Page 9 of The Swindler’s Daughter

That earned him another glare. “Don’t you dare get cross with me, Johnny. I’ll get you the stupid pouch, but I can’t exactly run off in the middle of work, can I?”

“Right. Sorry,” he said, looking appropriately contrite. “And I really do thank you for taking care of it for me. We were in a bit of a fix.”

“You are most certainly not welcome,” I said as I bent to heft the basin of water.

“We didn’t steal it, you know.”

I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Well, we did. But I can explain.”

I pinned him with another glare. “I very much doubt that. I’ll meet you by the stream at sunset.” I turned my back on him and walked toward the manor house.

“Fine,” he agreed. “And it’s not what you think.”

“That’s what thieves always tell themselves,” I muttered as I walked away. Thieves always had justification for why they did what they did. Some were even desperate enough that I might understand it. But Johnny? Rowan? There was no excuse.

It was difficult not to stomp around the rest of the day, but behavior like that would make people ask questions that I wasn’t ready to answer.

I finished my work in plenty of time but dawdled on purpose so that I would be late to meet Johnny. Let him squirm. He deserved it.

Wrapping myself in my shawl, I headed across the grounds and into the woods. The sun was nearly touching the horizon by the time I approached the stream.

“She’s not going to come,” I heard someone hiss.

I stopped to listen.

“Of course she’ll come. She said she would.” That was Johnny’s voice, so I had to assume that the first belonged to Rowan. I took a few more steps and leaned around a tree so I could see the two of them standing there, tense and nervous.

Rowan picked up a rock and hurled it into the water. “I still can’t believe you just gave her the pouch.”

“What did you want me to do?” Johnny asked as he leaned on his staff. “Throw it away? Wait till we were caught and have them find it on us? On me?”

“It’s all for nothing if she doesn’t return it.” Rowan fidgeted as he paced.

“I know Miri. She’ll give it back.”

“I know her too, and I’m betting she won’t.”

The temptation to keep it simply as retribution for Rowan’s lack of trust in me was strong. It wasn’t mine. Of course I wouldn’t keep it. Granted, it wasn’t theirs either, so that did complicate the morality of the situation.

Still, I wanted nothing to do with it.

I stomped toward them, my chin high, my neck stiff.

“Miri,” Johnny said as his shoulders sagged. “Right on time. Thanks for coming.”

“Follow me” was all I said as I passed by them both and headed to the spot where I’d buried their filthy lucre.

“Listen, Miri,” Johnny started as he trailed after me. “We only took—”

I whirled to face them, my hands up in front of me. “I don’t want to hear it,” I insisted. “So if I’m to give this parcel back to you, it’s with the understanding that you don’t try to justify it. Not to me.”

They both shook their heads in frustration, but when they realized I was serious, they were forced to give each other one heavy look and then nod their heads.

“Fine,” Rowan agreed. “But if you ever want to know more, you need only ask.”

I turned without a word and continued on.