My Favorite Thief by Karyn Monk

this, Lottie,” he warned. “If I catch the peelers or anyone else sniffin’ about for me, I’ll make ye and yer precious family of swells sorry ye was ever born. Got it?”
    â€œYes,” she whispered.
    â€œGood.” Abruptly, he released her. “I’ll see ye in four days.” He turned and sprinted away.
    Charlotte pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. Annabelle and Grace were probably searching for her by now. Breathing hard, she fought to regain some modicum of composure as she began to slowly limp back toward the elegant world that gleamed at the end of the alley.
    â€œThere you are!” called Annabelle, noticing her after she had emerged onto the street. “Where on earth have you been?”
    â€œI just went into this shop,” Charlotte lied, pointing to the nearest store.
    â€œWe were worried about you.” Grace regarded her with concern. “Are you all right? You look terribly pale.”
    â€œI’m a little tired. Can we go now?”
    â€œOf course we can.” Grace took her arm and wrapped it around her own. “You just lean against me while we walk up to meet Oliver.”
    â€œI’m so sorry we took so long. We should have realized it would be too much for you,” Annabelle apologized.
    â€œDid you get something nice?” Charlotte asked, trying to shift their attention away from her.
    â€œWe got the most beautiful silk stockings for you—they’re so light and sheer you’d almost think you were wearing nothing,” Annabelle said enthusiastically. “And then we saw the most gorgeous corset, and we knew you’d never buy such a fancy one for yourself, but Grace and I decided you really had to have it…”
    Charlotte smiled and nodded, pretending to listen as her sisters chattered happily about all the lovely things they had bought for her.
    She was trapped, she realized frantically as she limped toward Oliver and their waiting carriage.
    Boney Buchan had found her. Until she paid him what he wanted, she was completely at his mercy.

Chapter Five

    I T WAS A PERFECT NIGHT FOR A JEWEL THIEF.
    Diamonds, rubies, and emeralds glittered upon the milky breasts and sagging earlobes of nearly every woman in the ballroom, while the men accompanying them boasted sparkling stones in their cuffs and shirt studs. The air was laden with the scent of heavy perfume and richly spiced food, and eager gossip over the Dark Shadow’s disastrous robbery attempt of two nights earlier was all but drowning out the lively strains of the orchestra. Everyone had an opinion on the mysterious jewel thief’s identity, the severity of the wound he had suffered, and the extraordinary step he had taken by murdering Lord Haywood and abducting Lord Redmond’s spinster ward. Harrison gripped the stem of his untouched wine glass as he studied the room, only half listening to the vigorous debates raging around him. His shoulder was throbbing and the sickly-sweet odors wafting through the air were threatening to trigger a headache.
    If not for the brilliant jewelry circling around him, he would have stayed home and nursed his aching shoulder with a bottle of good French brandy.
    â€œâ€¦then he jumps out of the carriage and disappears, just like that,” finished Lord Chadwick, his great, bloated chest puffed up with importance as he surveyed his fascinated audience.
    â€œShe’s lucky he didn’t kill her,” observed Lord Shelton, shaking his little balding head in disbelief.
    â€œWhy would he want to do a thing like that?” Lord Reynolds frowned. “Miss Kent is a cripple. She would hardly have been any threat to him.”
    â€œNo one has been as close to the Dark Shadow as she has,” Lord Shelton explained, as if it were obvious. “Given the chance, she might be able to identify him. Killing her would ensure that never happened.”
    â€œThe newspapers reported that she never