Free Star Crossed Seduction by Jenny Brown

underparlormaid tells me they call her Lady Lightning,” Becky continued, raising her wispy brows. “Rather fits her, don’t you think? Did she tell you aught when she read your fortune?”
    “They may call her what they will. She didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know.”
    “No?” Becky looked disappointed. “I was so hoping she would. Did she tell you anything about Randall?”
    “No. Why should she?”
    Becky shrugged. “Just wondering. But that reminds me. When I was going through our things, right before the wreckers came, I found a paper I thought you might want to have a look at.”
    “A paper? Where?” Her heart stopped. Was it the long-lost letter she knew Randall must have left her before he set out on his last, fatal quest?
    “In that heavy box you had hidden in the corner.”
    “That was Randall’s box. You knew no one was to touch it.”
    “Well, I couldn’t carry that bugger of a box out of our crib on my own, and the wreckers were already there and giving us only a few minutes to collect our things. I thought there might be valuables left in it—it was Randall’s, after all, and we gave him every groat we knapped and never saw it again, did we? If he’d hidden some of our takings in the box, you wouldn’t have wanted me to leave that to the scavengers?”
    “No, I wouldn’t,” she agreed, backing off her sharp tone. “And I’m more than grateful to you for rescuing what you could. But I’d already been through that box, and if I’d found anything, I’d have long ago pawned it for the money we need. You know that was what Randall taught us—anything of value any of us had was to be shared for the use of all.”
    “Yes. That was what he taught,” Becky said, with heavy irony. “But whether he followed his own teaching . . .” Her voice drifted off. “Well, let me show you what I found.” She made her lurching way slowly up the stairs and returned a few moments later holding a single sheet of paper.
    Temperance snatched it from her. The sheet was creased in a way that suggested it had been folded very small. That must be why she hadn’t noticed it when she had gone through the trunk before. But though the note was written in Randall’s hand, it wasn’t the longed-for letter of farewell. It was nothing more than a list of names: Miss Susan Atwater . Lady Lucy . The Sea Nymph . Each was followed by a date, every one within a few weeks of Randall’s death in the conspiracy.
    “What do you think it means?” Becky asked softly.
    She couldn’t begin to guess. Were these the coded names of other conspirators? The nicknames of the fences who bought the things the girls stole to finance Randall’s work? Perhaps, but some evil demon whispered they were the nicknames of other women. The ones he had assured her he hadn’t had that night before he went off to his death. She thrust the paper into her pocket, fighting not to feel the all-too-familiar bite of jealousy.
    “It’s nothing of importance. But thanks for showing it to me, anyway.”
    Her hand flew to her locket, the pledge Randall had given her of his love, as it always did when she felt herself assailed by doubt. But, of course, it was gone. Bloody hell. If only she could have gazed upon Randall’s face once more. That would have driven off her doubts and reminded her of how much he had loved her. Without the locket, it was so hard to keep faith. Perhaps she would have to risk going to the masquerade to get it back, after all.

Chapter 5
     
    A fter his interview with Mr. Fanshawe, Trev flirted again with the idea of giving up his scheme of attending the masquerade. Now that he was taking on another mission to serve King and Country with the talents that had made him so useful to Sir Charles, it would not be wise to give in to his attraction to a woman of the criminal classes. It had been boredom that had fed his passion for the pickpocket, boredom he need no longer fear now that the department had work for