Free The Marriage Trap by Elizabeth Thornton Page B

don't think there is any doubt about that, so you will have to look elsewhere for your thief.”
    Ellie went weak with relief. At least she wouldn't be charged with robbery or attempted murder.
    Jack's assurances did not placate Lady Sedgewick. “Is that the only explanation we are to have? That Miss Hill was with you when someone broke in and stole Lady Cardvale's diamonds?”
    “My man will confirm the time if you need another witness.”
    “That's not the point.” Her ladyship's ample bosom quivered with the tumult of her emotions. “What I want to know is how that blood got on her gown.”
    Jack looked bored. “I have no idea. Why don't you ask Miss Hill?”
    For a moment or two, Ellie was mystified. What difference did it make how the blood got on her dress? The important thing was that it was not the maid's blood, could not be the maid's blood because she'd been with Jack when the diamonds were stolen. As the thought revolved in her mind, a wave of heat spread through her.
Virgin blood
—that's what they were thinking, though they were too refined to say it. They thought Jack had dishonored her, and if Cardvale came to believe it, he might challenge Jack to a duel.
    Her hands clenched. “I told you,” she said fiercely, “it was all very innocent. There was a riot. Lord Raleigh rescued me and took me to his rooms. He was bleeding. It's
his
blood on my gown.” She looked at Jack. “Tell them!”
    He turned an inscrutable expression on her. “What difference will that make, do you suppose? You've said it all, and not one word can be taken back.”
    “I don't want to take back anything I've said.” Her tone was still fierce. “All I want is to clear my name. I was with you when Lady Cardvale's diamonds were stolen. You rescued me from the riot. Nothing happened. I've done nothing to be ashamed of.”
    Cardvale got up. “Of course you haven't, Ellie. No one believes you have. But you must see that you've been compromised. There is only one way to restore your good name. You and Lord Raleigh must marry at once.”
    “Ah,” said Jack, “I was wondering when we would get to that.”
    Now that her hopes for an advantageous alliance between her daughter and Lord Raleigh were crushed, Lady Sedgewick turned bitter. “Well, I think that's a shabby trick you played on Lord Raleigh, Ellie, to pretend to be one sort of woman, then turn out to be another. I suppose you saw your chance when you learned that Lord Cardvale was here. Of course he would see that right was done by you.”
    “Naturally,” replied Cardvale. “Ellie is a blood relative.”
    Ellie felt like the captain of a sailing ship who had escaped a whirlpool only to run smack into a hurricane. She hadn't foreseen this new peril because gentlemen of Jack's rank and fortune did not marry penniless nobodies just because they were compromised. And no one would have expected it of him if her cousin had not come upon the scene. It was her connection to Cardvale that made the difference.
    She appealed to Lord Sedgewick, who had always been a good friend to her in the past. “Won't you stop this, please, before it gets out of hand?”
    He shook his head. “It's not my place to interfere. Cardvale is the head of your house. You must be guided by him. However,” he got to his feet, “I think you and Lord Raleigh need a little time to get used to the idea. We'll leave you in private to talk things over, shall we?”
    Cardvale looked doubtful. Lady Sedgewick protested that she wanted to remain. Dorothea demanded to know what steps they were going to take to get back her diamonds. In his imperturbable but relentless way, Lord Sedgewick ushered them out.
    Ellie sat there, gathering her thoughts, while Jack went to the sideboard and poured himself a cup of coffee. She didn't know whether she should begin by thanking him for saying only enough to clear her name—for their time together wasn't entirely innocent—or whether she should apologize for the ludicrous