Lady Thief by Kay Hooper Page A

her.
    Jenny thought of the dispatches, and carefully weighed the risks of taking them to Spencer. The risk of taking them herself was great; Jason had been right in saying that would be a sure way of getting herself hanged.
    Yet, she had no choice. She slowly tore the message into tiny bits. She would take the dispatches to Spencer.
     
     
    It was nearly midnight. Spencer sat at the desk in his study, looking over the deeds to some property he had just purchased. He had no expectation of receiving a visit from the Cat; he had left a message for her only that morning.
    He heard no sound; there was no warning of her coming. One moment he was alone in the study, the next he felt a presence in the room. He slowly turned his head to see her standing silently inside the open window.
    “Good evening, Your Grace.”
    He rose slowly to his feet, smiling. “Good evening. I didn’t expect you to come quite so soon—I left the message only this morning.”
    She smiled easily. “You wanted to see me, I believe?”
    “Yes.” He moved carefully around to sit on the corner of his desk. “There are some important dispatches missing from the War Office. I thought you should know about it.”
    Jenny pulled a bundle from beneath her cloak and tossed it to him. Silently, she awaited his reaction.
    He perused the documents for a few moments, then looked up at her. “That was quick work.” There was a speculative gleam in his eyes.
    She smiled wryly. “I suppose you may be forgiven for what you are thinking, Your Grace, though I find it hard to do so. No, I did not take the dispatches. A friend of mine—a highwayman—took them from a coach bound for the Channel. He gave them to me. I have no idea who removed them from the War Office. You may believe that if you choose.”
    He inclined his head gravely. “If you say that you did not take them, then of course I believe you.”
    “Why ‘of course’?”
    He placed the dispatches on the desk and studied her thoughtfully. “I trust you,” he replied calmly.
    She shook her head with a faint smile. “To trust a thief? You’re a strange man, Your Grace.”
    “We have been over that before. I do not believe you are a thief.”
    “Then you are a poor judge of character,” she responded coolly.
    “I think not.”
    She stirred impatiently. “Shall we agree to differ on that point? I am only concerned that the dispatches are returned to the proper authorities. I assume that you will see to that?”
    He rose, smiling. “Of course. But that wasn’t the only reason I wanted to see you.”
    “Wasn’t it?”
    “No. I’d like to become better acquainted with you. I’ve been thinking of you—almost constantly—ever since we first met. There are several things about you which puzzle me.”
    As he spoke, he moved closer to her and Jenny, caught up in what he was saying, was unaware until too late what his intentions were. Instinctively, she reached for the pistol in her belt, only to find her wrists caught in his strong hands.
    With a calm smile, he gazed down at her enraged eyes. “I am most curious to discover whether or not there is a woman beneath that mask.”
    Jenny smiled thinly. “Brute force, Your Grace?”
    “You must forgive my tactics, but they seemed the best—under the circumstances.”
    Jenny stared up at him, startled to discover how tall he was; the top of her head barely reached his shoulder. After a moment, she said quietly, “If you mean to remove my mask, I can do nothing to stop you. But if you do, I will hate you for the rest of my life.”
    The total lack of expression in her voice convinced him far more than any emotional outburst would have done. With a sigh, he murmured, “Yes, I suppose you would hate me—and that is the last thing I want. I won’t try to remove your mask.”
    “Thank you.” She smiled slightly. “And could you also release my hands?”
    “So that you can shoot me?” His smile was wry.
    “You said that you trusted me,” she