Page 42 of The Swindler’s Daughter

“I won’t ask you to help me,” he said. “Not anymore.”

I opened my eyes to find him looking down at me, his face close.

He moved the tiniest bit closer. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t have…”

My gaze was drawn to his mouth. My whole being was drawn to it. It seemed imperative that I close the distance between us. “I really do admire you,” I whispered, needing him to know that above all. “There’s part of me that wishes I could help, but—”

“I know.” He ran his fingers through the curls at the side of my neck. “And I admire you too.” He smiled softly down at me then eased away.

It tore at my heart and I felt the loss of his warmth immediately but I let him step back, knowing it was the right thing.

“I don’t want to come between you and your brother. And clearly he would object to you helping us,” he said.

My back tensed. “Most ardently. He’d be mortified if he found out what I did today. Maybe even irate.”

“Well then.” He bent to pick up my basket. “I suggest you don’t tell him.” He offered me his arm.

My brow furrowed as I laid my hand on his forearm. “I’ve never kept anything from him before.”

“Nothing?” he asked, clearly surprised by my assertion.

I shook my head. “He’s my best friend. I trust him with everything.”

One eyebrow quirked up. “But you haven’t told him about what me and the others are doing?”

I looked away, realizing my statement had been untrue. “Not yet.”

“So he doesn’t know that I might be a thief?”

“I don’t think there’s any question of whether or not you’re a thief,” I pointed out, and I couldn’t help the note of disappointment in my voice. “You are.” This would all be so much easier if he weren’t. But then…would he be the person I had come to admire if he weren’t a reluctant thief?

“Does he know about the troubles in the village?” Rowan asked.

I let out a heavy sigh. “I told him, but he says he needs more information. Honestly, I don’t think he wants to look too hard. He’s put himself firmly on the side of the law for the past seven years. I’m sure the idea that the law could betray us all is even more disconcerting to him than to most.”

“So he’ll ignore it?” His tone was curious.

“I hope not, but maybe.”

“Why?”

I thought on that, trying to gather my words. “Perhaps because he’s seen enough darkness in his life, and he’s not eager to go looking for more. Or maybe he just needs to believe that the law will prevail.”

He sighed beside me. “We all want to believe that.”

10

I loved the smell of bread dough. I loved the way it felt in my hands as I kneaded it smooth. It was only me in the kitchen, the only sounds coming from a bird perched in a tree just outside and my own humming.

I heard the door to my right open but kept my focus on what I was doing. Or at least I did until I felt the air shift and the back of my neck started to tingle. When I looked up, Rowan was standing there in the middle of the kitchen, his hands behind his back, his head tilted just a little as he looked at me.

A blush crawled up my cheeks and I didn’t know why. I was making bread, which may very well be the most normal, unembarrassing thing in the world. So then why was I suddenly too warm?

Rowan smiled, and it wasn’t cocky at all. “Good morning,” he said in a tone that was almost hushed.

I swallowed. “Good morning.” Who was I kidding? My embarrassment came from the fact that the last time I’d seen him, he’d been a breath away from kissing me, and that prospect was just as appealing now as it had been then.

He looked around the kitchen and it struck me that Rowan never came here. Despite the much more frequent interactions that he now had with me and the lads, he still kept close to his own home for meals.