by KJ Charles
Stan exhaled. “I can’t.”
“I know there’s your family, but you aren’t obliged to risk what Kammy will do to you, or to go back to prison. That’s not fair. What if Kammy comes after you?”
“That would piss off the Lilywhites, and they go the extra mile when they’re pissed off. You ever been really angry about the world, like furious that it’s just not fair?”
“Yes,” Christiana said. “I have.”
“Some of us live with it, some of us drink, and then there’s Temp and Jerry.” He tried to smile. His face hurt. “Mad bastards. But they came to get me. I needed them and they were there, kicking the door down.”
“I’m glad. I’m glad you have them.” Her hand tightened.
“And that’s why I’m not getting out. It’s not just about the money, love. I do a good job for them, and they look after me, but it’s more than that. I’d never have had the nerve to talk to you if they hadn’t bought me a box at the Grand Cirque that night, and bullied me into going, and told me to go to the stage door after. I’m the Lilywhites’ receiver, and I’m good at it, and I won’t be chased out by Kammy Grizzard.” He took a deep breath. “But it’s not your world and I know you don’t want any part of it. I know you can’t get mixed up with the law, let alone with swine like Kammy. You shouldn’t have to be afraid of any of that. I don’t want you to be.”
Christiana pulled her hand away. “What are you saying?”
“If you don’t want to put up, with it, I understand. No hard feelings. It’s not fair to ask you to, and I don’t want you to feel bad if you can’t.” He swallowed. His throat hurt now, and it wasn’t because of Kammy. “I’d like to keep coming to see you sing, but not if you don’t want me to.”
“Stanislav Kamarzyn.” Her voice wasn’t loud, but something in the tone suggested it might yet get very loud indeed. “Are you giving me the push?”
He ought to say yes. It would be only decent to take the responsibility, the blame. He couldn’t, because it wasn’t true. “No. Never. These last months—You’re bloody amazing. Perfect. And that’s exactly why I don’t want anything to happen to you because of me. When they had me at Kammy’s place, I kept thinking, what if Geoffrey Grizzard had seen you? What if he’d hurt you? I’m not giving you the push, I never would. I’m saying, if you don’t want to take the risk of being with me, you oughtn’t, and you oughtn’t feel bad about it either, because this is my fault. My responsibility.”
“And my life is mine,” Christiana flashed back. “And can I point out, in your words, that I never bloody asked you to stop doing your job?”
“You hate it.”
“I hate it because I’m afraid for you, but that’s not the point. It’s your work. They’re your friends. If you hated me singing on stage, would you expect me to stop?”
“No, course not, but I don’t hate it.”
“Maybe you should. Some ghastly man tried to bribe Jim at the stage door to smuggle him into my dressing room last week.”
“You didn’t tell me that!”
“No, because it’s horrible and I thought you’d be upset. Just like you don’t tell me everything about your job. Because we’re both adults who look after ourselves and make our own decisions. I can decide for myself if I’m in love with a fence, Stan. And if I want to give you the push, I won’t wait for your permission.”
“I didn’t mean you should!”
She pointed a warning finger. “I know, but bear it in mind. Isn’t there anything else you want to talk about?”
Stan looked at her somewhat blankly, and then the penny dropped. “Hold on. What did you just say?”
A meaningful sigh. “I said, I can decide for myself if I’m in love with a fence.”
He could barely make his mouth work. “Are you?”
Christiana took his hand again. “Might be. The gentlest, kindest, loveliest fence in all London.”
“You don’t mean Kammy Grizzard, right?”
She swiped at him with her free hand. Stan grabbed it so he had them both. “Christiana, listen. You’re wonderful. You light everything up like the electric, and I’m just a short dodgy bastard from Bethnal Green.”
“But you’re my short dodgy bastard from Bethnal Green. And I’m no prize. I wasn’t brave enough to come and help—”
“Never do that. If they’d got you it would have gone really, really bad. Promise me you’ll run if it ever happens again. And it had better bloody not.” Stan felt nine foot tall right now, like he could take on Kammy himself. “I’ll talk to the Lilywhites. Make sure you’re all right.”
“I’m not frightened. I was scared when I thought—when I didn’t know what was going to happen. I don’t want to lose you.”
“That scares me too.” He couldn’t look away from her eyes, deep brown, glowing, bright with moisture. “I love you. I didn’t know I could love anyone this much.”
“Rubbish. You’ve got the biggest heart I know. Going around saving random music-hall singers—”
“Wasn’t random,” Stan had to admit. “I’ve not stopped thinking about you since the minute I saw you.”
Christiana cocked a brow. “Are you telling me it was love at first sight?”
“Nah. I was interested at first sight. I fell in love with you in the pub, when you talked to me about dreams.”
She pressed her lips together. “I remember that. You said your dream was your clock shop. That it wasn’t much of a dream.”
“Well, I’m not much of a dreamer. I’d never have dreamed you wanted to be with me. My dreams were never big enough for that.”
“But here we are, all the same.” Their hands were still locked together. She leaned forward, and Stan rested his head against hers. “If we could not have another day like this one, it would be good.”
“Not going to argue.”
“No more getting in trouble if you can avoid it.”
“Got you.”
“Definitely make sure your friends keep an eye on Kammy.”
“Course.”
Christiana sighed. “Then I suppose I’ll play Nancy to your Bill Sykes. If I must.”
“Oi!”
“What? You look hard as nails with all those bruises.”
“You should see the other fellow.” Stan let go one hand to stroke her face. “You really going to put up with me?”
“I sing better when you’re in the audience,” Christiana said softly. “I feel more like myself when you look at me. You make me feel like I’m already top of the bill, and I never want you not to be there.”
“Nor do I.” That was a lot of negatives but he was pretty sure she knew what he meant. He leaned in. She met his mouth with a gentle brush of her own, and Stan kissed her with a sense of glowing wonder, hands entwined again. Christiana kissed him back, wonderfully close, and then gave a sudden choke of laughter.
“What’s funny?”
“Do you remember the evening we met, when I clocked you in the box?”
“I remember. Thought I might die of shame.”
“Yes, but do you remember the song I was doing?” She sang, quietly for her but still with the richness that made his skin tingle.
“Now rich and poor, both far and near,
In matrimony sought her;
But at friends and foes turned up her nose,
Did the pretty little rat-catcher’s daughter.
For there was a man sold lily-white sand,
In cupid’s net had caught her;
And right over head and ears in love
Went the pretty little rat-catcher’s daughter.”
“Bloody hell,” Stan said. “Well, that’s about right, isn’t it? You must be one of those fairground people.”
“‘She tells the future—in song!’” Christiana said in a spooky voice. “Seriously though. The man who sells lily-white sand and the rat-catcher’s daughter?”
“Falling head over ears.” Stan squeezed her hands. “Is your old man a rat-catcher, then?”
“He never is. You’re sodding joking.” Stan stared at her. “Your father’s a copper?”
“Afraid so.”
“You might have said!”
“Don’t worry, I’m not planning to take you to meet the family.”
“Best not. My pretty little rat-catcher’s daughter,” Stan said.
Christiana’s glorious smile shone out. “My very own rat.”
The Lilywhite Boys Series
LONDON, 1890S. A PAIR of care-for-nobody jewel thieves make a nice living at the expense of the aristocracy, and pride themselves on staying one step ahead of the law. But pride goes before a fall—and the Lilywhite Boys are about to fall hard.
Any Old Diamonds (Lilywhite Boys #1)
Lord Alexander Pyne-ffoulkes, the younger son of the Duke of Ilvar, holds a bitter grudge against his wealthy father. The Duke intends to give his Duchess a priceless diamond parure on their wedding anniversary—so Alec hires a pair of jewel thieves to steal it.
The Duke’s remote castle is a difficult target, and Alec needs a way to get the thieves in. Soldier-turned-criminal Jerry Crozier, one half of the notorious Lilywhite Boys, has the answer: he’ll pose as a Society gentleman and become Alec’s new best friend.
But Jerry is a dangerous man: controlling, remote, and devastating. He effortlessly teases out the lonely young nobleman’s most secret desires, and soon he’s got Alec in his bed—and the palm of his hand.
Or maybe not. Because as the plot thickens, betrayals, secrets, new loves, and old evils come to light. Now the jewel thief and the aristocrat must keep up the pretence, find their way through a maze of privilege and deceit, and confront the truth of what’s between them...all without getting caught.
“The sparkly heist qualities of this book hide some sharp, painful edges, and Charles’ brutally gorgeous prose offers up gem after gem after gem to make the reader laugh and gasp and weep and swoon.”—Seattle Review of Books
“Super fun, yummy romance, twisty plot, more-ish characters, excellent revenge, lots of banging. Get it now for all of your comfort read needs.”—Malka Older
“This book is gorgeous from cover to cover. I inhaled it in a single sitting.”—Red Hot Books
Gilded Cage (Lilywhite Boys #2)
Once upon a time a boy from a noble family fell in love with a girl from the gutter. It went as badly as you’d expect.
Seventeen years later, Susan Lazarus is a renowned detective, and Templeton Lane is a jewel thief. She’s tried to arrest him, and she’s tried to shoot him. They’ve never tried to talk.
Then Templeton is accused of a vicious double murder. Now there’s a manhunt out for him, the ports are watched, and even his best friends have turned their backs. If he can’t clear his name, he’ll hang.
There’s only one person in England who might help Templeton now...assuming she doesn’t want to kill him herself.
Published 23 October 2019
Advance readers say...
“Susan is the most perfect woman ever created, Templeton is a disaster with a wonderful redemption arc, and every scene they have together absolutely crackles with heat and joy.”
“One of KJ’s best! What can I say about a book that gave me nightmares and also made me feel totally warm & fuzzy?”
“The mystery is fantastic, the romance is splendid and I suspect it’ll go next to the first Lilywhite Boys book on the frequent reread list.”
About the Author
KJ Charles is a RITA®-nominated writer and freelance editor. She lives in London with her husband, two kids, an out-of-control garden, and a cat with murder management issues.
KJ writes mostly historical romance, mostly queer, sometimes with fantasy or horror in there. She is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan at Handspun Literary.
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Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this book, reviews are very welcome.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. Aside from brief quotations for media coverage and reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any form without the author’s permission. Thank you for supporting authors and a diverse, creative culture by purchasing this book and complying with copyright laws.
Published by KJC Books
Copyright © 2019 by KJ Charles
Edited by Veronica Vega
Cover art by Vic Grey
Cover design by Lexiconic Design
ISBN: 978-1-912688-14-2