To Trust a Thief by Michelle McLean

Author:Michelle McLean
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Historical romance/Scandalous/Victorian England/Missing treasure/Fake fiance’/Dangerous romance/Entangled/Reformed rake/Rags-to-riches heroine
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Published: 2013-01-19T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Bryant waited several minutes before leaving, careful to give the girls enough time to reach their destination before he left. Then he quietly entered the gallery. Someone had been prowling through the estate at night and he needed to find out whom. Min was safer thinking it had been him she’d heard in the attics, but she was right; no thief worth his salt would be so careless. Bryant was the best in the business. He didn’t make mistakes. But he knew someone who did.

Bryant paused in front of Tabitha’s portrait, staring at the artist’s rendition of the magnificent jewels. They seemed to flash in the glow of the candlelight. Tabitha held an ornate mask in her hands, apparently dressed for a costume ball in a long-sleeved, Turkish-style brocade jacket that was open to reveal a gauzy green tunic. The tunic fell in folds over matching satin trousers. The turban on her head boasted a grand peacock’s feather fastened by an enormous emerald. The emerald, diamond, and sapphire necklace was at her throat, the pearl-strung pendants encircling her neck and spilling over her chest, reaching to the low-cut neckline of her costume.

He looked up at Tabitha’s face, struck by the expression she wore. The artist had captured an unmistakable sadness emanating from her eyes.

Bryant froze, suddenly aware of someone breathing right behind him. He spun about, grabbed the man by the shoulders, and tackled him to the floor. He found himself staring down into a pair of wide, unblinking eyes, their blood-shot whites completely surrounding black irises.

“Gage,” he growled, leaning on the man’s throat for a second before releasing him. Bryant stood, jamming his fingers through his hair. He prayed Gage hadn’t been there long, hadn’t seen him and the girls slipping from the secret room. The last thing he wanted was Rellik’s pet henchman knowing about Min. “I knew I smelled your repulsive stench. What are you doing here? Besides crashing about the attic in the middle of the night.”

Gage just chuckled, a quiet but menacing sound. “I’m workin’ in the kitchens, mostly, for the moment. The old bat Courtland felt sorry for me and ’ired me to lug around ’eavy pots and such, and do a few other odds and ends,” he answered, his tone mocking and insolent. “Lord Rellik wanted to make sure you’re doing what you were sent to do. Yer takin’ so long, ’e thought you might be gettin’ ideas ’bout making off with something what don’t belong to you.”

Bryant glared at the man, angry and more than a little alarmed. Gage’s next words made his blood run cold.

“Got yerself a secret whore, hmmm? Lord Rellik ain’t a patient man, Westley. ’E won’t be none too ’appy when I tell ’im that you’ve been spendin’ your nights dallyin’ with your little trollop instead o’ lookin’ for the necklace like yer supposed to. Quite a tasty little morsel, though, ain’t she. I’ve been watching ’er, last couple o’ days.” He laughed, running his tongue over cracked lips.

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