Free The Conquest of Lady Cassandra by Madeline Hunter Page B

became distracted by the garden again. This time it seemed those blue eyes grew paler yet. A girlish smile only made Sophie appear more distant.
    “Yes, if Gerald does not behave, I will have to talk to the earl about him,” she mused.
    “Gerald is the earl now. Papa is gone.”
    Sophie blinked. “Of course he is. My mind was still on Leonardo, and I misspoke.”
    She lifted her book again. Cassandra tried not to watch for a page to turn, but she knew too much relief when one finally did.
    Yes, it was time to clear up the history of those earrings so Ambury did not put off paying for them any longer, and she could move ahead with her plans
    “Aunt Sophie, I am curious about something. Last spring, when I said I had to sell some jewels, you were most particular about which ones they could be.”
    “I was?”
    “You insisted on looking at them all. Don’t you remember? It was back in March, and we spread all the jewels out on the carpet in the library. You strolled among them, pointing to the ones I should not consign to the auction.”
    “Now I remember. I thought they enhanced the carpet so much. I thought jeweled carpets might become a new fashion, except that they would be difficult to walk on.” She frowned, as if the notion puzzled her. “Were they all on the carpet? Every one?”
    “That is what you told me to do. Even the ones with the little notes were there.” Aunt Sophie had provided instructions with some of the jewels regarding when and where they should not be worn. One, for example, said, “Not to be worn in Vienna.” Cassandra assumed it had been a gift from Franz.
    “Of course I did. I remember.”
    Cassandra studied her aunt’s face, trying to decide whether Sophie really did remember. She hated how she checked things like that all the time now. Even if Gerald did not win this game, he had scored heavily just in playing it.
    “Do you remember the sapphire-and-diamond earrings? They were old-fashioned but in the best way. The center diamond on each was quite large.”
    “You would have appeared stunning in those. They would have flattered your eyes.” Sophie blinked. “You sold them with the others?”
    “They went for a very high price.” Cassandra tried to speak lightly.
Ambury bought them. He says they were stolen, and I think he suspects you were the thief.
It would be a kindness to leave all of that unsaid. “Who gave you those earrings? Was it Leonardo perhaps?”
    “Goodness, Leonardo was too poor to give me gifts like that. However, he was such a considerate lover that a woman could hardly mind. He had this wonderful trick he did with his—but I should not scandalize you. We don’t want to give your brother more reasons to disapprove of your living here, do we? Now, where did I get those earrings?” She frowned as she pondered the matter. “Perhaps I bought them. Yes, I am almost sure it was those earrings that I purchased that winter.”
    “They must have cost a fortune.”
    “I found those earrings at a pawnshop, and not nearly as dear as you would expect. Perhaps the pawnbroker thought the diamonds were merely paste.”
    Sophie picked up her book again.
    Cassandra sipped her lemonade. She had asked, and she had her answer. She could in good conscience tell Ambury at least part of the jewels’ history. The only point from the conversation left unexplained was what Leonardo’s trick had involved.
    Yes, this should settle things nicely, provided she ignored the feeling that Aunt Sophie had just lied to her.
    T wo days later a letter from Ambury came in the morning post, asking Cassandra to call at his family’s house at two in the afternoon. The solicitor would be in attendance, and their business could be conducted with total discretion.
    Another letter came at the same time. Emma wrote, telling Cassandra that she had returned to town. She asked Cassandra to call at her family’s auction house at noon.
    Curious as to what brought Emma back to London so soon after her