Caroline sighed, resigned to her fate. On the one hand, relief numbed the tips of her fingers. On the other hand, fear clawed at her heart. They’d broken the law. If anything happened to Kate . . . “First, I must have your word that Kate will not be held accountable for tonight’s events. Her eighteenth birthday is a month away. I will not have her spend it imprisoned.”
“Caroline!”
“Agreed,” Lonsdale said.
Hunt nodded.
Caroline patted her sister’s hand. She’d accepted the risk along with the job. As long as her sisters came to no harm, she’d accept the consequences of her actions. “A man approached me a fortnight ago, offering me a large sum if I procured a pocket watch that belonged to a viscount. He gave us all the details and secured an invitation to the ball.”
“What about your father?” Lonsdale asked.
“What about him?” Her gaze found Lonsdale’s. “We rarely ever see him. While he never abandoned us to our lot, he did not claim us either.” They were suspended between belonging somewhere and belonging nowhere.
Kate nodded. “He has not called on us in months. Neither has he allocated our allowance. The money for the watch meant we could break free of his reliance and re-locate to the country.”
Both men fell silent.
Caroline smiled. “You can fault me for my crimes, Mr. Hunt, but you cannot fault me for trying to look after my sisters. Lord knows, no one else will.”
***
Mason watched as a kaleidoscope of emotions flickered in the depths of Caroline Harwood eyes. His heart itched. She ought to be protected and cherished, not be running around London picking pockets. Could she truly be faulted, though? She and her sisters had been forced to live a life of seclusion. They had no connection in society. He probably would not have made a different choice had he been in Caroline’s shoes. He, too, would do anything in his power to protecthissister.
His gaze swept over the scarcely decorated room. No wonder Miss. Harwood had said it wasn’t so much that her father kept her hidden but rather couldn’t be bothered. Mason understood now.
Digby hadn’t purposefully hid his daughters away from the world, but he had dumped them in this well-worn house—a reflection of his neglect. And while their father hadn’t cast them aside in the grand scheme of things, abandonment took on many different forms.
Mason wanted to pull her into his arms and reassure her that all will be well.
She’d not yours to hold.
Hunt sighed. “You never questioned why a stranger would approach you with such an offer?”
Miss Harwood’s cheeks warmed three shades brighter. “I will admit the sum blinded me for a moment.”
“We were blinded,” Kate said, squaring her shoulders. “We made the decision as a family.”
Mason bit back a smile. Obstinance seemed to run in all the Harwoods. “How many other trinkets have you relieved from the good people of theton?”
“Just yours,” Caroline admitted.
“Truly?” Mason lifted a quizzical brow. “Your skills are quite practiced.”
She threw him an easy smile. “I tried all sorts of things growing up. I can tie spectacular knots too.”
Spectacular knots? An image of a bed flashed in his mind. He pulled at his cravat. That was the last thing he ought to be thinking about. He purposefully shifted his gaze to Kate. “What about the men that came for the watch? Can you describe them in clear detail to Hunt?”
Kate nodded enthusiastically. “Of course. I doubt I’d ever be able to forget their faces. Brutish fellows.”
“I’ll sketch their likeness and pass around,” Hunt said with a nod. “We should be able to track them down without much effort.”
“Will you be able to retrieve the watch?” Caroline asked.
Mason shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Why ever not?”
“The watch is counterfeit.” Mason smiled when her beautiful eyes widened. “You do not believe I would risk a family heirloom falling into the greedy hands of my uncle? This is not the first time he has made an attempt at the watch, but I assure you, it will be the last.”
