To Trust a Thief

by Michelle McLean

  A discreet knock on the door announced the arrival of the overdue Mr. Smythe and Min let the matter drop. She doubted anything she said would change her aunt’s mind. But despite the setbacks, Min had no intention of ending her search.

  She was just getting started.

  Chapter Five

  The next morning Min rushed after Charlotte, preparing herself for yet another exercise in futility. Etiquette lessons. Really, teaching a monkey to properly pour tea would be easier than torturing some grace into Min, yet poor Mistress Kellar insisted on trying. Min squashed her mutinous thoughts and resolved to try a little harder this time. Maybe she wouldn’t make a complete ninny of herself for once.

  Min and Charlotte joined the rest of the girls in the music salon just as the clock struck nine. They were the last to enter and hurried to take their seats against a bank of French doors that filled the rear wall of the room. Mistress Kellar entered the room with a stack of books in her arms and launched into a speech on the importance of being graceful and poised at all times.

  Min’s determination ebbed away with every caress of the morning sun warming her back through the wrought-iron-framed French doors. She tuned Mistress Kellar out, her thoughts straying to the mysterious man who’d followed her to the manor. No one had seemed to know him, nor seen him again after they’d arrived home, though all the girls had noticed him. She’d try to put him from her mind. He’d obviously been sent away.

  “What’s the matter with you?” Charlotte whispered. “Wishing you were wandering about the gardens with that gorgeous thief of yours?”

  “What?” Min turned to Charlotte, who watched her with an amused grin.

  “He’s all anyone’s been talking about, Min, and I saw the way you were looking at him.”

  Min snorted. “Believe me, if I find myself alone with him in the gardens, or anywhere else, I’ll be running for my life.”

  “Oh, that again? Really, Min. Did he actually threaten you?”

  Min pinched her lips together. Charlotte waited, her face the picture of perfect patience. Finally, Min groaned. “Well, no. But,” she insisted, “I heard him talking to his friend and…the things they were saying…well, they were definitely up to no good.”

  Charlotte still didn’t look convinced.

  “And he followed me! He must have known I’d heard him.”

  “Perhaps,” Charlotte said. “Then again, you may have misunderstood what they were talking about. There are a dozen perfectly harmless reasons for him to come here.”

  “Like what? I doubt he’s come to polish the silver. Steal the silver, maybe.”

  “All right, I’ll admit he’s a bit dark and dangerous looking. But he’s done nothing to harm you.”

  Min’s eyebrows shot to her hairline and she stifled an outraged squeak. “He’s after the necklace! And they were talking about minimizing the bloodshed. How on earth can that be explained in any innocent way?”

  Charlotte shrugged a delicate shoulder. “Maybe he has a dangerous profession. He could be a…a…”

  Min folded her arms and gave her friend a smug grin.

  “A lumberjack! And maybe that’s how his hand was injured and his friend was just cautioning him against any more accidents.”

  Min stared at Charlotte for half a second before they both dissolved into giggles.

  “Girls!” Mistress Kellar snapped her fingers with a sharp click and shot them a stern frown. They clamped their lips shut. As soon as Mistress’s attention returned to the students in front of her, Charlotte leaned back over.

  “Perhaps he’s merely on the hunt for a rich wife and came to inspect Princess Prissy.”

  Min stifled a laugh. “Katherine would be perfect for him.”

  “Oh come now. Give her some competition. You have to get married sometime. Why not to someone a little on the dodgy side? It would certainly make life more exciting.”

  “Sure. Until you wake up one morning with the constable beating down your door. No, thank you.” Min smoothed her skirt. “It’s a blasted crime I have to get married at all. I’d rather spend my days traveling the world and being my own mistress than be at some man’s beck and call for the rest of my life, thank you very much.”

  “Don’t say blast. And what about Dr. Carmichael? You’re willing enough to marry him.”

  Min slumped back against the window. “I’m fond of him. If I have to choose someone…it might not be so bad with him.” She wouldn’t meet her friend’s eyes. Min had never kept anything from Charlotte before. But Arthur’s secret wasn’t hers to share. As far as Charlotte knew, their engagement was real and Min’s search for the necklace was a solitary and ridiculous venture. Min wasn’t sure how long she could keep the truth from Charlotte, but for the time being, she’d keep the true nature of things to herself.

  Charlotte pinned her with a knowing gaze and Min forced herself not to squirm. “You’re either lying to yourself or to me. Just because Dr. Carmichael is sweet on you doesn’t mean you have to marry him, Min. He’s nice, but is life with a quiet country doctor really what you want?”

  “Life with a quiet country doctor is the best choice I have unless I come into a fortune of my own.”

  Another resounding snap of the fingers brought Min’s attention back to Mistress Kellar and the next book-laden victim. Min didn’t want to hear Charlotte’s opinion on the necklace again anyway.

  “Lady Katherine, Miss Millstone, and the Misses McAllister,” Mistress Kellar announced. “Please step forward.”

  The girls held still as their instructor placed a book on each of their heads. “Now, walk two circuits around the room.”

  The sounds of falling books and self-conscious giggles echoed through the salon. “Try again,” Mistress Kellar commanded. “When you succeed in completing both circuits without dropping your book, you may sit.”

  Min tried to hide her smile as Katherine dropped her book a second time. Katherine’s cousin, Agnes, floated by, oblivious to Katherine’s glare. Min’s amusement faded. She felt rather sorry for Agnes, who had become a ward of Katherine’s father upon the death of her parents. As a poor relation, she served as a sort of companion.

  Lady Courtland entered the room and Charlotte elbowed Min in the ribs. Min caught sight of the young man behind her aunt and choked on a lungful of air.

  They stood near the semicircle of girls, in front of the piano and old Mrs. Potter, Thornmont’s housekeeper-turned-music-mistress. Min tried to keep her hands from kneading the folds of her skirt. She composed herself as best she could and looked at her aunt. Her face flushed hot when she noticed the man staring at her. After a few moments, he smiled pleasantly and returned his attention to the rest of the girls.

  “What is he doing here?” Charlotte whispered.

  “Shh,” Min replied as Lady Courtland began to speak.

  “As some of you may know, Mr. Larsen has been feeling under the weather lately. His doctor has advised him to rest and regain his strength. He will remain the butler at Thornmont but has decided to retire as dance instructor.”

  Charlotte leaned over and whispered in Min’s ear. “It’s about time the old badger retired. He must be a hundred at least!”

  Under normal circumstances Min would have laughed, but she couldn’t find anything amusing about this situation. She stared at the black-haired gentleman again. He couldn’t be the new dance instructor, could he? How had he weaseled his way into that post? The thought of dancing in his arms made her dizzy with fear…and something else. He glanced at her, his blue eyes boring into hers with an intensity that made her heart stop.

  Min peeked at Charlotte, who met her gaze with an excited smile. Min shook her head and tried to pay attention. Her aunt finally came to the end of her long tribute to Mr. Larsen.

  “Girls, this is Mr. Bryant Westley,” she said as she pulled him forward. “He comes highly recommended by our esteemed neighbor, Lord Rellik, and he has generously agreed to help us until we are able to find a permanent replacement.
I hope you will give him a warm welcome.”

  The girls applauded. Even Min had to agree that Mr. Westley was a decided improvement over the decrepit Mr. Larsen, though being recommended by Lord Rellik was reason enough to be cautious around him. Min felt a qualm of fear for Arthur but couldn’t see how a dance instructor at Thornmont could be a threat to him. She took a deep breath and tried to stay rational.

  “Very good, girls,” said Lady Courtland. “Now, we shall go ’round the room and introduce ourselves. Lady Katherine?”

  Of course, Min thought. Lady High and Mighty must always come first.

  Katherine bestowed a superior smile upon everyone, then stood with her nose pointed upward in her most haughty pose.

  “I am Lady Katherine Worthwright. My father is…”

  Charlotte elbowed Min again and rolled her eyes.

  Katherine finished her interminably long introduction with a beguiling smile aimed at their new instructor. Mr. Westley gave a small bow and kissed the back of her hand. “The honor is mine, Lady Katherine.” He moved on to Agnes, who introduced herself quickly, with an air that was almost rude. Mr. Westley repeated the process with each girl until he stopped in front of Min.

  Min rose, an entire swarm of butterflies ricocheting in her stomach at his nearness. He gave no indication that they had already met. She blushed, stared into those unbelievable blue eyes, and prayed she could make it through her introduction.

  “I am very pleased to meet you, Mr. Westley. My name is Minuette Sinclair. I hope you enjoy your appointment with us.” Heaven have mercy! She had made it through the introduction. Now if she could just remain conscious when he touched her.

  He took her hand and bowed, gently brushing his lips across the back of her hand before straightening. Min forced a smile, prepared to escape back to her seat. But he had not yet relinquished her.

  “Minuette. What a beautiful name. It’s very unusual. A family name, perhaps?”

  She stared at him mutely before regaining self-control. “No, actually. My mother enjoys playing music for her students. When I was born, my parents asked the village children for their opinion. They thought naming me for their favorite Mozart piece was a good idea. So I was christened Minuette.”

  “Ah, enchanting. Your parents teach village children? Where?”

  Min hesitated. She wasn’t too keen on telling the imposter (dance instructor my foot!) details about her life and background. And from the envious fidgeting of her classmates, it was obvious she wasn’t the only one who found his questioning odd. Mr. Westley appeared oblivious to everyone but her.

  Ignoring a particularly hostile mutter of “common savage” that came from Katherine’s direction, accompanied by a malicious snort from Agnes, Min stared at Mr. Westley’s chin and focused on answering his questions with as little information as possible.

  “They do…er, did. On the colony of Nevis, sir. My parents teach—taught English to the plantation children on the island.”

  “How very noble of them.” Mr. Westley looked down as though he had only just realized he still held her hand in his. He released it and cleared his throat. “Well, I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Sinclair.”

  Min sat down and glanced around the room as Charlotte introduced herself. Katherine glared, but that wasn’t unusual. She hated when anyone got more attention than herself. When Charlotte had finished, Mr. Westley returned with Lady Courtland to the front of the room.

  “Well, ladies. I will leave you in the capable hands of Mr. Westley.” Lady Courtland nodded as she turned to exit the room. Mr. Westley went to the piano and gave quiet instructions to Mrs. Potter. The notes of a gentle waltz soon filled the room.

  His deep voice resonated through the salon. “Ladies, please pair up, and we will test your knowledge of this season’s popular dances. Miss Sinclair, will you kindly partner with me?”

  A ball of ice settled in Min’s belly and she stared at Charlotte in near panic. Charlotte gave her a little shove. Min slid reluctantly into the warm circle of Mr. Westley’s arms. She prayed she could remember the steps as he tightened his grip on her waist. They began to twirl. Did he suspect she was also after the necklace? Surely he wouldn’t murder her in front of all the other girls. Would he?

  He pulled her closer and thoughts of imminent death tangled with stranger emotions. She’d never been held so close by a man before. She’d danced with other men, of course. But they’d kept their proper distance, their hands exerting only the slightest pressure on her. She’d felt nothing. Yet the slight movements of Mr. Westley’s hand on her back made her skin tingle and her head swim as he pulled her even closer to complete a turn. She concentrated on the polished buttons of his dark wool coat in an attempt to keep her rattled wits about her.

  He kept his eyes on the other girls as they made their way around the room in pairs and occasionally called out instructions. Min began to relax in his arms but sucked in a startled breath when his eyes met hers. He smiled down at her.

  “You are the young lady I ran into yesterday afternoon in the village.”

  “Yes, sir.” Her voice was hardly more than a whisper.

  “You ran off so suddenly. I hope our little incident didn’t make you too late to meet your group.”

  Mr. Westley drew her closer and Min’s thought processes slowed to a crawl. “No, sir.”

  He flinched and looked down at the foot she’d just trampled. Min stifled a groan, snapping out of her daze. “I do apologize. My mother says that I can scale a tree with the grace of a monkey, but put me in the middle of a dance floor and I become a hopeless mess.”

  “You are doing a splendid job—” Mr. Westley broke off with a grunt of pain as Min began to turn in the wrong direction, twisting his hand in the process.

  “Blast,” Min mumbled.

  Mr. Westley laughed and Min’s face burned.

  Desperate for something to say, she blurted the first thing that came to her mind. “Why do you wear your gloves in such an informal setting?” Too late, she remembered exactly why he might find gloves necessary. Min chomped on the inside of her cheek, welcoming the pain that flashed through her mouth. She wanted nothing more than to reclaim her thoughtless words. Even murdering thieves deserved some consideration.

  Mr. Westley stopped, his face as hard as the floor they danced upon.

  “Oh, sir, I didn’t mean… I’m sorry… I—”

  He released her. “I wear the gloves to protect the delicate sensibilities of innocent young girls.”

  His words hit Min like shards of glass. The music ceased and she became aware of a dozen pairs of eyes locked on them.

  Mr. Westley’s face cleared and he turned a dazzling smile to the rest of the girls. “I think that will be all for today.” He strode out the door, his boots echoing in the silent room.

  As the students left, the corridors were abuzz with excited voices, each exclaiming how exciting, handsome, and wonderful Mr. Westley was. Charlotte immediately turned to Min, who filled her in on their conversation.

  “Well, I guess that solves the mystery, doesn’t it? He is a definite improvement over Mr. Larsen, I will give him that. It’s about time we had an instructor who was at least born in this century. I’ll wager he’s not a day over twenty-two. Our classmates will be clobbering one another for the chance to dance with him. And you are the lucky lady who won the first dance.”

  “Hardly lucky.”

  “What did you say to him? For a moment there he seemed quite cross. Are you all right?”

  Min looped her arm through her friend’s, her heart sinking into her boots. “Fine. Just…” She sighed. “I asked him why he wore gloves. It upset him.”

  “Why?”

  “Don’t be so eager to hear all the sordid details.” Min glanced up and down the halls, making sure the other girls were occupied with their own conversations before she described Mr. Westley’s injuries.

  “Oh my.”

  “I know it was unforgivably rude of me. B
ut he just held me so close, and I was being my usual clumsy self, and my mind drew a blank and…it just came out.”

  Charlotte smiled and gave her a quick hug. “Oh, it’s not so bad. In fact, I think Mr. Westley was quite taken with you.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Did he ask anyone else questions about their Christian names? Did he stand for a full five minutes holding someone else’s hand? And who was the first to dance with him?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “He was taken with you,” Charlotte insisted.

  “More like he was scrutinizing the competition.”

  “Ha!”

  Min shrugged. “Even if he’s not a murdering thief, and he very well may be, he’s an instructor. I’m a student.”

  “What of it? Your mother married her teacher.”

  Min’s head jerked in surprise. She had forgotten that fact for a moment. “Yes, but she had to give up everything to do it. Being married by a ship’s captain while running away from your home and family doesn’t sound like the best solution to me. They love each other, yes. But…” Min huffed in frustration. “It doesn’t matter, Charlotte. At worst, he’s dangerous competition I can ill afford. At best, he’s a mildly attractive gentleman who is trying to ingratiate himself with his new students. Besides, I’ve already made a more…suitable match.”

  “Right.” Charlotte smiled and put an arm around her. “Well, that settles it, then. Let’s go for a walk in the gardens, shall we?”

  Min looked behind her as Charlotte steered her down the hall. Mr. Westley stood in the doorway of the salon, rubbing his maimed hand. His eyes burned into hers until she turned the corner, out of his sight.

  Chapter Six

  Hanging out with a bunch of dead people in the middle of the night was not Min’s idea of a good time. But as the locket’s map seemed to lead to the Courtland family cemetery, it was a good place to start. She just hoped Arthur would hurry. Min settled onto a bench behind the marble wall of a mausoleum, wrapping her cloak tightly about her. The back of the mausoleum offered surprisingly good protection from the cold breeze blustering around the headstones, but it was still chilly.