She should have suspected Coco, and her so-called friend were up to something when her sister remained in the carriage while he came with Victoria to the duke’s gate.
Fancy falling for that old trick.
And now she was stranded in a moonlit garden in the middle of the night with nowhere to go. She would have to wait for them to come back for her.
She hoped they came back for her. If they didn’t, she was going to kill her sister.
Her eyes grew accustomed to the dark, and Victoria’s fear slowly subsided. Even in the middle of the night, she could tell this garden was a veritable food lovers’ heaven. The heady scent of herbs filled the air. And was that a strawberry patch?
She carefully considered her situation. If the duke was tucked up in bed fast asleep, or even better out on the town, he wouldn’t be coming to disturb this moment. And he’d hardly notice if she took one or two small souvenirs of her visit to his garden. Trophies to remind her of this private victory.
Coco might well have abandoned her, but she’d been right about the coat, it would have been far more practical for this sort of endeavor. Cloaks didn’t have pockets. The best she would be able to manage would be to make a small posy of the herbs she was stealing.
Oh god, are Coco and her wicked friends rubbing off on me?
Dill. Rosemary. Mint. She had just snapped off a large sprig of aromatic basil and was arranging it with the rest of the herbs when a gruff voice spoke. “You do know that sneaking into someone’s garden in the middle of the night is trespassing. And as the owner of this house, I would be well within my rights to shoot you.”
Clutching her bunch of herbs tightly in her hand, Victoria slowly rose. She turned to see the Duke of Saffron Walden standing a few feet away, pistol in his hand. It was pointed directly at her.
There wasn’t anything she could say which would explain this away.Hello, I was passing by your garden in the dead ofnight and saw you had some herbs, didn’t quite roll smoothly off the tongue.
“This was a mistake,” she feebly offered.
He moved closer, and she could just make out the glint of pure mischievous delight in his eyes. “Yes, it was a mistake, Lady Thief. And one you are going to regret for a very long time to come.”
Chapter Twenty-One
If Robert had been asked to put together a list of people whom he would suspect of breaking into his garden and stealing from him, the list would be long. Over the years he had accumulated a few enemies. But Lady Victoria Kembal’s name wouldn’t have been on that list. Hence his surprise at discovering the identity of the shadow which lurked amongst his herbs and vegetables.
What the devil am I going to do with her?
For a moment, he thought of simply letting her go. He’d give her a stern lecture about venturing into people’s gardens and thieving herbs, then send her on her way. But this was the middle of the night. And she was alone.
“Stay there,” he ordered.
Stepping past her, he cleared the gateway and moved into the lane. He glanced left and right. No horse. No carriage. Nothing. Had the chit walked all the way here from Berkely Square? That had to be well over a mile and a half.
Her accomplices must have dropped her off at the end of the laneway and…
He turned and came back to her side. “Who and where are the people you are working with?” She couldn’t possibly be here simply to snatch up sprigs.
“I’m not working with anyone. I made a mistake. I. Oh, this is so embarrassing. I am sorry. It was foolish of me to come here.” She offered him her ill-gotten haul, but Robert shook his head.
“What am I going to do with them? I can’t exactly glue them back onto the plants now, can I? The damage has been done, Lady Thief.”
He liked the way that name sounded, and he especially liked the look of surprise on her face. “Thieves get sent to the colonies. I’m wondering if you will be the first duke’s daughter to get transported to Sydney Cove. Once I have alerted the authorities to your heinous crime, we shall know.”
Her mother was going to kill her, so a perilous journey of ten thousand miles to the colony in New South Wales didn’t seem such a bad idea. Though knowing the duchess, she might well be angry enough to follow, just to make certain that Victoria understood the depth of her displeasure.
The Duke of Spice had caught her in his garden. Stealing his herbs. Her concerns about Coco getting into serious trouble now paled against her own predicament. At least her sister was smart enough not to get caught.
She offered him the bouquet once more, and this time he took it. With the herbs in one hand, cocked pistol in the other, he slowly shook his head. If she was in his boots, she would also be shaking her head.
Victoria took a step back, in the direction of the garden gate. If she moved, he might decide to let her go. The sly grin on his face, along with his censorious ‘tut tut’quickly informed her that he had no intention of letting her get off so easily.
I had to try.
They stood staring one another down for a long minute, before his expression suddenly changed. “My scones,” he muttered.
