To Catch a Thief by Pascal Francine

Author:Pascal, Francine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-01-18T16:00:00+00:00

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Jessica complained to Jacques as they crept up the stone staircase to her room. "If we get caught, I'll be on the next plane back to Sweet Valley for sure!"

When they reached her door, Jacques pulled her close and touched his lips to hers. Jessica swayed against him and laced her fingers behind his neck.

Suddenly a burst of female chatter on the stairs brought Jessica back to her senses. Snapping to attention, she grabbed Jacques by the sleeve of his shirt and dragged him into her room. Peeking from behind the door, Jessica watched as two maids appeared on the landing.

She pushed the door closed all the way and leaned back against it. "That was close," she breathed.

Jacques was stretched out on her bed, his arms tucked under her pillow. He raised his head slightly and groaned.

Jessica crossed her arms and eyed him narrowly. He seemed fine all the way up here, she realized. "Jacques, what's going on?" she asked. "You're not really sick, are you?"

He began coughing violently. "Water," he gasped.

Jessica rolled her eyes. But she decided to play along just in case he wasn't faking. "I'll be back in a minute," she told him. "Stay in here."

Still coughing, Jacques nodded. Jessica opened the door slightly and checked to see if anyone was coming.

"All clear," she whispered to Jacques over her shoulder.

He sucked in a gasping breath, clutching his throat, and nodded again. But the instant she stepped out into the hall, the sound of his coughing abruptly stopped.

Jessica's brow furrowed and she pursed her lips. A miraculous recovery? she thought doubtfully. Now she was more than suspicious—she was absolutely certain he was up to something.

Jessica felt a surge of annoyance. Obviously he'd staged the whole sickness routine and desperate plea for water so that he could be alone in her room. To do what? she wondered. Determined to find out, she inched open the door and spied on Jacques through the crack.

He was sitting hunched over on the edge of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees. His gaze was fixed on something he held in his hands. At first Jessica thought he was reading. Bemused, she opened the door a little wider to get a better look.

Jessica's jaw dropped as she recognized the object in his hands. It was the red jewelry case she kept under her pillow. For a moment she was too stunned to move or to utter a sound. Who does he think he is, going through my personal things? she fumed silently.

She saw him slip the case into his pocket, and her blood began to boil. He knows how much that pendant means to me! she thought.

Jessica stiffened her spine, pulled back her shoulders, and took a deep breath. Primed for battle, she burst into the room.

Royal duke or not, Jacques Landeau needed to learn a few things about respect.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.