He squeezed me tightly. “Always a pleasure, darlin’. This cottage is a welcome respite from the shit going on out there.” He jerked his thumb toward the door. “Huck and Lark are close behind. Huck had to circle back to lose the tails followin’ him.”
I blanched. “He’s being followed?”
Gareth waved a hand. “It’s nothin’. His uncle thinks he’s cavorting with some lover.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
I snorted. “If needed, I can write a scandalous letter for his uncle to uncover. Better for him to believe Huck is in love than that he’s taking part in a rebellion.”
Gareth’s smile widened. “Please do, Snow. I’d love to read a saucy letter that will make the lad blush.”
“Damn, Snow,” came Tansy’s voice from the sitting room. The clink of coins told me she was sifting through the stack. “You’ve nearly doubled our amount. I pity the lord you robbed.”
“Don’t,” I said, plopping into an armchair and rubbing my arms. “He was an ass.”
“Did he hurt you?” Denton asked sharply.
I cut him a glare. “No.I’m fine.” I wanted to add,And even if he did, that’s not your concern anymore.But I didn’t want to draw too much attention. Already, Tansy was frowning and glancing between us.
Damn it, Denton,I thought, shaking my head and looking at Gareth. “Have you heard from Penelope?”
“No, but she’s always rather quiet, isn’t she?” Gareth eased himself onto the sofa, leaning forward and bracing his hands on his knees as he inspected the pile of coins. His eyes narrowed in concentration.
Was that disappointment on his face? Did we not have enough gold?
I would rob more nobles. Surely, we had to be close. Maybe a few more missions would get us what we needed.
“She’s never missed a meeting,” Stella said. “I’m sure she’ll be here.”
I nodded, thinking of the red-haired noble from the Cordenna Province. She was painfully shy, but when shespoke up, her ideas were often quite clever. It was why she was here in her uncle’s stead, even though he had more authority in the province of Cordenna. That, and he was an old bat who would never in a million years ally himself with the vigilante princess of the Winter Court.
I moved to the seat next to Gareth, trying not to wring my hands together over and over. “What do you think?”
Gareth rubbed his chin again. “Hard to say.”
“Hard to say because it’s not enough, or because you aren’t sure?”
His keen eyes appraised me. “Best to wait ’til the others get here.”
My heart dropped like a stone. That couldn’t be good news. If it was, why wouldn’t he just say it?
There was no reason to wait unless we needed to regroup and come up with a new plan.
I sank back against the sofa cushion, my spirits deflating. Gareth stood and moved toward the door as pounding hoofbeats indicated the arrival of more rebels.
A warm hand came down on my shoulder. I looked up to find Stella’s worried gaze peering into mine.
“I know,” I said before she could reassure me.
She squeezed, and I leaned into her touch. Stella was always the one who understood me the most. She was like the sister I never had.
My attention returned to the door. Gareth had his arm around Penelope’s narrow shoulders as the two strode inside. Her usually pale face had a soft blush creeping in. “Any trouble on the way, darlin’?”
Penelope shook her head, then glanced over her shoulder. “There’s some commotion in the center of town.” Her voice was thin and wispy, as if it might vanish in the wind.
I frowned. I hadn’t noticed anything when I’d been in town earlier. “Soldiers?” My heart cinched with dread.
She shook her head again. “Not like that. Just more people at the pub than usual. More whispers. I couldn’t make out what they were whispering about, though. Didn’t want to draw too much attention to myself.”
I nodded, making a note to do some investigating after our meeting. Whenever there was commotion, my first thought was that Calista had finally found me.
