To Catch A Thief (Saved By Desire 2) (6 page)

“And they are not yours either,” Sophia countered.

“This is nothing to do with you,” Delilah repeated.

“It has everything to do with me. I am a Carney too. Anything you do has an impact on me. If you get arrested for stealing from such reputable people then the entire family’s name is cast into ill repute. Do you not care?”

Delilah tossed her head back. “Why should I? The only reason you are here is because Hooky sent you to tell me to stop spending money he would rather keep for himself.”

Sophia gasped at the unfairness of the accusation.

“That is not true,” she protested loudly. “You never come to see us. Apart from the occasional letter, none of the family has seen you for nearly an entire year. What else was I supposed to do? You mentioned on a couple of occasions that I was welcome to visit; I didn’t realise you were lying about that too. Hooky has contacted you himself about the state of your finances. You know he has. I just happened to mention it while I was here, that was all.”

Alright, so it was a slight fabrication, but Delilah wasn’t being entirely honest with her so could hardly expect outright honesty in return.

“Well, you have seen me, so it is time for you to go home.”

“I am not going to allow you to continue to help yourself to things that don’t belong to you. How can you expect me to just go home and forget about something of this magnitude? I know about this now. Do not expect me to lie by covering up your crimes, Delilah. I will not sit idly by and allow you to continue unabated either. You will stop. Or I shall take this to the magistrate. I have seen the stolen items right here in this house. You have been to all of the social occasions when items have been stolen. Each person present last night can attest, quite honestly, that they didn’t take a blessed thing that didn’t belong to them. It is a shame that you cannot say the same.”

Delilah slumped in her seat.

“You don’t understand what it is like,” she murmured, suddenly the epitome of a beleaguered soul.

“What? What don’t I understand?” Sophia would have felt sorry for her aunt; who at first glance appeared quite dejected, but on closer inspection had a calculation in her eyes that just didn’t ring true.

“I have lived in this house ever since my mother passed away. It is quiet here. I like that. It is wonderful to be able to do what I want, go out when I want, and see whomever I please. However, it can get cold and dull at times. It can be tedious just running this place, keeping the fires going, cooking for one all of the time. So I go out. I enjoy talking to others and don’t deny it.” She drew in a deep breath and looked at Sophia with arrogant defiance in her eyes. “I am not going to stop, no matter what you say. I have a reputation to uphold. It would be a scandal if I were seen out wearing the same half a dozen outfits all the time. I would be just like the Harvell ladies, and it will be a long, cold day in Hades before
that
happens.” 

It was on the tip of Sophia’s tongue to say,
‘Well, at least, the Miss Harvell are honest,’
but at the last moment kept quiet. At least Delilah was talking now. It wouldn’t do to antagonise her too much or else her aunt wouldn’t be inclined to tell her what she really wanted to know. Like why she was stealing in the first place.

“You cannot continue to help yourself to items that aren’t yours. As much as you might like to think that you are owed something from someone, you are committing a crime. At some point, someone is going to catch you in the act. What do you intend to do then? You will face a heck of a long time in jail given how much has gone missing.”

Delilah didn’t argue. Sophia suspected it was because she knew she was right. It was evident to her then that there was no love lost between her and her aunt. In fact, Delilah didn’t seem to like her at all and that, as far as Sophia was concerned, was a testament to just how selfish Delilah could really be. Sophia had never done anything to her aunt to offend her or cause her any upset in any way. There was no reason for her aunt to look on her as scornfully as she was looking at her now. It went some way toward hardening Sophia’s heart against the pretence of solemnity, and continue to probe until she got the answers she needed to make a decision on how best to deal with the matter.

“So?” Delilah asked after several moments of silence.

“So, what?” Sophia was bursting with questions, and trying to decide which one to ask first.

“What do you plan to do now that you know you are sharing the house with a thief? Are you going to scurry off to the magistrate like a dutiful little citizen should? Or are you going to report me to your controlling father?” Although no trace of it showed on Delilah’s face, mockery was evident in her tone.

“No,
I
am not going to do anything,” Sophia replied carefully. She mentally shook her head in disgust when Delilah began to smile in triumph. Before her aunt got too confident, Sophia threw her a stern look. “You, however, are.”

Before Delilah could say anything else, Sophia slid the two trinket boxes across the table.

“You are going to return them to their rightful owner as soon as possible. I don’t care where you leave them, but they go back. That son of the Lord’s, Jebediah, is far too watchful for his own good. Taking those boxes was a stupid and reckless thing to do right under their noses. It would have served you right if they caught you red-handed. Whatever the risks, you can, and will, take them back to where they belong.” She held her hand up when her aunt took a breath. Sophia knew from the look in her eye that she was going to argue, but wasn’t prepared to listen. “Then you are going to return all of the other stolen items that are left in the house, and then you
will
stop stealing. Take two or three at a time when you go to these social functions, and leave them somewhere they can be found.”

“I can’t,” Delilah protested. She looked horrified at the prospect.

“Yes. You can. You took them quickly enough so you can replace them. If you don’t, I shall take the items straight to the magistrate along with a list of all of the people who have had items stolen. Your arrest shall see to it that you are scorned by everyone in this village. Even if you get a lenient sentence, when you are released you will soon learn that nobody wants a thief in their midst, Delilah. You will find it next to impossible to live somewhere like here then.”

Sophia watched colour flood her aunt’s face, and knew Delilah was furious. Before she could threaten to throw her out again Sophia stood. The look she levelled on her aunt was far older than her years but stern enough to make Delilah look at her worriedly.

“Until the items are all returned to their rightful owners -” Sophia declared coldly “- I am going nowhere. Just to make sure you don’t steal anything else, I shall accompany you everywhere you go. From this moment forth, you shall not take any bags, cloaks, or reticules with you whenever you attend your social engagements. You shall only wear dresses, but no pockets, and if I see one item, just one, Delilah, appear in this house that isn’t yours, I am going straight to the magistrate.”

“You don’t understand,” Delilah protested. “I don’t remember where they all came from. I cannot return anything.”

Sophia hesitated in the doorway and shook her head because she knew her aunt was lying. She knew who the owner of the trinket boxes was because Delilah had only stolen the boxes last night. Determined that her aunt wouldn’t cower behind any excuse, Sophia scowled at her.

“Then return them to one of the guests who have had items stolen. The fact they are in their house and they don’t own them will be enough to raise discussions amongst the group the next time they meet. The rightful owner will come forward once they recognise their belongings. Return different items to various guests and then nobody will have the unfair finger of blame pointed at them. You found it easy enough to take them. I am sure you will find it easy enough to return them.”

“Unless the guests keep the returned items for themselves,” Delilah protested with a sneer. “The Harvells are impoverished, you know.”

“You are the dishonest one around here, Delilah. Don’t judge everybody by your own base standards.”

“I can’t do this by myself, Sophia. You must help me.”

Sophia shook her head. “I didn’t take them. Besides, why should I help you?”

“You should help me because we are family, Sophia.” Delilah slumped into a chair beside the table and stared blankly at the trinket boxes. “I don’t know where half of the things came from. I just decided to take them on a spur of the moment. You know, once saw them I studied their size, determined whether they would fit in my bag or not, then swiped them once nobody was looking. It can be done very quickly with nobody any the wiser they have gone until I am out of the house and on my way home.”

“What if someone ever stopped you?” Sophia challenged. “Have you ever considered that? What if someone noticed and questioned you as you were leaving the house?”

“They won’t. Leaving these places is usually chaos. I time my departure usually to coincide with the Harvells’. They are generally twittering on about stuff and nonsense and divert everybody’s attention nicely. I haven’t been caught yet. Why, the country bumpkins around here have no clue it is me. They just sit at their dinner tables, or in their sitting rooms, tattle-tailing about it and wondering. Nobody actually does anything.”

It disturbed Sophia to see just how proud her aunt appeared to be of her crimes, and wondered if Delilah would ever stop. It all seemed like a strange game of chance to her, only the stakes were considerably higher than she appeared to realise if she ever got caught.

“Help me,” Delilah pleaded when Sophia didn’t say anything.

“I am not putting them back for you,” Sophia snorted disparagingly. “You took them so you can return them. It is as simple as that.”

“But how? Which ones do I take back? I can’t go back to Briggleberry, because other than when I am invited to one of those dinner things, I don’t move in their circles.”

Sophia wondered if Delilah was being deliberately obstructive. It didn’t take a genius to work it out, but her arguments warned Sophia that her aunt was reluctant to part with the goods now that she had them.

“We have been invited to take tea next Friday with the Harvells.”

Before Delilah could come up with another excuse, she hurried to the cupboard under the stairs and returned moments later with the box. Upending the contents in the middle of the table, she rifled through them and selected three brushes. She shoved them roughly across the table at Delilah.

“Take these with you. Look at the hair stuck in the bristles. This one looks especially like Pearl’s, does it not? And this one here looks like it is the same shade as Mabel’s. They cannot afford to replace items like these. You know how impoverished they are. How could you, Delilah? Does it not matter to you what hardships you place upon people like that? You may consider them country bumpkins, but they are still people. They still have a right to keep their precious belongings to themselves. After all, they have little in the way of monetary value to most people, yet the Harvells have kept them. Doesn’t that strike you that they have special significance to those two nice, if a little eccentric, old ladies?”

She shook her head at the indifference on Delilah’s face. She really didn’t care what problems she caused her victims. It was disgraceful.

“You can, and will, take these back on Friday, Delilah, and I will hear no excuses. After that, there is Hubert Banks’ ball. You can return three more items there. He is honest enough to raise the issue of their appearance and return them to the rightful owners for you. Leave them in the ladies’ retiring room, or the ballroom, or on a drinks table somewhere. I don’t care where you leave them. Just get them out of this house. Take them back to someone who has had something stolen. I don’t expect to pass a pawn shop in Lessington, and find any of these items sitting in the window, do you hear me?”

Before her aunt could vent the fury evident on her face, Sophia made her way upstairs to fetch her cloak. A nice walk into the village to post her letter to her father was in order, if only to give them both time to calm down before harsh words could be spoken. She didn’t care how angry her aunt was with her right now. It wouldn’t be anywhere near as furious as Hooky would be if Sophia got arrested alongside Delilah for a crime she didn’t commit, or knew about but did nothing to stop.

A deep breath of crisp morning air fortified her as she marched down a side street of the village. Sophia willed herself to calm down and steady her pace a little before she drew attention to herself. Such strong feelings of worry and anger were so unfamiliar. So much so that she didn’t recognise herself. It was unnerving to realise just how easily her aunt had upset her, and she resolved to never allow Delilah to do it again.

Sucking in a huge breath, she forced herself to relax and enjoy the day.

Minutes later, she turned into the main street, and immediately felt her stomach drop to her toes. It was easy to identify the tall, incredibly handsome gentleman who had just turned into the opposite end of the road. At the moment, though, she didn’t want to see him, primarily because of her aunt’s theft of Algernon’s boxes.

Great, that’s all I need,
she thought, wondering if he had been on his way to Delilah’s house.

She fervently hoped not given that half of the stolen items were currently sitting in the middle of the kitchen table. Realising it would look suspicious if she suddenly turned around and hurried in the opposite direction, she had no choice but to continue onward and hope he wouldn’t notice her.

Her hopes were quickly dashed.

“Good morning, Miss Carney,” Jeb murmured when their paths met. “How are you today?”

Sophia studied the frown on his face and wondered if everyone was in a bad temper today. At the dinner, he had spent most of the evening staring at her, to the point that she wanted to check her face to make sure she hadn’t got food all over it. This morning, she knew she hadn’t, but then was left to wonder why he was so put out with her.

Was he as reluctant to talk to her as she was to him
? Strangely, she found that thought a little upsetting.

Whatever it is about me that puts him out so, well, he can just lump it,
she thought waspishly, not wanting to contemplate
why
she should be so upset he wouldn’t want to talk to her.

“Good morning,” she replied crisply. She tried to continue right past him, but quickly found him blocking her path and was forced to slam to a halt before she barrelled into him.

“I was hoping to catch you,” Jeb continued smoothly.

Even annoyed about something, Sophia Carney was downright beautiful. This was the first time he had seen her in the cold light of day, and she was just as visually stunning as she was by candlelight. Jeb suddenly wanted nothing more than to get her to smile at him again, just like she did the other night.

“Oh?” She tried to appear disinterested and looked, albeit a little longingly, at the end of the road.

“I hope to see you at the Harvell’s tea on Friday,” Jeb murmured. “I hope you intend to go?”

He wondered what it was about him that unnerved her so much. Alright, so he had stared at her a little bit, but only because he had been trying to work out who looked the most furtive.

Of course you were,
he sighed wryly.

Even he shied away from that untruth. He had gazed far more at her than anyone else, but that was mostly because she was prettier than the rest. If she had taken exception to it then that was her problem.

When she looked up at him, their eyes met for a fraction of a second before her gaze slid to the floor. He felt like he had been kicked in the solar plexus. He watched a tell-tale blush steal over her cheeks, and knew his earlier suspicions had been right. She was just as aware of him as he was of her, but was uncomfortable with it. Unfortunately for her, he wasn’t prepared to ignore it, or allow her to either.

“Oh? Why?” She tried to sound offhand and casual but knew she had failed miserably when he shifted infinitesimally closer and tipped his head until she had to look up at him.

“Well, I hear from my father that the Harvells don’t have that many connections in the area. They do appear to be quite sweet ladies. Harmless, if you know what I mean?”

“I do,” she replied. “The Harvells do have a tendency to gossip, but there is far worse that people can do.”

“Oh yes; like stealing.” Jeb watched her as he spoke and saw shadows flicker in the depths of her eyes. He wished he knew what those shadows hid. It didn’t stand to reason that she was the thief. However, he was starting to suspect that she might know something. 

Intrigued, he watched her look longingly at the end of the road again, and smothered a smile as he contemplated irking her.

“There are always rumours in a village like this,” Sophia replied for want of anything more useful to say.

“This isn’t a rumour,” he assured her.

Jeb suspected that if he said to her that she could go now she would lift her skirts and high-tail it to the end of the road as fast as her dainty feet could carry her. But was that because she was wary of what shimmered between them, or had something to hide?

Determined to rattle her a little to see what response he would get, Jeb deliberately shifted so that he blocked her erstwhile view of the end of the street; her goal.

“Several quite expensive items have been stolen over the last several weeks, and they all have been taken from people around my father’s table. To add insult to injury, the thief struck again at dinner last night and stole two valuable trinket boxes.”

“Oh?” Sophia asked as casually as she could manage.

She suspected she had guilt written on her face but then reminded herself that she had nothing to feel guilty about. It wasn’t her who had done anything wrong, it was Delilah. “From your father’s, you say?”

The too innocent look on her face warned him that she did indeed know something. Now all he had to do was figure a way of getting the truth out of her.

“Two quite ornate trinket boxes were stolen while everyone was taking their leave last night. They were there all night, right up until the moment people left. I have just brought them back from London, you see? They are worth a small fortune and are quite treasured pieces. It is important I get them back as a matter of urgency. So I am going around all of the guests to ask if anyone remembers anything unusual?” He tried to keep his voice as casual as possible, but he was aware that it held an undercurrent of tension.

He studied every blink, every twitch, and her overall reaction. At first, he saw blandness, but that was quickly replaced by worry and fear. Hidden concern brought her brows down until she looked terrified.

She has spirit, I will give her that much,
Jeb mused as he watched the way she sucked in a deep breath and straightened her shoulders before she levelled a glare at him that could have withered ivy.

“I remember them being there when we went into the ladies retiring room,” she said somewhat defensively. “I am afraid to say that I cannot remember much about the time we left. I was busy with my cloak, you see? It was a little chaotic because the Harvells dithered on so much. I am sorry, but I cannot remember anything that might help you. Have you tried any of the others?”

She hated having to lie to him. She could see no reason why she should have to be put in such a position, and resolved right there and then to have it out with Delilah once and for all. It was evident she now had to force her aunt to agree to return the stolen items as a matter of urgency, especially now that the Lord’s son was looking for the trinket boxes.

Jeb nodded slowly. “Nobody seems to have seen or heard a thing when any of the items were stolen. It is strange, don’t you think? That so many people could be in one place and not see anything?”

Sophia sternly warned herself to remain as relaxed as possible. She rather suspected that this man had just read her mind though because, when she looked at him, his brows lifted as if it say; ‘well, go on then, tell me.' It certainly felt as though he could see inside her to the emotions she was desperately trying to hide. To her consternation, she felt a betraying flurry of feminine awareness swirl through her. In spite of her best efforts not to do so, her gaze swept over his face anyway, and came to rest on the chiselled curve of his lips for far longer than was wise. 

Jebediah Hutchinson was not the kind of man who usually drew her attention. He was too tall. At well over six feet, he drew attention amongst his peers through his sheer size alone. His well-built and muscular physique made him a commanding presence that drew the attention of everyone the other night, and had the propensity to make everyone more than a little wary. Although he had a very straightforward and practical manner about him, Sophia suspected he was extremely intelligent, and would make a formidable opponent when angry. With that in mind, and with Delilah’s current behaviour hanging over her, Sophia knew it was wise to turn a blind eye to the sternly chiselled jaw, the lushness of his full lips, and his rather incredible eyes. 

Realising then that this time
she
was staring at
him
, she gave herself a stern mental shake and smiled somewhat dispassionately at him as her mind raced for a way to leave before she did something foolish and rash, like simper.

“If I remember anything I will let you know,” she promised huskily. “Well, I must be getting on.”

“Let me escort you,” Jeb offered smoothly, blithely ignoring the gentle tug of attraction.

A muscle ticked in his jaw through his determination not to let his smirk burst forth, but it was a close thing. He had seen that stare and knew she was feeling exactly the same as he did. He almost heard her groan, and smothered a laugh when she looked longingly at the end of the road in much the same way a dog would stare at a juicy steak. Before she could raise any objection, he waved in the direction she apparently wanted to go. “After you.”

“But you don’t know where I am going,” she protested, but was forced to take his arm anyway.

“I don’t mind,” Jeb replied unconcernedly. “I will go where you go.”

He smiled when she sighed, although couldn’t quite work out if she was hiding a curse or a sigh of longing. He suspected that Miss Sophia Carney would be a relatively easy conquest to make, if he wanted to make her a conquest, which he didn’t. Well, not entirely. Well, not right now in any case. Or did he?

He frowned at that and turned his attention to the end of the road.

Do you want to make her a conquest?
A small voice asked him.

Sophia wasn’t usually the love them and leave them type. If he did make her a conquest then it would mean settling for a heck of a lot more than a brief tumble. Was he ready for that? Especially with someone he hardly knew? 

She closed her eyes in a silent prayer and wondered what she would have to do to get rid of him. As they wandered in somewhat stilted silence down the main street toward the posting office, she scoured the path ahead for any sign of someone she might know. Unfortunately, the Harvells were not out and about yet. Nor were half of the village from the look of it because the only two people taking in the morning were her, and the all too good looking Jebediah Hutchinson.

“I don’t really want to put you out,” she gushed when she couldn’t stand the fraught tension a moment longer. Without snatching her hand off his arm she had no choice but to wander alongside him and try to block out just how right it felt.

“Where are you going to on a beautiful morning like this?” He suspected from the parchment in her hand that she was off to the posting office, and this was confirmed not but a minute later when she waved the letter.

“It is to my father. I have to keep him informed of a few things,” she replied evasively. She sensed his curiosity but wasn’t really in a position to satisfy it.

“Good, then I shall escort you there.”

As far as Sophia was concerned, they couldn’t get to the posting office fast enough. She tried to quicken her pace only to find herself held back by his leisurely stroll. Without making an issue of releasing her grip on his arm, she had to be guided by him. However, she was aware that if they continued at the pace they were going it would be tea-time before she got back to Delilah’s house. Didn’t the man have anything to do?

“I hear from my aunt that you come from London,” she said for want of anything else to say.

If she was honest, she wanted to know more about him. She certainly couldn’t ask Delilah because they were barely on speaking terms as it was after she had challenged her. 

“That’s right,” Jeb replied with a nod, but didn’t expand.

“What do you do there?”

“Banking.”

Of course, you do,
Sophia mused sarcastically.

She realised from the way his brows lifted that her doubt was evident on her face. Taking a leaf out of Delilah’s book, Sophia plastered an overly bright smile on her face and watched him blink in astonishment.

“Here we are,” she declared somewhat loudly, blithely ignoring the fact that they hadn’t even gone half way down the main street. “Thank you for the escort but I am sure I can find my own way now.”

She released his elbow and hurried away before he could object.

Jeb watched her go. Every time she smiled at him like that he felt as though someone had punched him in the gut, while she appeared to be totally ignorant of the effect she had on him. He shook his head in confusion at her ability to throw him into turmoil and stared at the posting office door blankly for several moments while he thought about it.