A Dangerous Affair by Jillian Eaton

Author:Jillian Eaton [Eaton, Jillian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-03-06T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Nine Months Later

St. James Park, London

Juliet sauntered through the crowded park with a spring in her step and a glint in her eye. Dressed in a pale blue muslin walking dress, matching bonnet, and soft green shawl, she blended in perfectly with the ladies who had turned out in droves for their daily constitutional.

On the main thoroughfare curricles and buggies raced past one right after the other, pulled by energetic horses eager to stretch their legs after a long winter spent slogging through the snow and the slush. Children, their pockets heavy with breadcrumbs, flocked to the pond to feed the quacking ducks while their nannies struggled to keep pace.

The breeze that fluttered through the trees was warm. The sun was bright. The sky a clear, cloudless blue. It was a beautiful spring day. One made even more beautiful by the smell of old money and the sapphire necklace Juliet was following.

The necklace was attached to the Dowager Duchess Glastonbury, an elderly woman who'd recently lost her husband to old age and a weak heart. To add insult to injury, the lecherous old goat had been found arse up in the bed of his mistress.

Word had it the dowager was so enraged and humiliated she planned on holding a public auction at the end the week to sell off all the jewelry the late duke had given her over the course of their long - and clearly tumultuous - marriage. It was a thumb in the face of a man who had prided himself on maintaining a perfect public image while indulging in all manners of sinful decadence behind closed doors.

Word also had it that among the things the dowager planned on auctioning off was a diamond tiara that had once belonged to Queen Anne, the last monarch of the House of Stuart. If that was true, it would make the tiara invaluable.

Although Juliet was fairly confidant she could manage to come up with a price for it.

If she could get her hands on the tiara before it went up for auction, she would never need to steal anything again. She and Bran could retire from their life of crime and spend the rest of their days traveling the world. She'd always wanted to see Spain and India.

Wherever they went, she already knew they would never be able to return to London. Or at least she wouldn't. Although she’d gone to great pains over the past nine months to stay out of trouble and keep her head down, she knew Grant was still out there searching for her. She hadn’t seen him with her own eyes, but there had been whispers of The Wolf prowling through the East End. Why, just last week little Johnny Reed had sworn up and down he’d seen the runner having a pint at The Lusty Mermaid. A story two barmaids had been only too happy to corroborate.

Giving up her life of crime (even if just temporarily) had been one of the hardest things Juliet had ever done, but she had known it was either that or find herself in Newgate.

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