, focusing her attention for several [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]