The hands on the long case clock swept away another hour and Miranda’s spirits sank, but her vigilance remained. So far this week she had attended two weddings, three funerals, and a baptism without a sign of the man known as The Society Thief.
Though he excelled at what he did, he was considerably more than just a criminal; he was her stepping stone to bigger and better assignments.
He had been a bane to the city’s upper class for more than a year. No jewel was safe from his sleight of hand; no wealthy man’s corpse immune from his pilfering fingers. Catching him red-handed would prove to the Pinkerton brothers once and for all that she was ready for more than the jobs that no other operative wanted. At the age of twenty-four, she was ready for a real challenge.
She had just about decided that this funeral was a waste of time when she spotted the straw boater. It was always the details that tripped up a person and today it was the hat. Senses alert, she studied the late-comer. The fact that he’d failed to give his head cover to one of the servants like the other male guests made him suspect. There was always the possibility that he planned on using his hat to conceal a dastardly deed. Or perhaps he simply kept it so as to make a quick escape.
Slender of build, he had short black hair and a pointed beard. He was immaculately dressed in a black sack coat over gray trousers and vest. A short turnover collar showed above a floppy bowtie.
The other male guests wore silk suits and linen shirts, appropriate attire for a warm spring day, but this man wore wool—the fabric of choice for pickpockets. Wool didn’t rustle like other fabrics, allowing a wearer to move without detection.
The man’s gaze met hers and she gave her fan a coquettish flick and smiled. Confident enough to think she was flirting, he smiled back. The scene was set.
The story continues in Gunpowder Tea, available everywhere October 2013.
About the Author
New York Times best-selling author Margaret Brownley has penned more than twenty-five historical and contemporary novels. Her books have won numerous awards, including Reader’s Choice. She has published the Rocky Creek series, and A Lady Like Sarah was a Romance Writers of America RITA finalist. Happily married to her real-life hero, Margaret and her husband have three grown children and live in Southern California.
Visit MargaretBrownley.com for more information
Waiting for Morning (The Brides Of Last Chance Ranch Series) Page 29
