Read Online What a Rogue Desires by Caroline Linden - Free Book Online
Authors: Caroline Linden
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trying to sell Burddock,” he clarified.
If possible, her eyes got even bigger. “Oh, no!” she gasped. “No! Your ring? Why, I’ve no idea what you’re talking of! I’m just a poor widow, sir—I have no other means of support than to sell some of my late husband’s things—”
“A tragic tale,” he agreed. “If only it were true. Stealing is a crime. Did you know they hang thieves?” She didn’t move a muscle, her eyes fixed on him. The carriage jerked to a halt. “Ah, excellent. We’ve arrived. Care to tell me the truth? Last chance,” he added with a dangerous smile.
“The truth? But I’ve told you…” Her voice trailed off, her eyes darting to the window. As directed, the driver had gone around to the alley behind Burddock’s shop. The shopkeeper was waiting for them.
Without comment, David pushed open the door, keeping his leg across the opening. Burddock waddled closer, peered into the carriage, and said, “Aye, that’s the one. Sold me this.” He produced a pearl stickpin and a watch ornamented with tiny rubies. David frowned.
“Where’s the ring?”
Burddock lifted one shoulder. “She didn’t bring it today.”
“Oh, sir!” cried the widow pleadingly. “Say you aren’t in league with him! This villain snatched me off the streets and won’t let me go! Please help me!”
Burddock gazed at her with his opaque black eyes, then turned back to David. “I bought ’em both, as you asked,” he said.
David took them, holding his pin up to the light. “Good work. Your compensation will be sent over directly.”
Burddock smirked. “Very good. A pleasure serving you, sir.”
“But the ring?” David prompted. Burddock hesitated.
“She didn’t have it. At least she said she didn’t.” David shot him a dark glance, and Burddock backed up a step, spreading his hands as if to plead helplessness. “What was I to do? I expect you can handle it from here better than I could.”
David turned back to his thief, the lovely, white-faced widow opposite him. “Yes, I believe I can,” he said grimly. He thumped a fist on the roof. “Drive on.”
Her gaze veered from the jewels in his hand to his face. “Release me,” she said, her voice a thin thread of sound. “Please, sir, I beg you…”
“Yes, I expect you do.” He held the watch up to the light. “This was from the Bromley stage robbery, isn’t it? The fat man who smelled of onions, I believe. What was his name?” David turned the watch from side to side, pretending to study it but watching her from the corner of his eye. She was tensed like a cat waiting to spring, her hands curled into the cushions. “No matter,” he said, putting it in his pocket. “I can send word to the constable. He’ll have the man’s direction.”
His companion said nothing, her unblinking gaze fixed on him.
“I expect you’re in it with them,” he went on, as casually as one might discuss the weather. “There’s really no other explanation for how you came into possession of items stolen from passengers on the coach. Fortunately for you, I don’t particularly care. All I want is my ring. And you might as well give back my pocket watch, since I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to track you down. But once you return those things, you’ll be free.”
“I don’t have them,” she protested.
He smiled gently. “You’ll have to get them. Send word to your associates.”
“But I can’t!”
David sighed, still smiling. This was really quite entertaining. “Then you’ll just be my guest until you can.”
She jerked, yet more color fading from her face. “What?”
He leaned forward. “My guest,” he repeated. “I don’t appreciate being robbed, my dear, let alone coshed on the head and left for dead. It was quite a fit of nerves, was it, that you had after that. I heard all about it.”
“I—I was so sorry to see you hurt,” she cried.
“No doubt. And yet, when I acted on my gentlemanly instincts and tried to make
If possible, her eyes got even bigger. “Oh, no!” she gasped. “No! Your ring? Why, I’ve no idea what you’re talking of! I’m just a poor widow, sir—I have no other means of support than to sell some of my late husband’s things—”
“A tragic tale,” he agreed. “If only it were true. Stealing is a crime. Did you know they hang thieves?” She didn’t move a muscle, her eyes fixed on him. The carriage jerked to a halt. “Ah, excellent. We’ve arrived. Care to tell me the truth? Last chance,” he added with a dangerous smile.
“The truth? But I’ve told you…” Her voice trailed off, her eyes darting to the window. As directed, the driver had gone around to the alley behind Burddock’s shop. The shopkeeper was waiting for them.
Without comment, David pushed open the door, keeping his leg across the opening. Burddock waddled closer, peered into the carriage, and said, “Aye, that’s the one. Sold me this.” He produced a pearl stickpin and a watch ornamented with tiny rubies. David frowned.
“Where’s the ring?”
Burddock lifted one shoulder. “She didn’t bring it today.”
“Oh, sir!” cried the widow pleadingly. “Say you aren’t in league with him! This villain snatched me off the streets and won’t let me go! Please help me!”
Burddock gazed at her with his opaque black eyes, then turned back to David. “I bought ’em both, as you asked,” he said.
David took them, holding his pin up to the light. “Good work. Your compensation will be sent over directly.”
Burddock smirked. “Very good. A pleasure serving you, sir.”
“But the ring?” David prompted. Burddock hesitated.
“She didn’t have it. At least she said she didn’t.” David shot him a dark glance, and Burddock backed up a step, spreading his hands as if to plead helplessness. “What was I to do? I expect you can handle it from here better than I could.”
David turned back to his thief, the lovely, white-faced widow opposite him. “Yes, I believe I can,” he said grimly. He thumped a fist on the roof. “Drive on.”
Her gaze veered from the jewels in his hand to his face. “Release me,” she said, her voice a thin thread of sound. “Please, sir, I beg you…”
“Yes, I expect you do.” He held the watch up to the light. “This was from the Bromley stage robbery, isn’t it? The fat man who smelled of onions, I believe. What was his name?” David turned the watch from side to side, pretending to study it but watching her from the corner of his eye. She was tensed like a cat waiting to spring, her hands curled into the cushions. “No matter,” he said, putting it in his pocket. “I can send word to the constable. He’ll have the man’s direction.”
His companion said nothing, her unblinking gaze fixed on him.
“I expect you’re in it with them,” he went on, as casually as one might discuss the weather. “There’s really no other explanation for how you came into possession of items stolen from passengers on the coach. Fortunately for you, I don’t particularly care. All I want is my ring. And you might as well give back my pocket watch, since I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to track you down. But once you return those things, you’ll be free.”
“I don’t have them,” she protested.
He smiled gently. “You’ll have to get them. Send word to your associates.”
“But I can’t!”
David sighed, still smiling. This was really quite entertaining. “Then you’ll just be my guest until you can.”
She jerked, yet more color fading from her face. “What?”
He leaned forward. “My guest,” he repeated. “I don’t appreciate being robbed, my dear, let alone coshed on the head and left for dead. It was quite a fit of nerves, was it, that you had after that. I heard all about it.”
“I—I was so sorry to see you hurt,” she cried.
“No doubt. And yet, when I acted on my gentlemanly instincts and tried to make
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