But first she had to find the blasted man. She stopped to send a telegram to Lord Brookings on her way to Sir Martin’s house asking if his stepbrother was still in Paris and, if not, where was he? It was exactly ten words.

There were already several responses to the advertisements India had placed seeking a new secretarial assistant for Martin. She’d spent much of the day thus far considering the various applicants and preparing a detailed list of questions for individual interviews. She had no plans for her own future but she could not get on with her life until Martin was settled in his.

It was midafternoon when irate voices sounded in the foyer. Martin’s butler—Kenton—perhaps the most serene creature in the entire world, never raised his voice.

“Miss Prendergast!” Lady Blodgett swept into Martin’s library on a wave of indignation, Kenton a sputtering, outraged step behind. “A word, if you please.”

“Lady Blodgett.” India shot a quick look at Martin, they both rose to their feet and she nodded to Kenton to take his leave. “Good day.”

“It’s not at all a good day. In point of fact, I would say it’s a dreadful day.” She pinned India with a hard look. “And you, Miss Prendergast, are to blame.”

“Me? Exactly what have I done?” India asked cautiously.

“Now see here, Lady Blodgett,” Martin began. The older lady shot him a venomous look, and the poor dear wilted. “What have you done, India?” he said weakly.

India shook her head. “I have no idea.”

“My great-nephew, dear, dear Derek, returned to London this morning—” India’s heart leaped “—only to be greeted very nearly the moment he stepped off the train by the authorities who dragged him off to Newgate!”

India gasped. “Good Lord!”

Lady Blodgett crossed her arms over her chest. “Do not feign innocence with me, Miss Prendergast. While I firmly believe Derek is not considerably worse than most men of his years and background, I am well aware that you think my dear, dear nephew is an unscrupulous scoundrel.”

“I most certainly do not!” India huffed, then paused. “Well, not anymore. I admit I did when we first met but now...” She drew a deep breath. “Now, I think he’s simply gone astray, but I believe he is truly a good man.”

“Then why did you have him arrested?” Lady Blodgett shook her head in a chastising manner. “Not the least bit sporting of you, Miss Prendergast.”

“I didn’t have him arrested.” Justified indignation colored her words. “He plans on atoning for his misdeeds, and that is more than sufficient. I do not want to see him in prison.”

“Someone does,” Lady Blodgett said darkly.

Martin cleared his throat. “I say, there might have been a bit of an, oh, misunderstanding.”

At once India realized the truth. She stared at Martin. “What have you done?”

“Nothing, really.” He tugged anxiously at his collar. “I might have mentioned in passing to Inspector Cooper that I had heard Mr. Saunders’s confession with my own ears and I would be prepared, if necessary, to testify to that effect.”

“Aha!” Lady Blodgett glared.

“And I might also, possibly—” Martin winced “—have suggested it would be wise to keep a close watch at the train stations as Mr. Saunders was likely to be returning from Paris at any time.”

This was not at all like Martin, who, until he had decided to follow her to Paris, had been one of the least judgmental and disapproving people in the world. He would never have condoned illegalities but he was usually willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt. She had always found it most exasperating.

“How could you?”

“The man should be punished for his crimes,” he said staunchly “There was a time when you agreed with me.”

“Good Lord, Martin, life is not all black or white, good or bad. And people especially are not perfect. Nor should we expect them to be.”

“You expect people to be perfect!”

“Yes, well...” She shrugged helplessly. “I was wrong.”

“You may have been, but I was not.” He drew himself up. “I thought it was for the best.”

Lady Blodgett gave him a disgusted look. “My, you are a pompous ass, aren’t you?”

“He really isn’t,” India said. “He’s usually quite nice. I don’t know what’s happened to him.”

“You’ve changed, India, and so have I. I told you I did not intend to give up.” His gaze sought hers. “I thought if he was out of your life, you wouldn’t have to leave mine.”

“Oh dear, Martin.” Her heart clenched. “I thought you understood.”

“I did, until you and Saunders had that nasty falling-out and I thought—or hoped—things could go back to the way they had always been.” He sighed. “But they can’t, can they?”

“I’m afraid not.” India turned to Lady Blodgett. “We need to free Derek at once. Regardless of what he has done, he is willing to set everything to rights and make amends for his less-than-ethical ways.”

The older woman stared. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the fact that Derek is using the Lady Travelers Society as a way to defraud unsuspecting women out of their savings. You just said you knew I thought he was a scoundrel.” India pulled her brows together. “What were you talking about?”

Lady Blodgett lowered her voice in a confidential manner. “I assumed you considered him a scoundrel because he has a decidedly colorful reputation.”

“No.” India shook her head. “Although that is not a mark in his favor.”

“Nonetheless the fact remains, Mr. Saunders has been swindling helpless females who have succumbed to the questionable lure of travel.” Martin glared at Lady Blodgett.

“He most certainly has not!” Lady Blodgett squared her shoulders. “I have.”

India stared. “You have?”

“Not by myself, of course. Mrs. Higginbotham and Mrs. Fitzhew-Wellmore have been by my side every moment.” She paused. “We really didn’t see it as fraud, you know. Oh, we were aware that we had no idea how to plan or arrange for travel, but no one seemed to mind. None of our members complained about our lectures or our advice or our lack of actual travel experience, although admittedly, we might not have mentioned that. Regardless, we are a most convivial group all in all. Why, things were going along quite nicely until Derek took a distinctly different view of our activities, and dear Lady Heloise was lost, of course.”

“Derek allowed me to believe this was his doing,” India said slowly. “He was protecting you.”

“And wasn’t that noble of him?” Lady Blodgett fairly glowed with pride. “He’s really a very thoughtful boy.”

“So Derek has not been fleecing women out of their money?” As many times as she’d been wrong in recent weeks, this was her biggest mistake.

“Absolutely not.”

Martin blew a resigned breath. “Perhaps I should pay a call on Inspector Cooper and arrange for Mr. Saunders’s release.”

“We shall all go,” India said firmly. The least she could do was play a part in his rescue. Besides, he would probably be a little more inclined to accept her apology if she helped free him.

“You shall ride in my carriage with me, Miss Prendergast.” Lady Blodgett started toward the door. “Sir Martin, you shall have to take a cab.”

“But—”

Lady Blodgett’s eyes narrowed.

“Yes, of course,” Martin murmured. “A cab it is then.”

A few minutes later, they were on their way. India could barely sit still. She tried and dismissed a dozen different ways of saying what had to be said. Perhaps it was best simply to blurt it all out. That she was wrong. That she had gravely misjudged him. That she loved him. That she prayed he still loved her.

The carriage rolled to a stop, and Lady Blodgett turned toward her. “Before we go inside, I do need to clarify one point.”

“Very well,” India said cautiously.

The older lady studied her closely. “You harbor a certain affection for my nephew, do you not?”

India nodded.

“Dare I assume you are in love with him?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Excellent.” Lady Blodgett beamed. “Then we should go in.”

They stepped out of the carriage, and India realized this was wrong. Poor, dear Lady Blodgett’s mind was perhaps not as sharp as it once was.

“Lady Blodgett.” India took the older woman’s arm and gently turned her back to the carriage. “We’re going to Newgate, not the Explorers Club.”

“You must have misunderstood, Miss Prendergast.” Lady Blodgett shook off India’s hand then took her elbow in a shockingly firm grip and steered her toward the door. “Effie is giving a lecture today on the perils of lost luggage.”

“No one understands the importance of that particular topic more than I, but we do need to arrange for Derek’s release.”

“Oh, he’s not in prison.”

“But you said—”

“I believe what I said was that he had been taken to Newgate. I did not say he stayed.”

“But you sent Sir Martin—”

“One makes mistakes when one is old and feeble, dear,” she said in a lofty manner.

India stared. There was nothing feeble about Lady Blodgett.

The older woman led the way into the building. “Derek has, in fact, spent much of the day in the final arrangements of a business transaction.” They stepped into the Lady Travelers lecture hall.

“Then where is he?”

“Hush.” Lady Blodgett nodded toward the podium. Mrs. Higginbotham had already begun speaking. She was flanked on either side by large rectangular shapes covered with sheeting. Mrs. Fitzhew-Wellmore sat in a chair behind her. The room was impressively full. Lady Blodgett leaned close to India and spoke softly. “There doesn’t seem to be an empty chair. Why don’t you wait here while I join Effie and Poppy on the podium?”

India was not about to argue with an elderly woman in a room full of older ladies listening to how not to lose their luggage. At the moment she was entirely too restless to sit and much preferred to stand at the back of the room. Besides, she had yet to see Derek and obviously would get no further information from Lady Blodgett until Mrs. Higginbotham was finished.