He stopped, his dark eyebrows peaked, but when she didn’t
respond, he pressed on. “Did it magically appear in the cup—
board? Did you find it somewhere in the house? Some dusty
corner of the attic?”
She looked down as shame washed over her, but she wouldn’t
embarrass herself further with a poorly told lie.
“Tell me that you found this,” he said with quiet menace.
Shaking her head, she forced herself to meet his gaze. It
raised gooseflesh all over her. “I did not find it. I knew exactly where it was.”
“And where was that?”
“At a shop. Near the docks.”
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“That was why you didn’t want me to accompany you yesterday.”
“Yes.”
“Why? Why did you do it?”
Something bleak and angry rose within her, a memory of
how she’d first felt when she’d arrived at the Drummond estate.
“My life here was a prison, a drawn-out death sentence. You of
all people should understand that.”
“Perhaps, but I never stole from anyone.”
“You stole from Henry Barrett.”
“He deserved it.”
Anne didn’t wish to discuss the differences between their
crimes. She simply wanted to make her point. “In order to
escape this house, you threatened to join the navy.”
“But I would never have followed through with it.”
“Which makes you either a coward or a liar.” As soon as
she’d spoken, Anne realized she’d made a mistake, but it was too late to take the words back.
Teach went still, his face hard. They stared at each other in
wordless challenge. What seemed like an eternity passed.
Letting loose a string of foul words, he stalked toward her,
his broad shoulders blocking the warmth from the nearby
hearth. “My father must never find out about this, do you understand?”
Anne nodded, determined not to shrink from him. “Believe
me, I have no intention of telling him.”
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Gripping her by the arms, he gave her a slight shake. “How could you be so reckless? Do you have any idea what could have happened to you if he’d discovered it was you who’d stolen from him? Or worse, Margery?”
Breaking free of his hold, she went to stand before the fire,
trying to chase away the chill she’d felt since he’d first discovered her. “I did think about the consequences, but it was a chance I was willing to take. A quick death was preferable to a slow suffocation of my life with Margery or your father—”
“Tell me, do you still regard this house as a prison?”
Whirling around, she glared at him. “At the moment, yes.
It feels as if the very walls are closing in, and it’s all I can do to stop myself from running away.”
Teach approached her again, his normally healthy com—
plexion ashen. “Don’t. Please don’t ever run away from me. I
understand why you did it. Do you think I don’t know how
stifling this house can be?” Cupping her chin, he tilted her
head back. “You must promise me never to do anything that
foolish again.”
Anne took a steadying breath, grateful she’d been able to
retrieve the three pieces and that she hadn’t sold any of the others. “I won’t.”
“Is there more?”
Picturing the chest hidden by the two willows, Anne was
nearly smothered by the weight of her guilt. She did not want
Teach to know the extent of her stealing. She could not stand to 2 67
see the look of hurt and betrayal in his eyes again. If she could find the right moments, the other items should be easy enough to return.
Realizing that Teach still waited for her answer, she hated
her denial even as she spoke it. “No, nothing.”
She felt Teach studying her, and returned his gaze, trying to
convince herself that it wasn’t a complete lie. If she had her way, Mr. Drummond would give her her inheritance, and then she wouldn’t need any of the stolen goods.
But until she was sure . . .
“Will you please join us for supper this evening?” Teach
asked. “I cannot endure another meal alone with Miss Patience.”
“And if I chose not to?”
Teach snorted. “I’ll come to your room and drag you to
supper myself.”
“You wouldn’t dare make a scene to that extent.”
“When it comes to you, Anne, I would dare a lot of things.
I told Patience about the piracy charges.”
Torn between hope and despair, Anne swallowed around
the tightness in her throat. “What did she say?”
“Not much.”
“Does Lord Hervey know?”
“Patience might have told him, although I haven’t spoken
with him myself. He hasn’t left his room since he arrived.”
Anne took a moment to gather her thoughts. “I wish there
were something I could do to help you.” It was in her nature to
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form some plan of action. Her father had often said that it was better to walk aimlessly than to sit idle, but in this instance she did not know how to change the situation.
“There is something you can do.”
“What?”
Margery came in, preventing Teach from answering. “Master Drummond has returned. He would like to speak with you,
Mr. Edward.”