Elizabeth Mansfield Read Free

little curtsey. “Honored, my lord,” she murmured, barely lifting her eyes.
    “Captain, please, ma’am, captain. And let me assure you, ma’am,” his lordship went on to explain, “that my only purpose in interfering in this matter is a desire to help you out of this ridiculous contretemps.”
    “Yes, Captain, I understand,” the girl said shyly, keeping her head down and hoping that no one would notice the flush deepening in her cheeks. “I … I’m more grateful than I can say.” She tried to speak calmly, but her heart was pounding loudly in her breast. The word “grateful” hardly expressed what she felt. She was aware of so great a sense of relief that words could scarcely describe her feelings.This magnificent knight—never mind that he was a mere cavalry officer to the rest of the world—had come to her aid. A moment ago she’d been more miserably helpless and alone than ever in her life before, terrified of being apprehended for thievery and sentenced to prison. But now, out of nowhere, had come this rescuer, tall and handsome and strong. An
ally
had risen up from among what had seemed to her a world full of enemies! It was miraculous! She could breathe again. His coming infused her blood with courage. With an ally, she could at last face her accusers with some semblance of confidence and stand up for her rights.
    “You needn’t be grateful, girl,” her rescuer was saying. “You need only to accept the guinea I’ve offered you.”
    “Please …” She hated to refuse him anything, but she had to. She lifted her hand as if to ward off a blow. “Don’t ask it of me. I … c-can’t.”
    “But why can’t you?” he demanded.
    She twisted her fingers together. “It’s a matter of … of principle.”
    “Principle?” The tall officer peered down at her lowered head, bemused. “I don’t understand. What principle?”
    She flicked another fleeting glance over his face before she dropped her eyes again. “It’s a matter of … of honor, Captain. If I accepted your assistance, my innocence would not be proved.” The words came slowly, as if the pronouncing of each one gave her pain. But she had to make this gentleman—this beautiful red and gold knight who’d inexplicably stood up on her behalf—understand why she was rejecting him. “Taking your money would be the same as admitting that I didn’t p-pay in the first place, don’t you see?”
    The officer stared at her for a long moment. Then he shrugged. “I suppose I do,” he admitted, picking up his guinea and pocketing it reluctantly. “You want your word to be affirmed. The Truth Made Manifest, is that it?”
    “Yes,” she admitted in her small voice. “Just so.”
    “Mmm.” He rubbed his chin speculatively and then shrugged. “That means we shall have to
prove
your innocence somehow.” He turned to the linendraper. “How do you suggest we begin?”
    Mr. Chast was disgusted. He would have to deal with a nob after all. But viscount or not, the fellow was not going to weaken his stand. The linendraper’s faith in his clerk was unshakable. “I’m afraid I haven’t a suggestion, my lord. Mr. Dorking has been my clerk for two decades. In all that time, I’ve never known him to be dishonest. It is hardly likely that he would have pocketed a guinea.”
    “That’s sure as check,” the clerk muttered under his breath.
    “On the other hand,” the captain pointed out, “although I’ve known this young woman no more than a few minutes, I feel just as sure she isn’t lying either. Let’s assume for a moment that they’re both telling the truth. In that case, the girl’s guinea would be here somewhere. How can we go about finding it?”
    Mr. Chast took a deep breath in surrender. “Oh, very well. Let’s go over the incident in detail, Dorking. Tell us what happened, from the beginning.”
    Mr. Dorking, who’d been basking in the glow of his employer’s support, suddenly began to feel put-upon. He didn’t like