Her expression closed off immediately, her words monotone. “It changes nothing.”
Aubrey quirked an eyebrow. “Does it not?”
“No,” she replied testily. “Now let's get the bloody brooch and get out of here before your cousin comes back. I bet he’d love to see you dressed like that,” she added, smirking as she turned away.
Aubrey reached out, grabbing her arm. “Forget the bloody brooch. We have bigger things to discuss.”
Alice snatched her arm away. “We havenothingto discuss. IamAlfie, like it or not. I stole those diamonds, and if you wantthem back, you need me. So, if you’re thinking of revealing who I am, or using the information to your advantage, forget it. Lill and I would be gone before you can open your mouth, and any chance of getting your mother’s jewels back along with us.”
She almost snarled the words, but Aubrey glimpsed something behind her anger, not the hard, implacable front that she might suppose he would see, but something else. The fear that he might hurt her, might destroy her and any semblance of security she had found for herself and Lill.
“I would never do that, Alice.” He said the words calmly, which was quite something considering his insides were in turmoil.
“Alfie,” she insisted, a stubborn glint in her eyes.
Aubrey noted it, realising in that moment that she meant it. She had lived him for so long he was a part of her. “Very well,Alfie.You needn’t fear me. I’ll keep your secret.”
She regarded him sceptically. “Why?”
Anger roiled through him. “For heaven’s sake. Is that what you think of me? You’ve spent time with me as AlfieandAlice, and you think me the kind of man who would ruin you out of spite, or use the information to do what? Coerce you into something you don’t want? Well, thanks for nothing!”
He folded his arms, his entire body rigid with indignation and hurt. He could hardly bear to look at her, but he forced himself to hold her gaze. She had the grace to look shamefaced, at least, which ratcheted his temper down a degree.
“That’s fair,” she admitted. “I apologise. I have not known you long, but I’ve known since the start that you’re decent to your bones. I ought not to have said such things.”
Aubrey let out a breath, unsurprised to discover it was not entirely steady. “Well, you’re right about one thing. We cannot discuss this here. Come along. Let’s get the brooch and finish this escapade if you insist on going through with it. But then you and I are going to have a long talk.”
Her jaw tightened, and he saw the stubborn glint in her eyes, but whatever she might have said, she swallowed the words and gave a taut nod.
Heaven be praised.
Chapter 9
Brooching the subject.
Hatherley Hall, Little Valentine, early hours of the 19th ofJanuary 1816
Aubrey followed Alfie, despite the fact that they were going to his bedroom. Regardless of everything, he trusted her instincts. She had lived this life, lived as Alfie, breaking into houses and earning money enough to buy a life where she and Lill could be safe. He could think of no one else he knew who had overcome such odds and recognised she was due her share of respect. The idea of her breaking in and stealing the diamonds back, though. That was another matter. If she was caught, she’d hang, and that sent a sensation akin to a lightning strike lancing through his heart, painful, sharp and white hot. The world in which this extraordinary creature did not exist was not one he could contemplate. It felt to him like he’d discovered a unicorn, something rare and surprising, and there was no way he would let her come to harm. Getting Alice—or Alfie—to comprehend and allow that, however…. Well, he was in for an uphill battle, that much was clear.
To his eternal relief, the corridors were quiet, their footfalls muffled by the extravagant carpets his grandmother had laid throughout the upper floors. The elegant grandfather clock in the hall ticked faintly, but the only other sounds came from outside. That blasted owl was still calling, and the far-off cryof a fox—too much like a woman screaming—made his nerves prickle, but there was no sign of Hawkney, and they made it to his room without incident.
Alice—Alfie—gestured to the door, and Aubrey nodded.
Feeling a little ridiculous, he followed her inside, closing the door carefully behind him. Aubrey knew his valet, Martin, would appear if he realised his master had returned, and he had warned Alfie to keep quiet.
Aubrey watched her move through his room, aware of the tension singing through her, the strained quality of the silence between them. She stood at the end of his bed, looking oddly uncertain. He recognised the moment she gathered her wits once more and became businesslike.
“The chest?”
Aubrey gestured towards the window. Martin had clearly been in to prepare the room for him, for a candle burned beside the bed, the curtains had been pulled shut and the fire still blazed, giving the room a cosy glow. The reality of the situation struck him then.
He had Alice Marwick alone with him in his bedroom, and there was damn all he could do about it. Was there?
He considered the idea as she moved silently to the chest and sank to her knees before it. She took out the lockpicks he had seen earlier, and he watched, knowing most people would be appalled but feeling nothing but pride as he watched her deal with the heavy padlock with a few deft turns.
He let out a soft huff of laughter, and she turned her head, regarding him curiously.
“You are quite marvellous,” he said, meaning it.
