by Darcy Burke
“And you prefer not to discuss it?”
His lips quirked up. Her shrewd assessment immediately vaulted her in his opinion. “Just so.”
Besides, he’d no idea who Jagger was. But if he knew Ambrose as the Vicious Viscount, whatever he wanted had to do with prizefighting.
She kept her gaze fixed on the wall. “If you won’t tell me about that, explain what the footman meant by ‘occupants.’ What are they doing in there?”
Another question he’d rather ignore, but she deserved some semblance of truth after what she’d endured. “Similar to what we saw downstairs.”
She turned her head to look at him, her eyes wide. “A woman on a table?”
“More like the other room. With the couples.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks flared red before she turned back around. She allowed silence to root and grow for a few minutes before asking, “How do people come to be at Lockwood House? At this party, I mean.”
“Special invitations.”
“So my mother was invited.”
“Or her escort. Gentlemen are allowed to bring guests.”
“Why were you invited?” She turned her head to look at him and the sconce above them highlighted the unique color of her eyes, a warm golden brown, which he likened to a freshly drawn ale. A single curl feathered against the base of her neck, just above her collarbone, inviting him to stroke its softness. Or, better yet, he could run his fingers along her lustrous skin, which was the color of thick, decadent cream. The kind he loved to lick from the knife after spreading it atop his scone.
Ambrose averted his gaze. For a host of reasons, it wouldn’t do to indulge a physical reaction to her, not the least of which was her status as a respectable unmarried young lady and his as a worthless scoundrel.
“Another question you don’t want to answer?” she asked.
He gave her a lop-sided, rakish smile. “You know me, I’m the type who’s invited to these sorts of parties.”
“And I see you attend. But are you the type who participates?”
Like this? Read the first scene here.
To Love a Thief
Book 4 of the Secrets and Scandals Series (released September 2012),
this novella features a healthy dose of Ethan Jagger in his criminal element. Here’s a passage between Lord Daniel Carlyle and Jagger:
“If it isn’t Mr. Carlyle,” Jagger drawled. His brow arched, and he sat forward in his chair. “No! You’re Lord Carlyle now, aren’t you? What the devil are you doing in St. Giles?”
“Mind if I sit?” Daniel asked, grasping the back of a chair.
“Not at all. Whisky?” Jagger picked up the bottle in front of him and reached for an empty glass. The Crystal prided itself on fancy glass tumblers that were supposed to be reminiscent of the gentlemen’s clubs in St. James.
“No gin?” Daniel preferred whisky, but gin, due to its quantity, was usually the drink of choice in St. Giles.
“Not at my table. I’ve taken to drinking whisky of late.” Jagger poured him a glass, and one of his henchmen slid it across the table to Daniel.
Daniel glanced around the table and held up his glass in mock toast before taking a healthy swallow. “It’s quite good. From your personal supply?”
The corner of Jagger’s mouth hitched up. “Of course.”
Daniel set his glass back on the table. “May we speak privately?”
“Certainly.” Jagger nodded at the other four men around the table. They stood and departed without a word.
Jagger leaned back in his chair so that his head rested against the wall. “What do you want to know?”
It made sense that Jagger would assume he was here for information. The only other kind of help he provided was financial in nature, and Daniel would never want to owe money to the likes of him.
Though he despised sitting with his back to the door, Daniel knew Jagger would see his vulnerability as an expression of confidence. He expected Jagger to have his back, and because of that, Jagger would. So Daniel settled into his chair. “I’m looking for Nicky Blue.”
Jagger sipped his whisky. He kept the glass cradled in his palm as he addressed Daniel. “I haven’t seen him tonight.”
“Can you tell me where to find him? Or, better yet,” Daniel withdrew the knife from his coat pocket and set it atop the table so Jagger could see it, “can you tell me how I came to find his weapon under a bed in a house in Mayfair?”
Daniel hadn’t shown the knife at any of the other flash houses, but he was certain Jagger would recognize the distinctive piece. The question was whether Daniel could get the criminal to work with him, or if he’d claim he’d never seen it.
Jagger barely glanced at the blade. “Maybe because Nicky was shagging a Society widow?” He laughed, then sobered when Daniel didn’t laugh with him. “No sense of humor tonight? How dull. Why would I know what his knife was doing in Mayfair?”
“Because you oversee Nicky’s crew.” Daniel sat forward slightly. “Let’s not play games. I’m not a constable anymore. I’m trying to help a friend find some things that were stolen from her two years ago.”
Lifting his shoulder, Jagger maintained his aloof expression. “That’s very kind of you to help someone in need, but I fail to see why I should care.”
Daniel eyed the man in his rich costume that was paid for by criminal activity. Like his cohorts, Jagger dressed to intimidate, but unlike them he wasn’t garish. Except for the two rings he wore on each hand—which was excessive by fashionable standards—he looked as if he could be in any Mayfair ballroom. Indeed, if he were so inclined, he could probably march right into one tonight and claim his place. “Because deep down you might like to help someone too. Have you forgotten I know who you really are? Where you come from?”
Jagger suddenly snapped to attention, his eyes hardening. “What’s more important is that you don’t forget who I am now.”
Read another excerpt here.
Other Books by Darcy Burke
The Secrets and Scandals Series
Her Wicked Ways
His Wicked Heart
To Seduce a Scoundrel
To Love a Thief
Scoundrel Ever After (Fall 2013)
Other Intrepid Reads Authors
Books by Emma Locke
The Naughty Girls Series
The Courtesans
The Trouble with Being Wicked
The Problem with Seduction
The Art of Ruining a Rake (Summer 2013)
The Hoydens
The Danger in Daring a Lady (Fall 2013)
The Importance of Being a Scoundrel (2014)
The Hazards of Loving a Rogue (2014)
To receive updates on future book releases, sign up for Emma’s mailing list at http://www.emmalocke.com.
Books by Erica Ridley
Historical Romance
Too Wicked To Kiss
Too Sinful to Deny
Born To Bite
Contemporary Romantic Comedy
Charmed
Captivated
Bedeviled
To learn more about Erica, her books, or to sign up for her mailing list for contests, freebies, and new releases, visit http://www.ericaridley.com.
Acknowledgments
Like Jason and his scar, this book was a beast. Thank you to my E-Team: Emma for nitcritting this story to within an inch of its life, Erica for writing the best fan-fic evah, Elisabeth for being available on IM pretty much whenever I needed you, and Erica JM for the truly excellent beta read. This book would suck without you.
Thank you also to the Northwest Pixie Chicks for our fifth (FIFTH!) annual retreat, at which I wrote scads and scads of this book despite gas leaks, one very frigid night, and a mysteriously placed knife.
Two lovely people made this book look great: Patricia Schmitt and Martha Trachtenberg. Thank you to Trish for designing a cover I can’t stop staring at and for being so much fun to work with. Thank you to Martha, whose editing skills are unpara
lleled and who is quite simply one of the most delightful people I’ve ever met.
I also want to thank some other dear friends who provide unflinching support: Janice Goodfellow and Lynda Aicher. And special thanks to Rachel Grant for so many things, but most of all for paving the e-formatting way and teaching me how to do it.
Finally, thank you to my family for your constant love and patience. I can’t promise I’ll make dinner more often, but I will always make sure your clothes are clean.
About the Author
Darcy Burke wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations. An RWA Golden Heart® Finalist, Darcy loves all things British (except tomatoes for breakfast, or any other time of day, actually) and happy ever afters.
A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her devoted husband, their two great kids, and three cats. In her “spare” time Darcy is a serial volunteer enrolled in a 12-step program where one learns to say “no,” but she keeps having to start over. She’s also a fair-weather runner, and her happy places are Disneyland and Labor Day weekend at the Gorge. Visit Darcy online at darcyburke.com where you can sign up to receive her new release mailing list, follow her on Twitter, or like her Facebook page.
