After a Fashion (A Class of Their Own #1)(68)
Harriet’s teeth clinked together. “Since, given your tenacious nature, you won’t leave me alone until you’ve had your say, I will join you, but Lucetta and Millie will not.”
“And you, Harriet,” Lucetta said through teeth that seemed to be as gritted as Harriet’s were, “will only be taking a ride around town with Jane over my dead body.”
Jane wagged a finger in Lucetta’s direction. “Famous actress or not, my pet, that can be arranged.” She nodded to one of her men, who immediately pushed aside his jacket, revealing the handle of a pistol.
“Enough of your threats, Jane,” Harriet said before she caught Lucetta’s eye. “You and Millie need to take Buford back to Mrs. Hart’s house, and no, I don’t want to hear any arguments about that,” she added when Lucetta began muttering. “I’ll be fine.”
“We’ll never see you again if you go off with Jane,” Millie said, speaking up in a voice that had taken to quivering.
Harriet smiled. “Jane’s not going to hurt me, Millie. She needs me for something, and I won’t be able to fulfill that need if I’m dead.” She looked at the watch pinned to the underside of her sleeve. “However, to be on the safe side, I’m going to limit our little chat to one hour, so if I’m not back at Mrs. Hart’s within that hour, feel free to contact the police.”
That pronouncement earned her a rapid hustle over to the carriage as Jane took a death grip on her arm and certainly didn’t seem as if she intended to let go anytime soon. Looking over her shoulder at her friends—both of whom were now almost completely blocked from view by the two thugs—she opened her mouth to assure them she’d be fine one more time, but Jane suddenly shoved her, leaving Harriet no choice but to stumble into the carriage in order to avoid a nasty fall. Landing hard on the seat, she rubbed her elbow and watched while Jane, after speaking in a hushed tone to her driver, settled herself on the opposite side right before the carriage lurched into motion. A heavy thud sounded behind Harriet, leaving her little doubt that Jane’s men had rejoined them, making the idea of a quick escape, if Jane turned unusually nasty, infeasible.
“Now see, isn’t this much cozier than lingering on the street?” Jane asked, smoothing a gloved hand against the red crushed-velvet upholstery.
“Most people don’t consider abduction to be cozy.”
“It’s rather irksome to discover you still possess such a flair for the dramatic,” Jane said with a roll of her eyes before she leaned down and pulled a very large, very black cat out from under the seat. She settled it on her lap and began stroking it, although the cat didn’t seem to be enjoying it much, since it kept letting out little hissing noises every other stroke.
Harriet frowned. “I thought you loathed cats.”
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say I loathe them, but Precious—that’s truly her name—isn’t mine. She belongs to a Mrs. Fish, and that lady’s growing quite distraught over the idea her cat has yet to be found. Why, I expect if I maintain possession of Precious for another couple of days, the reward Mrs. Fish keeps increasing for its safe return will be up to at least five hundred dollars.”
“You stole Precious in order to claim a reward?”
“Hmm . . . would you believe I just happened to discover this cat in my carriage, and that I didn’t have the slightest idea Mrs. Fish was so attached to the creature?”
“I thought you said you’d put your thieving ways behind you?”
“I said for the most part, but if you must know, Precious here was just a little too tempting for me to resist.”
“Give me the cat.”
“I most certainly will not. I have bills to pay, and this little darling is an easy way to pay them.”
Reaching over, Harriet plucked Precious away from Jane and settled the now purring cat on her lap. “She obviously likes me more, but enough about the cat. What is so important that you felt it necessary to go through such extreme measures to get my attention?”
“I wouldn’t have had to resort to such trying means if you’d only had the courtesy to acknowledge that letter I left for you.”
“I didn’t read your letter.”
“Then you really can’t complain about your current situation, can you? Since you didn’t bother to read what I wrote—which was quite rude of you, by the way—I’ll tell you what the letter said. I want you to come and work for me.”
“Didn’t we have this exact same conversation last year on my birthday, and . . . didn’t I make myself perfectly clear when I said I wasn’t interested in joining forces with you because I’m not really keen on illegal activities?”
“Oh, you made yourself clear, Harriet, but the last time we spoke, you were mostly uncomfortable with the idea of stealing for me. You’ll be happy to know I’ve moved on to a more lucrative business, one where I’m rarely dealing in tangible goods.” She leaned forward. “However, now that you’ve somehow managed to get yourself involved with high society, I’ve come up with the most wonderful of plans, one that will finally allow you to pay me back for everything I’ve done for you over the years.”
Harriet’s mouth dropped open. “Pardon me?”
“You’ve evidently put aside those pesky moral convictions you always stood behind, and I couldn’t be more delighted about that. But you really should have sought out my counsel when you decided to try your hand at scheming. You don’t have the experience to pull off a scheme effortlessly, and I would hate to see you land yourself in jail.”