To Trust a Thief Read Online Free PDF Page B

about one thing.”
    “What’s that?”
    “If we can find the necklace, all our problems will be solved.”
    “Oh, Min, be serious.”
    She grabbed Arthur’s hands. “I am being serious. Think about it. That necklace is worth a fortune. If we could find it, I’d be able to help my father and have enough money to live as independently as I wish, to do whatever, go wherever, for the rest of my life. And you’d have enough to pay off your debts to Lord Rellik.”
    “Well, yes, but—”
    “All we have to do is find the necklace.” She took the locket and held it up, swinging it slowly before his eyes. “And we are already halfway there. We just need to find the portrait of Anne.”
    “Do you really believe we can find it?”
    “Yes, I do.” Min watched the locket glinting in the sunlight before handing it back to Arthur with a sigh. “I’d better hurry if I’m going to make it in time to meet my aunt for tea. Perhaps she can shed a little more light on the subject.”
    She met Arthur’s excited gaze and smiled.

    Min waited in her aunt’s office, her knees nearly bouncing with excitement. Thanks to Arthur, this would be the last time she’d have to endure another suitor being thrown at her, though Arthur wouldn’t come by until later to discuss their engagement with her aunt. In any case, Min would put on a happy face and see if she could uncover a little information before Mr. Smythe arrived.
    Her aunt bustled in right as the clock struck four. Lady Courtland was tall and thin, and she always wore high-collared, long-sleeved black dresses. The touches of white lace that adorned the necks and wrists of her garments lessened their severity a bit, but she still appeared to be in a perpetual state of mourning. Which, Min supposed, she was. Though her husband had been dead for ten years, Aunt Laura had loved him very much.
    Her thick auburn hair, very similar to Min’s own, was piled neatly in a genteel bun, and her skin was smooth and clear, with only a few soft wrinkles at her eyes and lips to betray her age. She kept her back ramrod straight, walking and sitting with perfect posture. In short, Lady Courtland was the epitome of decorum, grace, and deportment: the perfect role model for a finishing school for young ladies.
    Min greeted her with a kiss on each cheek and sat impatiently through the usual inquiries about her health and state of mind. Although her aunt appeared quite severe, she was actually rather friendly and loved to talk with her girls , as she referred to the students. She was especially fond of Min, the eldest daughter of her only sister, and seemed even more so since Min had encouraged her to open the finishing school. Min loved that her aunt cared so much, but she didn’t want to talk about herself.
    Her aunt glanced at the small watch pinned to her bodice and pursed her lips. “Mr. Smythe is unforgivably late.”
    “Yes, dreadful of him.” Min silently blessed him for his tardiness and seized her opportunity.
    “Aunt Laura, I wanted to ask you about that portrait in the gallery, the one of the elder Edward Courtland. Do you know much about him?”
    “Ah, admiring my late father-in-law, I see. Quite a rake in his day. He really was handsome, was he not? So much like my dear Edward.”
    Min smiled. “Very handsome. In fact, there is a painting of a woman in the gallery, hanging near Edward’s. There is no nameplate. Was she his mistress?”
    “Very possibly. We cannot be certain, of course. My in-laws had already passed before I met my Edward and it certainly wasn’t something they’d have discussed. But the paintings were made around the same time, so it seems likely.”
    “The portrait of his wife, Tabitha, is hanging next to his. She’s wearing the Courtland necklace…”
    “Ah, my dear girl. I already know what you really want to ask. And I admire your spirit! You’re not one to sit back and let fate dictate your life as it will. It’s a splendid quality. I wish I had