To Love a Thief (Steel Hawk) (14 page)

Chapter Twelve

Morning came, the day bright and cheery. From her bed, Rose could hear Alice’s singsong voice.

She tossed back the bedcovers, then poured a small measure of water into the bowl and quickly rinsed her face before she dressed in her men’s garb. She ran her fingers through her hair and twisted it up in a knot, tucking a few pins in to hold it in place. She glanced in the small cheval mirror at herself.

Would any man ever want her? Hold her?

Nathan?

Enough! Rose spun from her reflection. She didn’t want to be held. And definitely not by Nathan Hawk!

Oh, Rosie Valetta, you are such a liar.

Striding to the door, she yanked it open and headed downstairs.

Alice greeted her with a beaming smile. “Morning, lovey. I’ve a bowl of hot oats ready for you in a moment, though it might be a while until that one over there surfaces.” She nodded toward a sleeping Nathan.

Rose tried to be angry with him. Tried hard.

Still sprawled out on the sofa, with his eyes closed, he looked…oh dear God, he looked handsome and strong and…

Stop it! Right now!

Cautioning herself against any weakness, she strode over to where he lay. “Not if I can help it.” With one quick tug, she yanked the blanket from him. “Get up, lazy bones.”

Nathan slid half off the sofa. “Bloody hell, woman, do you have to shout?”

“Not if you get up, I don’t.” She yanked his feet from the sofa.

“Sweet mercy.” He screwed his eyes closed.

“I told you last night you’d get no sympathy from me.”

“I remember.”

“And do you remember we have a diamond to find, and my father? You lying here because you can’t handle your drink is not helping.”

“Can I plead that I was thinking of our next move?”

Rose snorted at that. “Highly unlikely. You were dead asleep with your gob open. Not a pretty sight, I must say.”

Nathan opened one eye slowly, then the other. “While you, on the other hand, are a pleasing sight, eyes all wide and indignant.”

Rose’s heart skipped a beat.

“Did you know such angst puts a rather becoming shade of pink into your cheeks, and your eyes have darkened to almost purple?”

Alice chuckled. “Just what a girl wants to hear from her sweetheart.”

Rose rounded on her, hands on hips, indignation in her tone. “He is not my sweetheart.”

“Oh, you don’t have to hide it, lovey. Harry and I were that adamant once too, only I changed my mind.”

“I won’t be changing mine.”

“Shame,” Nathan murmured.

Rose kicked out at Nathan’s shin and connected.

“Ow.” He reached down to rub his shin. “You sure know how to kick a dog when he’s down.”

“Dog being the appropriate word here.” Rose reached for the still-warm pot of tea on the wooden table and poured two cups. She heaped several spoonfuls of sugar into one and passed it to Nathan.

“I don’t take sugar.”

“You do now. It’ll wake you up.”

Alice placed the food on the table. “Right-o, here’s two bowls to get you started. There’s some bacon and eggs coming.”

Nathan groaned. “I’m sure it’s lovely, but I don’t think I can stomach food.” He shot to his feet.

“Out there.” Alice pointed.

Nathan all but wrenched open the door that led out back and only just made it as he heaved his guts onto the cobbled backyard.

Rose shook her head. “Serves him right.”

Alice dropped two eggs into the spluttering fry pan. “He’s young.”

“He should know better.” It was obvious he was hungover, and, despite herself, she reached for a cloth from the tub, soaked it in cold water and then wrung it out. She handed it to Nathan as he walked back inside.

He took it and dabbed at his face. “I thought you weren’t going to play nursemaid.”

“I’m not, but the faster you get yourself together, the quicker we can get out and do what we must.”

Nathan pursed his lips, eyes suddenly somber. He handed her back the cloth. “We need to speak to Harry. He’ll have some ideas, hopefully. He has lots of contacts.”

As if he’d heard his name, Harry walked through the door. “Right, that’s the new delivery taken care of.”

“Well, sit yourself down, the three of you.” Alice wagged the wooden spoon at Nathan. “And no protest from you, my lad. The best thing for that head—and stomach—of yours is a good solid meal.”

Rose couldn’t help but smile at Nathan’s discomfort. “Better do what you’re told.”

“Do I have to?”

Harry patted the chair seat beside him. “You do, lad. I’ve learned over the years not to question the wife. She’s the boss.”

“Exactly,” Rose and Alice both commented at the same time.

Harry shrugged, chuckling. “Ye won’t win, so best ye just accept it.”

Rose offered Nathan a beaming smile. “You should listen to Harry. That’s sound advice.”

Nathan simply rolled his eyes, picked up his spoon and began to eat.

Sometime later as they finished their meal, Rose sat back and placed her empty cup on the table. “Nathan says that you may have information for us.”

Harry wiped the last of his bread across his plate, mopping up the remains of the fried egg, popped it in his mouth and chewed. He wiped his hands on his apron. “Aye. I put the feelers out and this morning Badger came up trumps.”

“Badger?”

“He’s a pickpocket of sorts,” Nathan informed her. He looked to Harry. “I didn’t realize he was still alive. Must be nearing seventy.”

“Most likely, but I reckon he’s got a few years left.”

Rose leaned closer to the table, resting her elbows on it. “What did he say?”

“You’re right, that Zarrenburg fella is involved.”

Nathan rubbed a hand across his unshaven jaw, and for a fleeting moment, Rose wondered what it would feel like against her skin.

She reined in those thoughts and refocused. “So, Princess Mary’s concerns were true. Her brother-in-law is behind it.”

“It appears so, but we need to find him. Did Badger give any clues as to where Prince Randolph is hiding out?”

“He was at the London address yesterday,” she reminded Nathan.

“But he won’t be hiding your father under the royal roof. That would be too risky. My guess is he’s where we were prisoners.”

“Ah, that’s where Badger has come up trumps.” Harry tapped a finger to the side of his nose. “There’s a woods about ten miles away. The land is private, no admittance and all that, but that didn’t worry Badger.”

“That’s spreading his net farther afield. Doesn’t he usually stay around the west?”

“Aye, normally, but he’d heard of rich pickings, and apparently, it was a good day’s work.”

“So is this where the prince is?”

“By all accounts, a prince from Zarrenburg has bought Chorley Manor. That flag you described, my boy, is the exact one Badger got a glimpse of.”

Rose sprang to her feet. “So it’s one and the same. Now all we need is to get there and find my father.”

But Nathan didn’t move. He held up a hand, expression grim. “Wait, squirt.”

“Why? You want your bloody diamond, don’t you?”

“Of course. But we can’t just rush in there. We need to know more.”

“Like what? We already know there are soldiers. And we escaped them once.”

“But this time we’ll have your father with us, and we…” Nathan hesitated, glancing at Harry.

“What? Don’t hold back anything. I want to know.”

Dear God, don’t tell me he’s dead. Please don’t say it.

Nathan refocused on her, his expression softer.

“We don’t know what shape your father will be in, Rosie. We have to be cautious.”

Rose fisted her hands at her sides. “But we don’t have time to be cautious.”

“It’s either that or we could fail.”

Alice sat next to Rose and rested a work-roughened hand over hers. “He’s right, dearie.”

Rose knew he was but wished he wasn’t. She slumped back in her seat. “So what do you have planned?”

Nathan looked at Harry. “What else did Badger come up with?”

Harry’s gaze suddenly shifted away from them. “Well, it ain’t good. He reckons there’s someone being guarded.”

“Papa?”

Harry gazed at Rose, sadness in his tired eyes. “More than likely.”

“We just have to figure out how to get in there and get out without been seen. I don’t fancy another run for my life from those guards. They got too close last time.”

For a moment, they were all pensive, each lost in thought. Then Alice stood. “I think another cup of tea is in order. I always think better that way.”

“You always think better on a full stomach, my love.”

She took a playful swipe at her husband. “Cheeky bugger. There’ll be no sesame cake for you when it gets out of the oven.”

Rose chewed at her bottom lip. She bounded out of her chair, walked across the small room, then pivoted and walked back again. “I know exactly what we need to do.” She slapped at her head with her palm. “I should have thought of it before.”

Nathan eased back in his chair. “So let’s hear it, then.”

“We walk right in and ask for my father.”

Incredulity widened Nathan’s eyes. “Yeah, and I’m sure the prince will just hand him over.”

“That’s right, he will.”

“Sorry, but that definitely is not going to work.”

“Oh, Nathan.” She smiled and shook her head. “You have little faith. What is the one thing the prince wants?”

“The diamond.”

“Right, and we’re going to give it to him and play on his greed. We know he hasn’t got it; otherwise, he wouldn’t have kidnapped my father.”

“So where is it? If you know something I don’t know, then I think it’s about time you told me.”

Rose paced again, thinking it through. “I can do this. I know I can.”

“Do what?”

“Randolph wants the Pasha Star. What is it I can give him, Nathan?”

Nathan stared at her, and it was as if she witnessed the cogs of his brain clicking over as he caught on to what she was saying. “Brilliant. Bloody brilliant.” He jumped up from his seat and wrapped her in a hug, kissing both her cheeks. And then his lips found hers.

Everything stilled. The world went silent—except for the sudden burst from her heart. That danced with joy as she savored the taste of Nathan’s lips on hers. Her hands slid between them, crawling up his shirtfront. She felt his heartbeat beneath her fingertips. It imitated hers. Frantic.

He shifted, and her lips opened, his tongue seeking entrance, then sliding across hers.

Her body pressed against his, his arousal blatant, the pulse between her thighs teasing her beyond redemption.

Sliding her palms up farther, she reached around his neck, fingers threading through his hair.

A soft sigh escaped her. She’d never known it would feel like this.

“And you say he’s not your sweetheart.”

Alice’s chuckle from behind killed the moment, and Rose jerked away from Nathan. She wiped her hand across her mouth, only to capture the teasing glint in his eyes. “You smell disgusting.” She tipped her head higher and turned from him, but the reprieve lasted only a second.

Damn it. She could still taste him, and one sly look at him let her know that he knew it too.

Harry hoisted a crate of empty bottles to his shoulder. “So what’s this plan of yours, missy?”

Rose could have kissed him for the diversion. “I’m Alex Valetta’s daughter. He is a master craftsman at making paste jewelry and was once the royal jeweler of Zarrenburg. He has taught me everything he knows.”

Harry’s eyes widened. “You’re a jeweler?”

Rose nodded. “I am.” She turned to face Nathan, offering a silent dare to counter her. “I intend to make a perfect replica of the Pasha Star and walk right into Prince Randolph’s residence and bargain for my father. Randolph’s downfall will be his greed.”

“But what about the one you made earlier, the one you tried to place at the exhibition? Harry’s got it, so why not save time and ask for it back?”

“I don’t think Alice would take too kindly to losing her jewel and besides, did you not look at it closely? Perhaps you have been away from the art of jewels too long, Nathan. That fake was just that, a fake. It would not fool the prince. No, I intend to make a new one. A perfect fake,” she said with a smile.

Chapter Thirteen

Nathan pushed his empty plate aside. “We’ll need to go back to your home. Are you up to it?”

A lump formed in Rose’s throat. She nodded.

“Good girl, I knew you had it in you.”

“Come on.” Nathan reached for his boots and shoved them on, grabbing his cap as he stood. He held his hand out to Harry. “Thanks for your help. It was just the information we needed.”

Beset by sudden tears, Alice dabbed her eyes. “Be careful, you two. You’re going into danger.”

“No more than suffering Rosie’s kicks to the shins, believe me.”

“Impudent oaf.”

Nathan ducked as Rose went to swat him, then he grabbed her around the shoulders and pulled her into him. “She loves me really, don’t you, squirt?” He dotted a kiss on her cheek that heated in an instant under his deliciously sweet touch.

“In your dreams.” Despite their banter, it was time to depart. Rose went to Harry, who wrapped her in a bear hug, and then she turned to Alice. “Thank you for the food and rest.” She tugged at the borrowed jacket. “And the clothes. It’ll be much easier this way.”

“Oh, my dear child, it’s been delightful having you here.” She gave Rose a hug and a kiss on her cheek, covering where Nathan’s lips had been. Then Alice whispered, “He may joke that you love him, but it’s clear to see, lass.”

Alice drew away, and Rose went to speak, but Alice put a silencing finger to her lips. “Go now. Keep safe.”

They made their way from the Cock and Hen on foot, the day turning to late afternoon by the time they reached Rose’s home.

Floyd spied them as Rose opened the door to the downstairs workshop. “Where you been?”

“Busy.”

“Got yerself a fancy man?” Floyd directed a scowl toward Nathan. The air crackled between the two men. “Ain’t I good enough for ya?”

“Floyd, we’ve been through this before. I can’t force myself to love you.”

“Me ma and pa barely knew each other when they got hitched.”

“And I won’t settle for anything other than love. I’m sorry. You’re a nice man. I’m sure you’ll find someone.”

Bitterness etched across the man’s face as he eyed Nathan. He tossed his head. “Ah, I get it. I ain’t rich enough for you.”

“It’s nothing to do with money.” She shot Nathan a quick glimpse. “Besides, Nathan is a friend, that’s all. There’s nothing between us.”

“So why’s he stepping across the threshold then?”

Rose bristled. “That is none of your business, but
we
have some business to attend to.”

Floyd snorted his disgust. “Funny business, more like.”

In an instant, Nathan grabbed Floyd by the throat and hauled him upward so that he could barely stand, his booted feet scraping across the cobbles. He shoved Floyd hard against the front of the house. “Don’t speak to Rosie like that. You’ve no right.”

“More bloody right than you, I reckon, Mr. Fancy Pants.”

Nathan exhaled loudly, still clutching Floyd’s throat. The pulse in his cheek beat frantically while his face turned beet red.

“Nathan. Stop it.” Rose grabbed at his arm, trying to pull him away. “It doesn’t matter what he says, or thinks.”

Nathan cast her a glance. “He should have more respect.”

Floyd began to cough, choking for oxygen.

“Leave it. Leave him.” She dug her fingertips into Nathan’s forearm, willing him to desist.

Finally, with one last shove, Nathan let Floyd go and stood back. The blacksmith doubled over, grasping at his throat, trying to suck in air. “Bloody bastard,” he wheezed.

“Well, perhaps that will teach you to respect women. Leave Rosie alone.”

With a rumbling growl, Floyd scampered off, offering curses that would do a seaman proud.

Rose shoved at Nathan. “Get inside. You shouldn’t have done that.”

Nathan stepped into the small vestibule, and Rose followed.

“He needed to know he couldn’t speak to you like that.”

“I could have handled Floyd.” Rose pushed open the door to her father’s workshop. She didn’t enter, though. She couldn’t. Not yet.

“Rosie?”

“Just give me a minute.” She swiped at the first tear and blinked several times, daring others to follow suit. She didn’t have time for tears. She had to save her father.

Once in the workshop, she quickly gathered what she needed and set up her bench space.

Lost in thought as to the design she needed to replicate, it was only as she heard movement behind her that she realized Nathan was still in the room.

“You’re still here?”

“Not going anywhere.”

“I don’t work with others watching me. Go upstairs, please, Nathan.”

He hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I’ll call you when I need help.”

Offering her a salute, Nathan pivoted and stepped to the door that led to the stairs. “You’re wrong, you know.”

Drawn from her concentration, Rose asked, “About what?”

“There
is
something between us.”

* * * * *

Rose lost herself to her task, though she couldn’t deny that Nathan’s last comment whirled around and around in her brain. She wanted to deny it, didn’t want it to be true, but their kisses proved how right he was.

Dusk had fallen when a slight tap at the door drew her from her task and she straightened. Her back ached, her eyes ached, and her neck was stiff from such intense concentration.

She slipped off her stool and arched her spine, massaging her tight muscles as Nathan walked in. “Dinner is served, madam.”

Rose smiled her appreciation. “Food? I’d forgotten about that.”

“I guessed as much, but who knows when we’ll get our next meal.”

Her mood disintegrated. “I know.”

Nathan placed the tray of bread and cheese and some sliced bits of beef to one side. “How goes it?”

“I’m done. I’ve just completed the finer work.”

“Can I have a look?”

She stepped back and allowed him a closer inspection.

“It looks just like glass.”

“That’s because it is. The cheaper paste imitations are pressed or molded, but because this has to be absolutely perfect, I cut the facets by hand before I polished it.”

“How do you know exactly how it looks? You’ve only the fake to go by.”

“No, you’re wrong. I a book my father had. It’s our lifesaver and has a detailed description of the cuts of the Pasha Star. Actually, it has quite a few design descriptions, even Queen Victoria’s famous Koh-I-Noor.”

“A diamond cutter’s bible so to speak.”

Rose pressed her lips into a smile. “Something like that.”

Nathan straightened. “It’s late, Rosie. We won’t be able to leave tonight.”

She exhaled an exhausted sigh. “I know. Better to be prepared.”

“So how can we be sure Randolph won’t know that it’s fake?”

“Cut paste stones have air bubbles, while natural stones don’t, and while the real diamonds are cool to the touch, paste jewels are not. However, I was taught by the great Alex Valetta. No one will know the real from the fake.” She twisted her head, trying to get out the kinks in her neck as she rotated her shoulders.

“Stiff?”

“Yes. Too long sitting in one position.”

“Here, let me.” Resting his hands on her shoulders Nathan turned her so her back was to him. “Just relax. Trust me.”

Rose snorted at that. Then Nathan’s fingers began to work their magic, kneading each vertebra from her nape and down between her shoulders.

Her head dropped forward as the ache in her shoulder muscles eased. Her eyes fluttered closed and her head dropped to one side as for the first time in what seemed like days, she allowed herself to relax.

“Good?”

“Hmm.”

Nathan’s fingers moved briefly between her shoulder blades, then worked back up her spine, to the base of her skull. With one hand still kneading the knots, his other deftly removed the few clips keeping her hair up for her disguise.

Her hair unfurled, and his fingers threaded through the strands, still massaging. Still delicious.

Suddenly, everything changed, the momentum, the feelings careening through her, rampant and needy, and the moment was no longer about Nathan helping to eradicate the kinks from her hours spent over the workbench.

Sensuality had slipped in taking her unawares. Rose tensed, and Nathan slowed his pace. “Something wrong?”

“I’m…I’m fine now.”

“Really? I could swear I felt another knot here.” His fingers slipped to her shoulder, massaging—no, caressing—as his touch traversed from the medicinal massage to a sensual stroke.

Rose knew which she preferred and also knew she shouldn’t. Despite herself, she arched back her head and realized how close he stood. So close she could touch him. Instinctively, she edged farther back and rested against the length of him, reveling in his heat, the feel of rock-hard muscle as a support.

“You are a beautiful woman, Rosie Valetta.” He kissed the side of her neck, causing a tingle of goose bumps to skitter along her skin. A sigh escaped, and her eyes fluttered closed again.

His lips trailed the curve of her neck, dotting tiny kisses, so light and teasing.

Bliss.

This shouldn’t be happening.

Rose sprang from temptation and turned to face him. “You should not do this.”

“I know.”

Still, his heat seduced her, pulled her in. He was going to kiss her again. She knew it. She knew too that she should step away. Say no. Deny him. Deny herself.

He wrapped her in his strong arms, drawing her to him. His arousal pressed into her, firing sensations deep within her. “You are kissing me, Rosie.”

“I know, but I shouldn’t.”

His tongue slid along the seam of her lips, teasing them open. She obliged. Couldn’t refuse. Then every part of her wanted to touch him, hold him. Feel his skin. Her hands smoothed over his chest. “They’re in the way.”

Nathan edged back, eyes dark and slumberous, the glint of desire blatant. “What are?”

“Your clothes.”

His lips curved. “Couldn’t agree more.” He kissed her again and again, and Rose found herself stepping backward, pulling him with her. She bumped against the doorway leading to the stairs. She knew where they led, and what would happen.

She took a step up, delighting in the light in his eyes and his surprised expression as he realized her intention. She reached down and kissed him. “You taste so good.”

“Of your kisses, sweet Rosie.”

“Hmm.” She pulled away, enjoying their play of words, and took another step up. Nathan did not touch her, his hands at his side. She wanted them on her, wondering what it would be really like. Again she bent down, dotting a kiss on his mouth, and though he reached out for her, she stepped back, up a step, and another, followed by another kiss.

“You are leading me to temptation,” he murmured.

She offered a half smile, her eyelids heavy. “Can you resist?”

“Unlikely.”

She took another step up and reached the landing to her small flat. She reached for the door handle, but a sudden uncertainty sprouted.

Nathan didn’t touch her, didn’t kiss her. Rose knew instinctively what he was doing—waiting for her to make up her mind. Nathan Hawk wanted her. His arousal pressed against his trousers, the desire glinting in his eyes and his kisses told her he most definitely wanted her. But he waited. He was not going to press her.

Rose pushed the door open, and then in one swift movement, Nathan scooped her up. “Where to?”