The year is 1806. Bastard-born jewel thief David Lambert has few rules in his personal life. Never bed the staff, never more than once with the same man, and never, ever, kiss. Attending an aristocratic party and relieving some of the wealthy of their possessions should be easy, but in the space of a weekend, one by one all his rules are shattered by a footman with a secret.<br><br>Jeremy Naylor thought he had found the man of his dreams, the one man who might understand him. Someone passionate, handsome, and respectable. But in one shocking moment his world is destroyed, and he is forced to run for his life.<br><br>Flung together to escape the hangman’s noose, the passion between David and Jeremy burns fiercely. But Jeremy yearns for respectability, and David refuses to admit what lies in his heart. Will they find a way together, or will their differences lead them to the very brink of disaster and the shadow of the gallows?

Thief of Hearts

They ate in companionable silence, David occasionally topping up their wine glasses, until they both sat back with a sigh.


“Delicious,” David murmured, wiping his mouth with his napkin.


“Definitely.” Jeremy laid his napkin on the table and took another sip of his wine.


David eyed him from across the table. “What will you do now?”


“I mean in general. What will you do? Would you like to try and secure another post as a footman?”


Jeremy actually shuddered. “Not if I can help it. There must be something else I can do which would earn me an honest living. I feel badly, because Elliot thought it would be just the thing, but…”


David chuckled. “Service not to your liking?”


“I can’t bear the clothes,” Jeremy admitted with a smile. “That uniform and wig drove me demented.” He shuddered simply recalling them.


“You’d prefer a job where you could wear silk?”


Chapter 32