Page 129 of Thief of the Ton
A cold, invisible hand of dread clawed at her insides. “Do you… Do you not love me now you know I’m the Phoenix?”
“Oh, sweet heaven, no!” he replied. “I love you more than anything—and nothing will change that, no matter what you’ve done. But…”
“What has my daughter done?” Papa asked.
“I-I’m sorry, Lord de Grande,” Peregrine said. “I promise I’ll do everything I can to protect her.”
“Protect her from what?” Papa asked. “From Walton?”
“From the authorities, Lord de Grande,” Peregrine said. “Your daughter held up a coach last night.”
“Dear God—no!”
“In the eyes of the law,” Peregrine continued, “it matters not that nobody was harmed.”
“What do you mean?” Lavinia asked.
“Highway robbery is a hanging offense,” Peregrine said. “The Phoenix now has a price on his head—dead or alive.”
The invisible hand curled around her heart and crushed it.
She opened her mouth to cry—but no sound came. Her chest tightened, and the world began to spiral around her in a fury of black and red, pulsing to the rhythm of her father’s cries.
She had been right—sometimes the Almighty did answer her prayers.
But today, that answer wasno.
Chapter Thirty-Five
The woman inPeregrine’s arms shuddered with horror.
The woman he loved.
What the devil had she been thinking last night? The Phoenix had always laid such careful plans, leading everyone on a merry dance with moves and countermoves. How much planning and ingenuity had the theft of Lord Hythe’s painting taken?
But last night, seemingly on a whim, she’d committed an act of utter lunacy, for which, if convicted, she would hang.
Peregrine glanced up, and his eyes met Lord de Grande’s despondent, milky gaze. His childhood memory of de Grande was a vibrant man with a charming, elegant wife and an exuberant, intelligent daughter. But the man before him now was a shadow of his former self—his body bent with age and pain, and his eyes filled with loss. The wife had long since died. As for the daughter…
Lavinia had risked everything in a desperate attempt to give the father she loved peace of mind, and she was now on the brink of losing all she had, including her life.
I’ll not let that happen.
He’d pledged to bring the Phoenix to justice. But what justice would there be in handing her over?
He placed a kiss on the top of her head.
“Lavinia, you have nothing to fear,” he said. “I’ll protect you.”
“What canyoudo, Lord Marlow?” de Grande asked. “You’re just one man.”
“One man is capable of anything for the woman he loves.”
De Grande’s eyes widened.
“That’s right, sir,” Peregrine said. “I love your daughter. I know you’ll never approve of me—and I understand that. What my father did to you was unforgiveable, and you’ve every right to throw me out. ButIdon’t matter here—what matters is your daughter. Hate me all you like, but that won’t save her.”
Tears stung his eyes. He blinked, and a bead of moisture splashed onto her hair. It glistened briefly in the sunlight, then dissolved.
