Always a Princess by Alice Gaines

one, either,” she said. “It should be a small key.”
    He flipped a few more keys over, his fingers fumbling with the ring. The whole set fell to the floor with a resounding clatter.
    “What are you doing?” she demanded.
    “I’m trying to open the safe,” he snapped. “You’re not helping matters by hanging over my shoulder like that.”
    “You needn’t get so testy,” she said. “Testiness isn’t going to get us anywhere.”
    “Neither is your constant harping,” he replied.
    “Oh, for heaven’s sake.”
    He glared up at her. “Why don’t you do something useful?”
    She glared right back at him. “What would you suggest, your lordship?”
    “Go stand by the door and listen for intruders. You can manage that, can’t you?”
    She didn’t answer but walked across the room to the doorway. Putting her ear against the door, she did her best to detect any sound from the corridor over the jangling of the keys.
    As she listened, she watched Wesley work. The man looked far more appealing than was good for either of them. The fabric of his jacket stretched across his back as he bent to his task, and his hair shone gold in the flickering light of the lamp. All in all, he was too big and too cocky and too beautiful for her equilibrium. And the sooner she could get out of here and away from him—and out of danger—the happier she’d be. This diamond had better fetch as much money as he’d promised, because she’d retire to Bedlam before she’d go on many more of these risky escapades.
    As he tried what must have been the tenth key, it not only fit in the lock but turned as well. He smiled his smug grin again and pulled the door open. Eve left her post to kneel beside him and peer into the safe.
    The first thing Wesley pulled out was a stack of bank notes at least two inches thick. He looked at them with disdain and passed them to Eve. “Might as well take a few. Kent will never miss them.”
    Eve stared at them. How many warm clothes would these buy? How much fuel for the hearth? Still, she’d never imagined herself a common thief before, and Wesley’s backhanded way of offering the notes grated on her nerves.
    “Go on,” he said. “They won’t hurt you.”
    She peeled off a pair of notes and folded them tightly, finally pushing them into her bodice and between her breasts.
    He looked on, clear approval in his eyes. “Good girl.”
    She took a few more and folded them, too, as he turned his attention back to the interior of the safe.
    “Take care not to stuff so many in there that you crackle when you walk,” he said over his shoulder, the odious man.
    “I’ll worry about whether I crackle or not, thank you,” she said primly. “You just find the diamond.”
    He chuckled and reached into the safe and pulled out a large cherrywood box. He opened it to reveal two perfectly matched dueling pistols with pearl handles. They were worth a small fortune and, it occurred to her, had the added benefit that she could shoot Wesley with one if he made any more of his clever remarks. With luck, they’d be loaded.
    He shut the box and set it on the floor before peering back into the safe and rummaging around. “Papers. More bank notes, more papers. Ah, here we are.”
    He sat back on his heels and pulled out another wooden box, this one slightly larger than his hand. “Unless I miss my guess, we’ve found our diamond.”
    “Open it, then.”
    He smiled at her indulgently. “Impatient little thing.”
    “Oh, for heaven’s sake, this isn’t a tea party. Open the box so we can get out of here before we’re caught!”
    “Yes, Your Highness.” He opened the box, revealing a velvet sack. After setting the box on the floor, he shook the contents of the sack into his hand. What fell out stole Eve’s breath right out of her chest.
    “Dear God in heaven,” she gasped. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
    Wesley held the gem up to the light, where it appeared to give off a warm illumination of its