Page 50 of The Swan Detective (The Swan Syndicate #2)

Michelson didn’t stop her, and she could tell he was having difficulty working through his mirth while appearing concerned.

Men from the other tables lifted their heads as she passed them. She never looked back, her focus on the thief’s table. She swayed as if she’d drunk too much, then stumbled as she knocked into an empty chair before coming to a stop in front of the thief.

“I know who you are.” She didn’t yell, but she didn’t lower her voice, either.

The two men hadn’t noticed her until she’d run into the chair, and now they sat with their mouths frozen open as if their words had been snatched from their lips.

She tapped her foot, hands on her hips, as if waiting for a proper response. After several seconds ticked by, she pointed a finger at the thief. “Don’t bother denying it.”

The men closed their mouths and appeared unsure of what to do. Stella didn’t miss the moment the thief recognized her. She didn’t give him the chance to speak.

“You know what you took. You’re nothing more than a two-bit hustler and thief.”

The last word was barely out of her mouth when the other man grabbed her arm, wrenching it in the process, and dragged her down to the empty chair. “I suggest you hold your tongue in here.” He had a rough but surprisingly light French accent.

Stella tugged her arm out of his grip and ignored him, her eyes locked with the thief’s. She didn’t have to look around to know others were watching. She didn’t dare look away, but the scuff of chair legs suggested someone might step in, and she depended on Michelson to settle them down.

She kept her voice to a whisper. “I won’t call the watchmen.

” Now, she let her gaze roam as she leaned in, catching sight of Fitz and André both attempting to appear disinterested.

“In fact, I’m willing to make it worth your while to hand over all the items you’ve stolen.

” She considered the statement for a second.

He might have pinched quite a lot of things, so she further defined her offer.

“Specifically, the Deschanel jewelry you’ve stolen from the noble women.

I’ll buy them all, but it has to be tonight.

Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to use other means. ”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The thief’s accent was pure English, which surprised her.

She made a show of rubbing the side of her head and didn’t bother whispering. “I remember the bruise you gave me.” Her grin was full of malice. “Did my knife prick leave a scar?”

The other man turned his glare from Stella to the thief. “This is the woman who chased you?”

“And he wouldn’t have gotten away if my skirts hadn’t hampered me.” She sat back, ready to negotiate. “I’ll make it a fair deal. I like to call it a blue-light special. But the offer is time-limited.”

After a long, tense silence, the thief sat back and laughed.

“Assuming I’m the man you think I am, why the rush?

” His leer was worse sitting this close to him.

He gave her a long, slow perusal, his eyes pausing on her breasts before traveling up to meet her gaze.

“We should spend some time getting to know each other.”

Stella slowly shook her head. “If you’d rather deal with the watchmen, that’s up to you. But that would be a waste of an opportunity for me and will land you in Newgate.” When she began to rise, the other man pulled her back down as he glanced at the thief.

“Leclair won’t be happy if you create a scene.”

“Shut your mouth.” The thief didn’t seem happy that a name had slipped by, but then he asked, “Why tonight? I don’t have the items with me.”

Well, at least they’d gotten past that hurdle. The rest should be simple if she didn’t oversell it, assuming they were smart enough to keep up.

“My ship leaves with the first tide on the morrow.” On the morrow? Had she just fallen into a Wuthering Heights novel?

He laughed. “Then find another passenger ship if you’re so interested in making a deal.”

“It’s not a passenger ship, you dolt. It’s my ship, and I have cargo to move.” She leaned in and whispered, “Cargo that I can’t leave in dock any longer than tomorrow.”

It took a moment, but then the men’s brows lifted at the same time. When they didn’t respond, she blew out a long sigh.

“Come now, gentlemen. Do you think a fine noble woman like myself would be in this rathole of a pub by choice?”

The thief grinned and leaned forward. “And what would a fine noble lady be doing owning a smuggling ship?”

She sat back, her eyes wide at the suggestion, but after a long moment, she gave them her realtor smile. “You heard my offer.”

“I didn’t hear a price.”

Gotcha.

“I haven’t seen all the items. I’ve only seen the necklace and heard about the others. I need to see them all, then I’ll tell you my price.”

Silent communication passed between the two men.

“Who are you?”

She glanced around, noting André and Fitz watching more intently, but everyone else had returned to their own business. She reached into her pocket and almost grinned when the two men visibly tensed.

She placed a swan on the table. “My name is Lady Swan.”