With a last tug, he held out Alice’s best gown, a little crumpled, but in surprisingly good shape considering where it had been.
Alfie gave a startled laugh. “Aubrey, that’s mad!”
“Just hurry up,” Aubrey said crossly, crossing the room and tugging Alfie’s coat off. “Quick, sharp.”
He belatedly remembered he was a gentleman and turned his back, wishing the damned clock would stop ticking as the minutes seemed to be moving faster.
“How are you doing?”
“Almost,” returned a breathless voice. “Can you… help?”
Aubrey turned, noting the pile of Alfie’s clothes on the floor. Hurriedly, he bundled everything into the coat, making a parcel with the sleeves, and moved to the window. Pushing it up, he chucked the lot outside. “We’ll pick it up when we leave,” he said, turning to see Alice holding out the diamond necklace, jewels already gleamed at her wrists and ears, and the lovely hair combs glittered in her short locks.
“Put this on me. Quickly!”
Aubrey gaped at her. “Are you insane?”
“People see what they expect to see, Aubrey. I’m a lady at a ball, wearing all my finery, though pray they don’t look at my feet,” she added with a grimace, pulling back her skirts to reveal Alfie’s heavy black shoes.
“Oh!” Aubrey reached into the back of his trousers and pulled out a pair of thin silk dancing slippers.
Alice choked on a laugh. “Oh, Aubrey. You are a marvel, though it’s a pity you couldn’t bring any petticoats, it’s damned drafty without.”
Aubrey told himself firmly that he hadn’t heard that illuminating comment as she handed him the diamond necklace in return for the slippers. Sitting down, she hurriedly changed her footwear.
“I looked like a complete arse as it was, wearing clothes that looked too small for me. I’ll have you know I saw someone I know who is now going to put it about that I’m fat.”
She sent him an apologetic smile and got to her feet as he lobbed the shoes out the window and closed it again. Moving behind her, he settled the diamonds carefully around her slender throat. She shivered as the cold necklace lay against her skin and Aubrey could not resist the urge to lean down and press a kiss to her throat. “You did it,” he whispered. “I’m ridiculously proud of you,as wellas being furious and terrified, I hope you know.”
She turned, smiling up at him, her grey eyes flashing as brightly as the diamonds. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”
Aubrey nodded, taking her hand. “Come along.”
Moving to the door, he pulled it open, just as voices erupted in the entrance hall. A feminine scream followed, shattering any semblance of calm, and Aubrey closed the door again.
“Christ, they’ve got Silas’ men. There’s obviously been a fight, one of the footmen is injured. He’s bleeding all over the place.”
Alice frowned. “We’ve got to get out of here. The moment Lord Jefferson realises the diamonds are gone, those two are going to start bandying Alfie’s name around.”
“Out the window?” Aubrey suggested.
Alice shook her head. “They’ve made a pair of lockpicks, identical to mine. I need to get them before they implicate me.”
“They’ve got no proof if they can’t place you here,” Aubrey said, feeling sick at the idea she might put herself in danger.
She looked at him, and he saw the determination in her eyes, the need for him to trust her. “They could say Alfie gave the lockpicks over for safekeeping, whilst he got out with the jewels. They don’t know about Alice, though. I just need to get close enough to lift them.”
“Lift them?” Aubrey repeated in confusion.
“Aubrey, I was picking pockets by the time I was six. When I say this is child’s play, you’ve really got to believe me,” she said, gazing at him with a look of diabolical innocence. “Please. Trust me. If I get those lockpicks and we get out of here, Silas will be caught up in this scheme, and I’ll be free.”
Aubrey’s jaw tightened.“I’lldo it. They don’t know me from Adam and—”
“You’ve no idea how!” Alice exclaimed, her temper clearly fraying. “You’ll just fumble about and it will be obvious you’re trying to take something off them, then there will be questions to answer. Please, Aubrey. This is the last thing I shall ever ask of you.”
Aubrey stilled, wondering what she meant by that, but determined to use it to his advantage. Pulling her into his arms, he felt a surge of satisfaction as she gasped, staring up at him in shock.
“If I let you do this mad, dangerous thing, you must swear to me you’ll never put yourself in such danger again. I love you, you mad, outrageous lunatic and I don’t want you to change, but could youpleasetry not to get yourself killed?”
