The Devil's Thief by Samantha Kane Page A

conflicted. “I’ll be fine.
Won’t I, Mr. Wiley?” she asked her young escort.
    “Right
as rain,” he said blithely. “No worries, there’s a good girl.” Tessa blushed,
but nodded and reluctantly returned to the hackney. The driver’s frown
indicated his clear disapproval, but he helped Tessa back up into the carriage
as Julianna and Mr. Wiley made their way to the building.
    He
bypassed the public entrance, which was topped with a large sign proclaiming it
the Black Horse, and led her to a side entrance. Before they could even knock,
the door was opened by a rather ferocious-looking burly man with a bald head , a frowning face, and the beginnings of a very
dark beard. “Who’s this?” he asked with no preliminary greeting.
    “This
’ere’s a friend of mine,” Mr. Wiley told him. “She’s got somethin’ to sell.”
    The
burly guard squinted at her and she wondered if he could see properly. He looked
more like he was trying to focus than to intimidate.
    “What?”
he asked, not moving out of their way.
    “I
beg your pardon?” Julianna nervously inquired, not sure what was expected of
her.
    He
turned to Mr. Wiley with a frown. “What sort are you bringin’ ’ere, Wiley? This
littl’ dove ain’t got nothin’ worth Blackman’s time.”
    “I
have a priceless treasure.” Julianna spoke firmly, although her voice cracked
on the last word.
    Mr.
Wiley turned to look at her with a wide-eyed expression. “You don’t say? ’Ave
you now?”
    The
guard frowned more fiercely. “Don’t be tellin’ tales, girl. How could you get
somethin’ like that?”
    Julianna’s
hand tightened on Mr. Wiley’s arm in fright. Her escort shoved the guard back.
“ ’Ere, you’re frightening her! Go tell Blackman what she said. I’ll keep her
here until you get back. I know his rules.”
    The
guard huffed in impatience, but he turned and thudded up the stairs in his heavy
boots. Mr. Wiley patted her hand and then turned to close the door behind them.
The small hall was immediately cast into darkness, illuminated by only one
lantern and a slight glow from the second floor. A sliver of sunlight crept
under the door and Julianna surreptitiously slid her foot over to it. For some
silly reason that made her feel better.
    “So,
miss,” Mr. Wiley said with affected nonchalance, “you ’ave got somethin’ to
sell, ’aven’t you?” He rubbed his chin with his forefinger as he looked at her
hopefully.
    Julianna
nodded. “Oh, yes. I stole it last night.” She nearly swooned as the words left
her mouth. Good Lord, she never thought she would hear herself utter something
so awful. Drastic times make for drastic measures, she
lectured herself as she forced her knees to stop knocking.
    Mr.
Wiley whistled under his breath. “Never would have thought you had it in you,”
he murmured, looking her up and down appreciatively. “Looking for a man, are
ya?”
    It
took Julianna a moment to decipher his meaning. She stared at him wide eyed.
This young boy thought to become her protector? She felt as if she had entered
a whole new world without even leaving London.
    He
shook his head and laughed. “No, I can see you’re not. But if you change your
mind, sweets, come and see old Wiley.” He tapped her chin affectionately and
then turned to look up the stairs. The burly guard stood at the top of the
steps and was motioning for them to come up.
    Mr.
Wiley gave him a thoroughly impudent grin and waved Julianna up ahead of him. She
wished he wasn’t following so closely behind her, but there was nothing she
could do. Better Mr. Wiley, she supposed, than another burly guard.
    The
stairs creaked so loudly that Julianna was sure they could hear it out on the
street. She had to keep one hand on the wall next to her as she ascended the
stairs, afraid of tripping in the dim light. When they reached the landing, the
guard motioned for them to go left, down a hallway that was only slightly
better lit than the stairs. She gasped as he