Her walking partner was positively sulking beside her. And then she had another idea as to how to keep him from ending their agreement. “Mr. Hind is not always a very nice man.”
Mr. Stanton’s face softened, and he met her eyes. “I had noticed. Did he hurt you?”
“No,” Honora said. “But I cannot say he never would. Especially since the item he wishes for me to retrieve is for, let us say, someone who is not his wife.”
“Of course it is.” Mr. Stanton shook his head. “Because it would be too simple if it were for his wife.”
Honora was a bit surprised he hadn’t taken off running yet, and her hopes rose. “Yes. He cannot report the missing item officially as it would give away that he had purchased it for someone other than his wife.”
“How so?” Mr. Stanton’s brow creased, his face focused as if interested in her little mystery.
“Well, the jewel in the necklace was an opal, which apparently his wife has no taste for. So if he claimed he bought it for her, her suspicions would be aroused.”
He narrowed an eye, pulling in his lower lip. “Hm.” His lip slipped out from his teeth. “I suppose I could see that.”
She forced her eyes away from his mouth, though reluctantly. “Do you agree to help me, then?”
“Give me three good reasons as to why I should help you.” He punctuated his words with a jut of his chin.
“Well, one, you would get to make some extra money.”
“Next reason.”
“Very well,” she said. What a touchy man. “You would get to spend time with me.” She turned her head toward him, flashing him her most winning smile.
He bobbed his head, slipping his arm away from her again, then clasping his hands behind his back. “Verynext.”
Odious! “You would get to keep a helpless widow safe as she made her change from a thief to an upstanding citizen.”
This seemed to be the only reason he was actually considering. So, she decided to double down and lock him in while she had a smidgen of a chance. “You know, I don’t thieve often anymore. The other day I had only been incredibly bored.” And unbearably lonely. But she neglected to add that. “With Mr. Hind, well, I was also very bored that day.”
Mr. Stanton rolled his eyes. “That isn’t the argument you think it is.”
“I have also only stolen from people I believe can afford it.”
“Also not the argument you think it is.”
She felt like she kept hitting a brick wall with this man. “Are you perfect, Mr. Stanton?”
His mouth pulled to the side. “Of course not. No one is perfect.”
“No dark secrets of your own?”
His neck tightened, and a swallow trailed down his throat.
Ah-ha.
“Nothing like stealing,” he said, looking ahead.
Avoiding eye contact. Tightening of his neck and muscles. This man had something to hide.
“Well, we can put a pin in that for now. So, will you help me with Mr. Hind?”
“To be clear, you are retrieving an item you stole—”
She nodded.
“And now this person wants you to steal it back—”
