Briefly touching the bracelet with gentle fingers, Jonathan nodded.
“I assume so.”
“And you do not know who it belongs to?”
He shook his head.
“As I said, I found it in my pocket some two weeks ago and since then, have been making some discreet enquiries to attempt to discover who rightfully owns it. First of all, I thought it might be Lady Cassandra’s or Lady Yardley’s. Neither of them made any remark when I mentioned a diamond bracelet, so it cannot belong to them. There has been no whisper of a lost bracelet amongst society, so therefore I do not know how I am to return it to the rightful owner nor how it came to be in my pocket in the first place.”
His lips twisting, Lord Knoxbridge lifted his head.
“And you do not remember everyone present on the evening when you discovered it, I should imagine.”
Wincing, Jonathan shook his head.
“No doubt someone gave it to me at some point in the evening – for safekeeping, given its status, and I have quite forgotten about it. My head was a little muddled on one evening, as you may recall.Thatis the night in question.”
A broad smile settled across Lord Knoxbridge’s face.
“Yes, I recall that –andwhy you were not in the best of situations.” His smile faded a little. “Then did someone place it in your pocket that evening?”
“I have no doubt that someone gave it to me for safekeeping; there can be no malevolence there,” Jonathan replied firmly. “I do recall dancing with a few young ladies, though I cannot remember all of their names. Perhaps something happened during one of the dances and I was then required to take the bracelet from them. I do not remember it happening however, but that may very well be because…” clearing his throat, he shrugged one shoulder, “I did go on to drink a little at White’s.”
“At the time when you were trying to convince yourself that you felt nothing for Lady Cassandra.” Lord Knoxbridge folded his arms over his chest. “I do hope that you have stopped your pretending now.”
“Might you please focus on the question I have asked you, rather than give in to suppositions?” Gesturing to the bracelet, Jonathan threw Lady Cassandra from his mind. “I should like to know your thoughts on what I should do as regards this bracelet, for I must return it to whoever owns it, but how am I ever going to find them?”
Lord Knoxbridge considered for some moments and then, with an unhelpful shrug, sat back in his chair.
“I do not know. Perhaps you ought to have it repaired, in which case someone might then go on to recognize it.”
“And mayhap think me a thief.” With a frustrated sigh, Jonathan shook his head. “No, I cannot do that. I must be wise and cautious, which requires another way to discover who this belongs to. When I return it, it will be with great caution so that they do not get the wrong impression as to my actions.” His face twisted in confusion. “If only I could find out who had put it in my pocket and why they had done so!”
“Mayhap you should ask Lady Cassandra.” Lord Knoxbridge’s eyes danced. “It may be that she, or one of her friends, will know someone who has lost the bracelet.”
Ignoring the way that his heart began to race at the thought of speaking with Lady Cassandra again, Jonathan merely nodded and turned his face away. His feelings over these last two weeks had increased to the point that it was now entirely disconcerting. The more he tried to push them away, the more intense they appeared to be. Lord Knoxbridge’s determination to mention her did not help, for admitting to his affection for the lady was the very last thing that he wanted to do, but the veryfirstthing that Lord Knoxbridge sought. While he did not say anything aloud, his inner turmoil only confirmed to him that he was trapped in a whirlwind of emotion, with no simple means of escape.
* * *
It was mostunusual for him to feel nervous in approaching a young lady with whom he was well acquainted. Indeed, Jonathan had been at Lord and Lady Yardley’s house on many occasions, but never once had he felt this ball of anxiety rolling through his stomach. Why he should feel it now was beyond his comprehension, particularly as he had done his best to ignore everything Lord Knoxbridge had said to him earlier that afternoon. Even in the carriage ride to the house, he had reminded himself just what it was Lady Cassandra desired – a love match – and how he had no desire for matrimony in the least! He was not ready for such a thing, wanting a few more years of being entirely alone, without responsibility in that regard. Did he not have enough responsibility already? Bearing the title meant duties abounded, and to have a wife in addition to that would surely mean a great deal of expectation settled upon his shoulders. It would bring him pressure and strain, he was sure – given that he had often witnessed how difficult it was for his father to keep his wife in contentment – so therefore, to Jonathan’s mind, it seemed wise to live as an unmarried gentleman for just a few more years.
He was rather displeased, then, that his heart rebelled against that idea so fervently.
“I am being foolish.”
Speaking aloud to himself, he walked lightly to the drawing room, where he had been directed. Lady Yardley and Lady Cassandra rose at once, having been sitting together, and Jonathan’s eyes were once more drawn to the young lady in question.
“Good afternoon, Lord Sherbourne.”
He muttered something, his gaze fixed. It was as if Lady Yardley was not present, for the only person he could see was Lady Cassandra. She was wearing a simple light green gown which drew attention to her blue-green eyes, emphasizing the color and evidencing the contrast with her russet head. Jonathan’s fingers itched, as though they wanted to run freely through her gentle curls, to feel the softness of her hair, to allow himself the briefest touch against her skin. When Lady Yardley spoke to him again, it took some minutes for Jonathan to realize that there was another voice present.
Blinking rapidly, he forced his eyes away from the vision that was Lady Cassandra, seeing Lady Yardley’s lifted eyebrow. Clearing his throat, he tried to find an answer in his blank mind to the question Lady Yardley had presented.
“I…”
Nothing came, and Lady Yardley chuckled softly, as though she knew what his difficulty was. Gesturing to an empty chair, she tilted her head a little.
“Will you sit? You will have to be brief, however, we are expecting company.”
