Lifting a wallet was a job I’d always taken seriously. Ladies, gentlemen, rich businessmen—they were all equal in front of my stealing skills. There was some justice in that.
Yet Miss Harlowe’s offer of help had shocked me more than the blow to the head her father had given me.
On any other day, if I met someone like her on the street, I would steal her purse, but her candour was disarming. And puzzling. I’d never met anyone who wanted to help me without wanting something in return.
But I only knew how to cheat, steal, and be aggressive to protect myself. How was I supposed to behave with someone as kind as she was?
I tried to ignore the burning in my neck as I walked towards Harlowe House.
Elegant ladies walked past me, and I had to focus on being good not to reach out and snatch a gold brooch or a silk bag. Old habits. Not very old, actually.
I straightened my jacket when Miss Harlowe came out of the house. Her rich blue afternoon gown and matching hat made her sapphire eyes shine.
She smiled when she saw me, and I lost my train of thought.
“Miss.” I flinched when another annoying pang bit me.
Damn wounds. I’d never been clumsy. My ability to eat depended on how fast and agile I was. What I lacked in muscle strength, I made up for with quick feet and a sharp mind. But I’d tripped and fallen over in the garden shed. Strange. The worst thing was that the incident was blurred in my mind. I wasn’t completely sure a spiky tool was the culprit. I was missing something.
She looked alarmed. “Are they worse?”
“They burn constantly.” I put a hand on my throbbing neck.
“We’d better hurry. We’ll catch an omnibus to Paddington.” She started to go, but I didn’t follow her.
“I don’t mind walking.” My pockets were empty, but she didn’t need to know that.
Her gaze narrowed to a slit. “You’re lying.” Absolute certainty rang in her voice.
“You sound like a copper.”
“Tell me the truth.”
Telling the truth, no matter how small, was against my principles, and a man needed principles. “The omnibus stinks.”
“The truth.”
Damn. I was a good liar. How did she catch me? “I don’t have the money to pay for the omnibus.”
“I do.”
“I can’t pay you back today. You’ll have to wait until next week.” The money I’d set aside so far was for Riley so he wouldn’t kill me.
She waved a dismissive hand. “Going to the hospital was my idea.”
“But I’m the sick one.”
“Let’s go. There’s no need to argue.”
We walked along the shiny pavement of Mayfair, past houses I would never be able to live in, not even as a servant.
When we climbed into the omnibus, nausea left a bitter taste in my mouth as the wounds throbbed harder. Miss Harlowe didn’t seem to fare better. She kept toying with something in her hand while taking deep breaths.
“Is something the matter, miss?”
“The omnibus is crowded.” Her voice shook. “I don’t like crowds.”
“Bond Street was crowded on the day we met.”
