ing all the jewels and silver! It is thought they were working together to slaughter Sir Henry and steal the household goods.” Ringing in her ears almost deafened Emmeline as the other women chattered, asking questions and demanding answers of the two sisters, who appeared slightly taken aback at the questioning and didn’t answer right away. Fidelity’s hand clamped tightly on Emmeline’s arm, her fingernails digging into the tender flesh. The pain brought Emmeline back to herself, and the dizziness ebbed, horror flowing in to take its place. How was this possible? Was it even true? “Such an awful tale,” Fidelity finally said, her voice quavering, releasing her grip on Emmeline’s arm. “But nobody relies on newspapers for the truth, do they?” Her tone was deliberately light as air. She was giving Emmeline time to recover, as were Lady Clara, Lady Adelaide, and Miss Espanson, who drew the young Misses Schaeffers’ attention by amplifying Fidelity’s voiced skepticism, asking multiple questions all at once. They all knew of Emmeline’s incursion into Sir Henry Claybourne’s residence the evening before, but only Martha and Dorcas stared at her with dual expressions of unease. Neither had the social grace the others exhibited in ignoring Emmeline’s discomfiture. At any moment, the Misses Schaeffer could notice the two ladies’ focus on Emmeline, and she must present a calm face. She took a deep, shuddering breath, clasped her trembling hands together in her lap, and focused on the conversation. “Our uncle’s paper is most particular about printing only the truth!” Miss Schaeffer protested against the wave of disbelief. Lady Clara Langdon, daughter of the Earl of Langdon, glanced over at Miss Juliette Espanson and then back to Honoria. “Your loyalty does you credit, Miss Schaeffer, but newspapers are terribly unreliable.” She tilted her head in a haughty manner and gazed serenely at
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