Free Lady Thief by Kay Hooper

weeks at least. It would do no harm for Meg to meet other young gentlemen.
    Thoughts of her own fate rose to haunt her. It was the height of folly for her even to consider living in London. One wrong word or gesture, and she would be completely undone. She would hang as an example to anyone foolish enough to commit the offense of highway robbery.
    And what of Spencer? He knew her better than any of her victims. What if he recognized her? Could she trust him not to betray her?
    For the first time in her life, Jenny declared a pox on all unanswerable questions.

Chapter Eight
    The following days were filled with preparations for the journey to London. A letter was sent off immediately to Lady Beddington, and her reply quietly gratified Ladyto Ross. Yes, indeed, she would be delighted to have Meg and Jenny stay with her for the Season.
    Maids spent a great deal of time packing and unpacking trunks; Meg was constantly misplacing something or other, and would instantly search every trunk for the lost article—meaning that the disordered trunks had to be packed all over again.
    Jenny managed, without Meg’s knowledge, to have a quiet meeting with Robert. He was understandably reluctant to agree with her request that he not try to see Meg for a while, but finally gave in. He would remain in Kent for a few weeks.
    That worry out of the way, Jenny also managed to send word to John and Jason that she would be out of touch for a while. She fully intended to continue in her search for her father’s murderer, but she wanted time to settle in town first. It would give her a chance to sample public opinion. She was completely aware that, for the most part, there was a great deal of quiet championship for the Cat. The polite world was all agog to know who the mystery woman was—and why she had taken to robbery.
    But public opinion could turn against her in an instant, and she wanted to be aware when and if that happened. Not that the tide of public opinion influenced her overmuch; she would simply have to be more cautious.
     
     
    Jenny stared out the coach window at the passing scenery and felt a flicker of excitement as she thought of finally reaching London. She had ridden through London, of course, but only to return jewelry to its rightful owners. On those occasions, she had always been solely concerned with avoiding the watch. There had certainly been no opportunity for sightseeing.
    Now, she was going to spend the next few months living in London. Unless, of course, someone realized that she was the Cat. In that event, she would not have to worry about anything—except what she wanted written on her head-stone.
    Jenny shook away that depressing thought, and began to dispassionately consider the reason behind her sudden urge to see London. It had never seemed so important before. She was not in the habit of deceiving herself, and she was fully, though reluctantly, aware that the foremost reason for her interest was the Duke of Spencer.
    He was intruding on her thoughts far too often for her peace of mind, and Jenny was at a loss to know how to deal with such a situation. It was beyond her experience. Her traitorous mind conjured up a mental image of the duke at little or no provocation, causing her to lapse into sudden silences. Even her mother had noticed, and had worriedly inquired if she was feeling all right. Jenny had brushed away her mother’s concern.
    It was not quite so easy to brush away her own concern. Jenny had discovered that she had a very stubborn mind. It did no good at all to tell herself firmly that the duke would have nothing to do with a thief. The heart was not a logical organ. And neither, apparently, was a dream-fogged mind.
    Jenny’s worries were temporarily laid to rest upon the coach’s arrival in London. Meg exclaimed excitedly over the traffic and the fine-looking gentlemen, and if Jenny searched the crowd rather intently for a tall, handsome gentleman, Meg was blessedly unaware of it.
    The coach