Dangerous by Amanda Quick Page B

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 Thornbridge.”
    “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 andThornbridge, 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 Thornbridge’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 who has fought her way up in the world. I do not fault her in the least for creating a respectable facade that has fooled the
ton
and landed her a wealthy husband.”
    Prudence chuckled. “In other words, she worked hard for what she’s got and you respect her for it, but you cannot countenance her falling back into her old ways, is that it?”
    “Not when she chooses a victim who has also fought her way out of the stews and into Society. Lady Thornbridge has everything she wants now, so there is no need to resort to blackmailing another lady of the
ton
who has a background similar to her own.”
    “Quite right.” Prudence nodded briskly in agreement. “You told her that in your note?”
    “Yes.”
    “But how did you learn Lady Thornbridge’s secrets?” Prudence asked.
    “I have my methods of investigation, just as you have yours.”
    Prudence recalled his recent disappearances from various ballrooms. “Your methods must be clever, indeed, my lord. Lady Thornbridge has succeeded in fooling the entire
ton
, yet you found her out. Brilliant, Angelstone. Absolutely brilliant.”
    “I had a feeling you would appreciate my efforts.”
    “I most