Chapter 2
GRACE
One Month Later
“You're learning fast.” I look at the loot Sophia’s poured out on the table and can’t help being impressed.
“Well, I have a good teacher.” She winks, gathering it all back up and heading towards the safe so she can store it away.
The girl’s showing some real promise; she has a calmness about her, and that, combined with a quick hand, makes her the perfect pickpocket.
Of course, it helps that she also has an exceptionally pretty face.
“Grace... Grace!” Polly bolts through the door, resting her hands on her knees so she can catch her breath, while Sophia rushes to the door to check she’s not been followed.
I shake my head to let her know she doesn’t have to worry.
Polly has been doing this long enough to know that if you need to run, the last place you run to is home, and right now, despite all its flaws, this building is home.
The walls may be damp, the floorboards all creak, and there are more holes in the roof than I can count, but for now it’s our safe place.
Polly holds up her pointer finger, asking for a second longer for her breath to come back before she can reveal what's got her so excited.
“Don’t tell me she fucked up again.” Selena jumps out of her bunk, with her wild, unruly hair, and fires up her laptop before heading towards the kettle.
“Nobody has fucked up. Polly’s just not as fit as she used to be,” I point out. It has to be said, Polly isn’t the sleekest among us, but her warm smile and infectious personality make her perfect for the long con.
“I have the most perfect opportunity for us.” Polly is fully charged and full of enthusiasm as she pulls up a chair beside me. Selena pours herself a coffee and starts work, while I prepare to hear Polly's next hair-brain plan for world domination.
“Remember I told you about that new duke, Ravenshaw’s bastard son?”
I snarl at the name. I hate to speak ill of the dead, but that old bastard and his son got exactly what they deserved. “You know, the one all the society girls are going crazy about?”
“Polly, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I quit being interested in the Ravenshaws the second I found out they were both dead.
“I think working in that boutique has gone to your head.” Selena lifts her head to pass comment, and when I throw her a look, she shrugs and continues going through Daniel Stokes’ bank statements.
“May I remind you that there is a reason I’m working in that boutique…
and this, right here, is the reason why,” Polly reminds her.
“Pandora had three consultations today, all of them wanting a dress made for the same event.” Polly pauses to build up the suspense, the way she always does when telling a tale.
“A masquerade ball!” she eventually blurts out, doing nothing to hide her excitement.
“A masquerade ball is being held at the Fairfax estate and hosted by the new, very handsome duke.” She practically jumps on her seat.
“Oh, we must alert the village elders,” Selena drones sarcastically.
“Have you found out if Stokes is a cheating scumbag yet?” I strike out at her. Normally, I can tolerate her attitude, but what I’m hearing doesn’t sit well with me. “No…? Then I suggest you get back to work.” I turn my attention back to Polly.
“I thought the duke and his son were killed in a car crash.”
“They were, but it turns out the duke had another son, a secret one,” she whispers.
“Okay, so how can a ball being held by a bastard son benefit us?” I ask, pushing to the back of my mind how frustrating it is that the family still gets to prosper.
“You’ve heard of the Ravenshaw necklace, right?” Her brow creases in astonishment.
“The what?” Sophia takes a seat beside us, looking intrigued.
“The Ravenshaw family has lived in Fairfax for hundreds of years. Rumour goes that sometime during the 18th century, the duke fell in love with the princess of Sweden. Only problem was she had been sent here by her father to woo the king.”
Selena rolls her eyes and lights herself a cigarette.
“Being the king's cousin and trusted friend, the duke was given the task of accompanying the princess on her tours around London, during which time the two of them had the most magical, romantic affair,” Polly continues with a dreamy look in her eyes.
“Still failing to see what this has to do with us.” I know how much Polly enjoys a story; she often needs to be rushed to the point.
“The princess was adamant that she would marry the king despite her feelings; it was her duty, after all. But the duke wasn’t prepared to give up quite so easily.
He wanted to prove to her that his love was limitless.
While the wedding plans were being made, he crossed the seas, trying to find something he could bring home to present her with that would symbolise that love.
The Ravenshaw family was, and still is, one of the richest families in society, but he knew that riches could not win her heart; she needed sentiment. ”
Another eye roll from Selena has me shaking my head at her. Just because the rest of us don’t believe in love and happy endings doesn’t mean we should squash Polly’s hopes of it existing.
“After months of searching, he finally found a sapphire. One that exactly matched the blue of the princess’s eyes.
So he brought it home and had it set into the centre of the most exquisite diamond necklace, and the night before the princess was due to marry her king, he snuck into her chambers, presented her with the gift, and begged her to elope with him.
He was prepared to leave all his fortune to betray his friend, and his king, to be with her. ”
“And…” Sophia hangs on for the outcome of this story.
“Well…Of course, she married the king. Any girl would take becoming queen over a necklace.” Polly chews her lip awkwardly.
“But that's beside the point. The duke was driven mad; he locked the necklace away, unable to bear the look of it, and it wasn’t until five years ago that it was pulled out of hiding by the previous duke and offered for loan at an exhibit at the Royal History museum. While it was there, it was valued and insured for the price of eight million.” She delivers her finish with a clever look towards Selena, and I start to understand the significance of her story.
Though if she’d have cut out all the romantic crap, she could have gotten us all to the point much quicker.
“That necklace isn’t at the museum anymore, it’s back at the Ravenshaw mansion. I say we gatecrash that ball, find the necklace, and none of us will have to pull wallets or hustle these streets again.” She folds her arms over her chest and waits to be basked in glory.
“And how do you suppose we move an eight-million-pound necklace? Davy has connections, but a piece like that would be far too hot.” Selena pisses all over her victory.
“We can worry about that once we have it. There are ways. You spend enough time on those forums to be able to figure something out. With Grace’s skills, I doubt the new duke will even notice the thing is gone.”
This time, when I look across to Selena, she offers me an optimistic shrug.
“Come on, Grace, you can’t tell me that this is the life you want. You have built a sanctuary for all of us, but it’s only a matter of time before we get moved on like we did our last place, and with Jonah getting released soon, you need to—”
“Don’t mention him. What we do now, we do for us. I won’t have you all risk something this big because of him.” I do my best to hide the shudder his name causes my body to make.
“We’ve taken greater risks than this one, and for less reward.
It’s a masquerade ball, Grace. We can be in and out of there before anyone knows we were even there.
I heard one of the women talking today, the duchess had the house redecorated last year.
She was talking about the fancy designer that she employed, and was excited to see her work.
Here, I noted down the name.” She pulls a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket and hands it over to me.
“I’ll bet Selena can do some hacking and pull up the blueprints of the house.
Come on, I know we can do this. I’ve been working in that boutique with that crazed woman, waiting for an opportunity.
This is that opportunity.” She takes both my hands and pleads with me.
“We could get out of here, start a whole new life somewhere where Jonah will never find us.” I look at all the hope in her eyes, knowing that we’ve been on borrowed time.
As soon as her brother gets out, he’s going to come looking for us; he’s going to want revenge for what I did, and I care too much about these girls who have become my family to let that happen.
“Can you get those blueprints?” I look over to Selena.
“I can get anything.” She raises her eyebrow at me for even asking.
“We’re going to need to be organised; none of this can be left to chance.” I almost get knocked off my chair when Polly wraps her arms around my neck.
“I knew you’d go for it. This is going to be so much fun. I’ve never been to a ball before.”
“And you're not going to one now. I’m sorry Pol…but if we’re doing this, I’m the only one entering that building.”
“You can’t. Grace, if you get caught…” Sophia stands up and shakes her head.
“If I get caught, then you girls take care of each other. There's no point in us all taking the risk. I’m the most experienced. There's plenty you can all do to make this happen, but I’m the one taking the initial risk. I’m the reason we all have to look over our shoulders when Jonah gets out. ” I smile at Polly awkwardly.
“How long do we have to prepare?” Sophia looks to Polly.
“Just under a month. I’ll get right on the dress design. If you’re going to that party, you’re going to have to pass as a lady.” She claps her hands and rises to her feet, pulling both Sophia and me into a hug.
“You really think we can pull this off?” Sophia asks, looking excited and scared all at the same time.
“I don’t think we have much choice.” I feel the anxiety knot my stomach, and hear the screams of my own terror fill my ears.
“Selana.” Polly encourages Selena to join us and gets a raised middle finger as a response.
“Okay, let's get to work.” I break away and take the piece of paper in my hand to Selena. “David Stokes’ paranoid wife is gonna have to wait to see if he’s cheating.
I need you to work on getting these blueprints.
We’re also going to need to know how advanced the Ravenshaw security is.
Sophia, I want to know everything there is to know about that new duke.
Look on all the socials, check the tabloids.
This guy can’t just have come from nowhere. ”
“I’ll keep my ear to the ground at the boutique. I’m sure I can get my hands on some very bougie fabric. I have the perfect idea for a dress,” Polly adds, already pulling her sketchbook from her satchel.
“I’m going to need to make a few trips over to Fairfax; check the place out a few times before this goes down.
I want a few escape routes planned out.” I pull up Google Maps on my phone so I can start looking at options.
“You do realise if we pull this off, our lives are gonna change?” Sophia smiles, and I feel a whole lot of pressure to ensure that happens.
“Then let's hope we pull it off.” I smile back, encouragingly.