Barbara Pierce Read Online Free Page A

hair that always seemed to cover his eyes, his smile was guileless when he said, “Honest, love. Nothing tucked in me breeches except what God blessed me with. On me oath.”
    “Do not be swearing oaths when I am standing within striking distance, Perry Kiffin,” she muttered as she slipped her hand into his coat.
    “Hold. Hmmf.” Perry shifted, attempting to avoid her questing fingers. “Christ, that tickles.” He collapsed against an inner shelf of the wardrobe and laughed.
    “You promised,” she seethed, her eyes burning with hurt and outrage. “You all promised. No pilfering. No trickery. We left that awful business behind when Phoenix discarded us. We are honest players, now, and I will not have you stealing from our generous employer.”
    Patience reached for the buttons on his breeches.
There was nothing carnal in her actions. Although he was older by two years, she thought of him as a younger brother. If she had to strip him bare to prove her suspicions, she would do it.
    Perry realized he was soundly caught, too. He grabbed her wrist, and for a few seconds they struggled for domination. “Quit. I surrender. There is no need for you to be rummaging around in places that are no business but mine !”
    “Fine, then.” Patience shook off his grasp and held out her hand. “You return what you have taken or I will tell Lord Powning of your thievery.”
    Perry gawked at her. “Bleeding harpy! Selling out your own family, why, I ask you? To impress His Lordship, who will likely hand all of us over to the magistrate if he gets a whiff of our business.” He dug into his breeches and slapped a garnet necklace into her hand. “Where is your loyalty, woman?”
    “You want loyalty? Keep your promises!” she snapped, her fingers tight over the necklace. “What else is rattling around in your breeches besides your brains? It is unlike you to be so stingy.”
    His brown eyes flared at her insult. His full lips formed into a sneer as he sullenly slipped his hand back into his breeches. Patience saw the promise of retaliation in her friend’s expression, but she was unconcerned. Unlike Julian Phoenix, Perry had never used his fists on a woman. He slapped a
pretty gold bracelet and two pairs of earrings on top of the necklace.
    “Is that all?” she said in a tone guaranteed to infuriate him.
    “Yes,” he hissed, clearly perturbed. “That’s all of it. Though I don’t see why you are being so fussy. A few trinkets tucked away for hard times fill not only my empty belly, but yours as well!”
    “Not anymore.” Patience gazed wistfully at the jewelry. It was not longing to possess such treasures for herself that nipped at her good intentions; it was the thought of one day being hungry. She shook her head in denial. “Return everything to its proper place. And be quick about it. Lord Powning is expecting us in the ballroom, and we still have to find Link and Deidra.”
    Perry snatched the jewelry from Patience’s hand. “Patience, my lovely girl, honor is costly and not for the likes of us.” He poked his head into the wardrobe to look for the pouch he had taken Lady Powning’s jewelry from.
    “I disagree.” Patience closed her eyes and pressed her fingers against her temple. “You and I just never appreciated its value when it was rightfully ours.”

CHAPTER THREE
    “Where did you find the pretty Miss Winlow and her troupe?” Ramscar found himself asking his host several hours later after his brief encounter with the lady. She had reappeared at Lord Powning’s side with Miss McNiell and two male companions.
    The marquess had not taken his keen gaze off the lady in question. He had set up the ballroom to be reminiscent of a medieval great hall. Two exquisite
stately chairs had been positioned in a place of honor so Lord Powning and his lady had a clear view of the players. Ram leaned negligently against the back of the gentleman’s chair while they observed the two male performers juggling flaming