1
SLEIGHT OF HAND
LONDON, 1890
Alex
After having lived on the streets for years and watched the government do nothing to improve the rookeries, I had come to a conclusion full of wisdom: the only reason why politicians condemned stealing was that they didn’t want competition.
Morals didn’t matter when I was starving every other day. My approach to thievery was simple. If I didn’t get caught, then whatever I honestly stole was mine. It wasn’t my fault if people weren’t careful enough. Simple reasoning but effective.
And what better place to find an easy target than the opulent Bond Street where the rich and powerful of the kingdom went shopping for things they didn’t need?
I blew on my hands to fend off the chilly wind. My wool jacket was almost new—stolen from a distracted gentleman who had left it on a bench in the park; that had been too easy—but above all, it was warm and decent. I didn’t look like a man sleeping in a dump with rats and a permanent sense of injustice.
Appearances were everything for a thief; that was something I had in common with the toffs.
If I strode down the busy pavement of a rich area in my tattered clothes, people would steer away from me, and that would be bad for business.
My friend Darius coughed into his fist, his bony shoulders shaking. “Stupid cold.”
As I studied him, I wondered if taking him with me had been a good idea. I usually worked alone, lived alone, and didn’t care much about anything else that wasn’t a wallet filled with banknotes. Feeding myself was challenging enough without the added trouble of having to share my food with someone else.
Darius wasn’t the best thieving partner. He was my age, nineteen, but so thin and pale he looked like an eight-year-old boy. A sick, underfed, about-to-die eight-year-old boy. Although people easily offered him coins, moved by his sad green eyes and gaunt cheeks. As a beggar, he earned a few shillings. But aside from that, he had never proved to be a good pickpocket. On top of that, he ate like a bear just awakened from hibernation.
His stomach roared, proving my point.
Of all the starving people in London, he was the most ravenous of them all. If the amount of food he ate matched his build, he would be an excellent bodyguard.
Starvation was nothing new to me, but Darius was always, constantly, endlessly hungry…and I felt sorry for him. I understood what it meant to be hungry, cold, and alone on the streets. Compassion was a weakness in the rookery. Yet I couldn’t send him away. If I did, he would die in less than a week.
“We had a full breakfast for once.” I searched the crowd as we walked along the pavement slippery from last night’s rain. “You can’t be hungry so soon.”
“I am.” He rubbed his belly, sniffing the air where the scent of freshly baked cakes and pastries wafted. “My body consumes a lot of energy.”
I stopped at a corner to observe the passersby. The size of the crowd was perfect, not too packed or too thin. It allowed plenty of room to snatch and run.
Ladies in fine cloaks and velvet hats and gentlemen in tailored suits watched the shiny shop windows. Gold pocket watches, bracelets, and brooches glittered in the pale sunlight, begging to be taken. And I was ready to oblige.
“We need to split up.” I lowered my flat cap over my face.
“Oh, no.” He gripped my arm with desperation. There was something to be said for the strength of his thin fingers. “I swear I’ll be useful. I… I will keep my hunger under control. I’ll help you more. I’ll steal the sausages for breakfast tomorrow.”
“Darius—”
“I know I haven’t been useful, but I’ll get better, and once I recover my energy, I’ll surprise you. I can do wonderful things.” He started to wheeze.
“Be quiet.” I slipped my arm out of his grip and flexed my fingers to restart the blood circulation. “I only meant we shouldn’t walk side by side. I steal a wallet and then pass it to you as you come near me. Just in case the target chases me.”
“Oh, thank you.” He put a shaky hand over his chest. “I don’t want to live alone again.” His stomach grumbled louder.
“Tell me the truth. Do you have a condition?”
He glowered. “No. I simply need to eat a lot. It’s how my body works.”
“If you say so.” I gazed around for an easy target. “Let’s find someone who isn’t paying attention.”
“What about that man?”
