He didn’t need to see her face to know that there would be a rosy hue in those pale cheeks of hers.
But Lucius was the one that needed to be careful.
Trusting a thief would only land one in a tricky situation, and he was not ready to be snuffed from this world again.
CHAPTER SIX
The moment they returned to Lucius’s estate, Tavia excused herself and hurried upstairs to the guest room where she stored her trusted weapons and leathers.
As soon as she entered the room, she closed the door, locked it, and began pulling at the strings of the dress.
This was not what Tavia wanted.
She wanted a big score, but to play dress-up, pretend to be a wife, learn how to dance, and go to a ball? Those things were so far removed from anything she knew.
The idea of dancing surrounded by strangers was suffocating.
She slipped out of the dress, carefully laying it acrossthe dresser, and began putting on her familiar leathers. Once she clasped the last button, she let out a long sigh.
A sudden chittering noise from the closet caught her attention. She walked over to find Wiley, her squirrel companion, busy storing nuts in one of her boots. He held a nut in his tiny hands, looking up at her with wide, innocent eyes.
“I can’t do this,” she whispered, sinking to her knees on the floor. She stared at her trusted companion. “I can’t do any of this. We should go. We’ll figure something out like we always do.”
Wiley chirped in response, scampering around in circles before pointing excitedly at his stash of nuts as if proud of his accomplishment.
“We can’t stay here,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “I can’t stay here.”
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and she knew it could only be one person. Rising to her feet, she walked over and unlocked the door.
Lucius stood there, having removed his black velvet jacket. He wore only black trousers and a white shirt, the fabric clinging to his frame.
“Everything all right?” he asked, his gaze drifting to her leathers.
“I just wanted to get out of that dress and into something that felt normal.” She stepped back into the room, unsure of what to do with herself.
“We haven’t discussed terms,” he said, leaning casually against the doorframe. “You’ve agreed to assist me in retrieving something important to me, but I haven’t yet said exactly what I’d offer in return.”
Tavia folded her arms, realizing through all the bustle and hunger that she’d forgotten about that part of their deal.
Lucius reached into his pocket, pulled out a coin purse, and tossed it to her. She caught it mid-air, the heavy weight settling in her palm.
“Half now, half when the job’s complete,” he said.
She opened the purse and saw only gold—more gold than she’d ever held in her life. Half of it would be more than enough to return home with plenty left over.
Two purses of this much gold?
She could buy her parents a new home closer to the village, where her father wouldn’t have to travel fordays. She could buy her mother the kind of dresses they deserved, and the food . . . she’d be happy to never eat mushroom soup again.
Just thinking about the log pile where her mother grew them made Tavi cringe.
“Tavia.” Lucius’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.
“Agreed,” she said, tucking the purse close to her chest. “But we need to set some boundaries.”
“Go on.” He slipped his hands into his pockets, lounging like a cat, a sly smile playing on his lips.
“We may pretend to be married. I’ll dance with you. I’ll hold your arm when necessary. But under no circumstances may you kiss me.”
