An Honourable Thief: A must-read historical crime thriller (A Company of Rogues Book 1) by Douglas Skelton

Author:Douglas Skelton [Skelton, Douglas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canelo
Published: 2022-09-21T16:00:00+00:00

12

The hour was late and the night held the threat of the winter yet to come. His years in London had seen Flynt grow used to a slightly more temperate clime, so he pulled his greatcoat tighter to his body and hunched into the collar turned against his neck as he walked. His recent conversations had troubled him. To his father he had made a confession of sorts but he still had not been totally honest. He deeply regretted lying about his business the day before, for he knew Gideon would have accepted the true reason for his return, even if not with ease. However, had he been more forthright, he would have had to explain why he was undertaking such a mission and that would entail revealing more about his life than he wished. Being truthful with Rab had been a different matter, for he was more a brother than friend, but Flynt was unsure how Gideon would have reacted to the news that his son was guilty of crimes sufficient that he could be blackmailed on a trumped-up charge into performing murky duties for the government of first Queen Anne and now King George.

Cassie most certainly had accepted that he was a rogue. It was as if something within her had always known, which given her prescient gift was possible, though she had never expressed it when they were younger. Being in close proximity to her and talking like old friends had also troubled him but in a different way. That he still loved her he could no longer deny; it took only one look and he knew. He was truly glad she and Rab were together but the twin demons of envy and regret told him that perhaps he could have been as happy as they, had he been a different person. A better person.

They said little as they walked the canyon created by the Tolbooth on one side and the tall land on the other. Flynt scanned the blank face of the old building, wondering if Charlie was lying in a rude cot within, unable to sleep. Mindful of Gideon’s warning that there were factions planning to take the law into their own hands, whether or not encouraged by those with reasons of their own to create mayhem, he scrutinised the streets but saw no men clustering in dark corners and heard no sound of boots hitting ground. The Edinburgh Mob was not renowned for being circumspect in its actions and Flynt was moderately confident that should they wish to storm the town gaol, emboldened by the Blue Blanket, they would do it in a heavy-handed and obvious manner.

A soldier of the Town Guard rounded the corner of the building facing the Lawnmarket, his long Lochaber axe over his shoulder. He regarded Flynt and Cassie with wary aspect as they passed within a few feet of each other but did not challenge them. Flynt gave him the courtesy of a nod but the guard failed to respond.

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