Dangerous by Amanda Quick Page B

what that small point is. You probably want to know precisely what I was doing in Lady Thorn-bridge's bedchamber."
    "Yes, as a matter of fact, I would like an explanation. I do not believe for one moment that you had an assignation with her. I have observed you closely of late, my lord, and last night was not the first time that I've seen you mysteriously disappear for a while from a ballroom. As far as I could determine, you were not meeting anyone on those occasions."
    Sebastian glanced at her with an expression of cool admiration.
    "You've been very observant. But I cannot say I'm surprised. You are a most amazing female."
    "I am not at all certain that is a compliment. Now, are you going to tell me what was going on last night?"
    Sebastian's amber eyes gleamed briefly as he considered the ques­tion. "Did you really believe I had become a cracksman?"
    Prudence narrowed her gaze behind the lenses of her spectacles. "It occurred to me, my lord, that in a misguided attempt to alleviate your ennui, you might have resorted to a somewhat unfortunate hobby."
    "In other words, you thought I might have turned into a jewel thief. I am crushed to learn that you hold me in such low esteem."
    "Well, I wasn't altogether certain that was what you were about," Prudence said quickly. "After all, it is not as if you need the money. Everyone says you are as rich as Croesus. So what were you doing in Lady Thornbridge's bedchamber?"
    "You were partially correct in your initial assumption. As I tried to tell you, I was looking for a necklace. A very particular necklace."
    "What?" Prudence gazed at him in astonishment. "I do not believe it."
    "It's quite true. The necklace did not belong to Lady Thornbridge, however."
    Prudence was immediately intrigued. "Whose necklace was it?"
    "It belongs to a certain lady of the
ton
who gave it to Lady Thorn-bridge."
    "Why did she give it to her?" Prudence asked.
    "She had hoped to purchase Lady Thornbridge's silence," Sebas­tian said softly.
    "Her silence?" Prudence leaped to the obvious conclusion. "Lady Thornbridge was blackmailing this woman?"
    "Precisely. When Lady Thornbridge demanded another piece of jewelry in exchange for further silence, however, the victim realized there would be no end to the demands. She decided to see if anything could be done to stop Lady Thornbridge."
    Prudence frowned. "The victim came to you about this matter?"
    "No, she consulted a Bow Street Runner named Whistlecroft. Whistlecroft decided to contact me. He and I have worked out an arrangement, you see. He has instructions to bring some of his more interesting cases to me."
    Prudence was enthralled now. "And he came to you with this case?"
    "Yes."
    "How exciting," Prudence breathed. "Did you find the necklace last night?"
    Sebastian's arrogant smile contained more than a trace of smug satisfaction. "Yes, as it happens, I did."
    "Where is it? What have you done with it?"
    "It was returned to its rightful owner this morning. Whistlecroft handled that end of the business. I prefer to remain anonymous in such matters. No one else except you, Whistlecroft, and a friend of mine named Garrick Sutton knows about my little hobby."
    "I see. I can understand why you wish to keep your hobby a secret. But what about Lady Thornbridge? Won't she make good on her blackmail threats once she realizes her victim is no longer cooperat­ing?"
    "I doubt it."
    "Why not?"
    "Because before I was so rudely interrupted by you and Thorn-bridge, I had time to leave a note in Lady Thornbridge's safe, in place of the necklace. She will discover it soon enough."
    "A note?" Prudence asked. "What did it say?"
    "Merely that an anonymous party was aware that Lady Thorn-bridge's pedigree was not quite what Society and Lord Thornbridge believed it to be. To put it bluntly, Prue, Lady Thornbridge came from the gutters and she would be ruined in Society if that fact were ever revealed."
    "The gutters?"
    "She is an exceedingly clever, ambitious little creature