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

“Dressmaking? That was just a pipe dream. Just like being with you was a pipe dream. We knew it couldn’t last. We knew that whatever existed between us was just a moment in time. Well, perhaps our time is up sooner than we thought.” There was an edge of desperation to Jeremy’s words.


“Don’t be so dramatic.” David paced, running a hand through his hair, trying to find words to make him stay when in his soul he knew that he had to leave.


Jeremy closed his eyes briefly, then looked at him. “That’s twice you’ve called me dramatic.” His voice was sad. “I don’t understand you. It was you who brought me here rather than to your rooms, you who wormed his way into my affections and my bed, you who one minute wants me to stay but them pushes me away, but now you call medramatic.”


David ran a hand around the back of his neck and then over his face. How in God’s name had this become so convoluted? “I’ve apologised for this morning. Can’t we go back to how we were?”


Chapter 52