To Trust a Thief by Michelle McLean Page B

upper-class women, of today are expected to marry and have children and do very little else. We may have taken more strides toward educating women and so forth, but women are still expected to marry the best social match they can find.”
    Min tried to rein herself in, but she couldn’t stem the flow of words once she’d unleashed it. “I don’t think a woman should have to wed because convention demands she must. I don’t want to be just an ornament, chosen only for my social status or dowry.”
    “Do you believe your marriage to the good doctor will be one such as you’ve described?” he asked with a slight frown. His voice held a curious note that Min could not quite place.
    Drat. She’d forgotten that little bit of fantasy for a moment. “Of course not! But Arthur knows and respects my views. He’s not like most men.”
    Mr. Westley smiled, though it did not reach his eyes. The familiar heat of embarrassment flickered along Min’s cheeks and she turned her gaze to the ground. “I’m merely saying that I believe people should marry for love, if at all possible.”
    Min risked a glance at him.
    He gazed at her, eyes wide with a skin-tingling mixture of surprise and tenderness. “I can’t imagine any man wanting you only for your money or family,” he said, his features sharpening into an expression that seared its way into her blood, making her heart pound, each beat screaming for him.
    She shook her head, trying to get ahold of herself. It had only been a matter of days since she’d thought him willing to kill her. One little near-death experience and here she sat mooning over him like some lovesick fool. Min made fun of girls who turned to mush in front of handsome men. She was not one of them.
    She cleared her throat. “Yes, well, it hardly matters in my case. My parents are penniless schoolteachers. So I’m afraid I’m a very poor catch indeed as I have neither money nor family.”
    “Dr. Carmichael seems happy with his choice. Or is he not aware of your circumstances?”
    “Of course he is aware. But as I said, he’s not like most men. Not that it matters. If he were to change his mind, I am perfectly capable of making my own way in the world. I don’t need a husband to do it for me.”
    “That is very forward thinking, Miss Sinclair.”
    “Oh, I don’t think so, Mr. Westley. I am certain women have been feeling this way for quite some time.”
    He laughed and Min’s heart lurched again. “Well, that is most likely true. Forward speaking , then.”
    “Perhaps.”
    “So, as a recently engaged young woman who previously had no wish to find a position somewhere and didn’t desire to entice the catch of the social season into marriage, why are you subjecting yourself to the horrors of being turned into a polished young lady?” he asked, his tone both amused and curious.
    “Ah. Well, I still have to live in the society to which I was born. And I have a very determined aunt.” She gave him a rueful smile. “After a few unfortunate incidents while visiting her, she declared me unfit for human society and insisted my sister and I move in with her so she could mold us into proper ladies. My sister took to the confines of society with relish and was married off almost instantly. My transformation has been a bit…less successful. So, here I am.”
    “Yes. Here you are. A wealth of…opportunities at your fingertips.”
    Min’s gaze locked onto Mr. Westley’s. Oh yes. He knew exactly what she was up to.
    “Yes. I was very fortunate Aunt Laura decided to take me in. I have no doubt I’ll find exactly what I’m looking for here.”
    Mr. Westley’s eyes burned into hers and she held her breath. “That remains to be seen, Miss Sinclair. Fate sometimes has a way of intervening in even our best laid plans.”
    Min ran through a thousand different responses to the thousand different meanings that statement might have before settling on the wisest course—silence.
    He broke eye contact first,