Read The Robber Bride (Regency Historical Romance) Page 8

  ***

  Dinner was a painstaking event for Victoria, who was not only dining in the home of her last victim, but who was also tragically seated next to the deplorable Lady Beecham. It was enough she’d had to speak with her before dinner, but now her appetite was completely ruined. The woman spent the entire meal trying to dredge up information about Tom and Finny—clearly she’d set them up as her next conquests.

  Victoria shivered with a bit of disgust. Though she knew the two of them were far from saints, she didn’t care to think about what went on behind their closed doors. And the last thing she wanted to do was facilitate a tête-à-tête between one of them and a potential lover. Even the word lover made Victoria a bit queasy.

  However, seeing as Lady Beecham was to be her next conquest, it was not actually ideal that they were spending so much time together this evening. What if she became more attuned to the cadence of Victoria’s voice and recognized it later on while she was being robbed?

  No, that would never happen. Victoria had worked too hard at disguising herself and her voice over the last two years. She was worrying for nothing.

  When dinner was finished, Victoria left her brother and Fin to join the ladies in the drawing room for tea and spice cake, though Victoria would refrain from the cake. If she had to get close to Lady Beecham during the robbery, the woman might recognize the smell of it on her breath.

  Victoria sighed. One day she would retire from her work and be able to enjoy her life without thinking of such intricate details. But for now, it was of utmost importance that she be vigilant, lest she find herself with a noose about her neck.