Chapter 3 #2
“That’s right,” Penny said, eating a chunk of cheese, then standing to head to the corner to check whether they had enough water for him to wash. “And if we keep earning our pennies, we’ll have enough to move to the countryside soon.”
“Penny!” Helen said, lighting up at what she mistook for his name.
“That’s right, love,” Penny said, starting to unbutton his shirt after seeing there was enough water. “And this Penny loves you.”
“I love you, too, brother,” Helen said, beaming at him.
Penny blew her a kiss, then ducked behind the screen to remove the rest of his clothes so he could wash.
“Finish up your supper, now,” he called as he dunked the sponge into the water and brought it around to his backside with a wince.
“Penny has to go out again to find more bread tonight, but I’ll tell you a story before I go. ”
“I love stories,” Helen said excitedly.
In so many ways, the life Penny shared with his sister was so simple and pure. Helen didn’t have a care in the world apart from a little occasional labor set for her by Mrs. Hunt. At least, she didn’t have cares that she was aware of.
In truth, her position was so precarious that it kept Penny up at night.
He was serious when he told her he wanted to take her out to the countryside someday.
He’d heard about farms where people like Helen were kept, safe and happy, and where they were treated with dignity and respect.
Part of him was certain those farms were complete fabrications and that the only place sweet souls like his sister were gathered together under one roof were asylums. But if there was even a slight possibility someplace more beautiful existed, and if he could raise the blunt to pay Helen’s way there, he would.
As soon as he was washed and dressed in a clean shirt and drawers, with his usual trousers and waistcoat back on, he finished up his supper with Helen, then helped her to wash her face and tucked her into bed.
The story he told was the same as always, an adventurous tale about a daring pickpocket on the streets of London who thwarted the cruel gentlemen and gave his earnings to pretty young maids who needed help.
Helen loved his stories, and thankfully, she fell asleep quickly after the tale was done. Penny stood from where he’d sat on the bed with her, brushed a hand over her thin hair, and sighed heavily, choking back tears, as he turned to leave her again.
“Someday,” he said in a whisper. Someday they would be safe, they would have a home.
He avoided Mrs. Hunt and the other tenants on his way out of the house, then hugged himself tightly as he hurried back to the heart of Whitechapel, where he would likely be able to pick a pocket or two before midnight, then fence his stolen goods quickly and be home for a few hours’ sleep before dawn.
He’d only just taken up his usual position observing the crossroads between They Oyster and The Huntsman before none other than Greer O’Toole walked up and then leaned against the wall beside him.
“Penny Frey,” Greer said, glancing sideways at him with a warm smirk.
It was the very last thing Penny should allow himself to feel, but at the sound of Greer’s voice, a wave of ease softened him from the inside out. “Greer O’Toole,” he answered with equal heat. “Come to pay me what I’m worth for what you want at last?”
Greer huffed a laugh, his face flushing. “Not this time,” he said.
Penny swallowed his disappointment. He was still sore and anything he got up to with Greer would likely hurt, but the way his heart felt, the way bone-deep exhaustion pressed down on him, a little stretch and burn would be worth it for an hour or so in Greer’s arms.
“Pity,” Penny said with a shrug, like he didn’t care.
He expected Greer to make some sort of joke, but a strange sort of seriousness surrounded him instead. And it most definitely felt strange. Everything around them felt strange, like the crossroads was too quiet.
Greer’s expression shifted through half a dozen emotions, none of them taking precedence. Penny watched in fascination, trying to decipher what the man was thinking. Clearly, he wanted to say something.
“Might as well just spit it out,” Penny said at last, “since you’re chewing on it so hard and finding it sour.”
Greer smirked, then turned to face Penny. “I…have a job for you,” he said at last, like making the offer was the last thing he wanted to do.
“Do you?” Penny grinned, twisting to face him as well.
They both still partially leaned against the wall, which landed them in a proximity that was likely far too intimate even for the lax morals and general carelessness of that part of Whitechapel.
“I’ve been…handed a commission,” Greer went on, his voice low and sensuous. “An important housebreak.”
“Lucky you,” Penny said, a pinch of longing in his gut. “I’m sure special commissions such as that come with a handsome fee.”
Greer scrunched his face, almost as if he were angry, which made no sense. He pursed his lips, then blurted, “I’ve been told to recruit you for the job.”
Penny’s brow shot up and he pushed away from the wall, standing straighter. “How much does it pay?” he asked, heart suddenly beating fast. If it paid enough, perhaps his dreams of taking Helen somewhere safe wouldn’t be so far off after all.
“I don’t know,” Greer said. When Penny frowned, he went on with, “But the men who want to hire me have access to a great deal of wealth. And I suppose we’d be free to nick whatever baubles and trinkets we could take with us, as long as we steal the main prize.”
“And what’s the main prize?” Penny asked, picturing caskets of treasure or perhaps the famous painting Greer was purported to have once stolen.
Greer said nothing. “Tell me you’ll join me first.”
Penny couldn’t help himself. “You know I’ve wanted to join with you for ages now,” he said with a saucy look.
Greer laughed, low and deep. “There might be time.”
“Might there be?” Penny stroked a finger down the older man’s arm, looking up at him coquettishly.
“The mission comes first,” Greer said, one-upping Penny by brushing the backs of his fingers over the front of his trousers.
Damn him, but Penny reacted to that. “Is that all that’s in it for me?” he asked, leaning so close it would only take a quick dip to smash his mouth against Greer’s.
“I’m sure something could be arranged,” Greer said.
Penny bit his lip, staring at Greer’s mouth for a moment.
He was on the verge of agreeing to whatever Greer wanted, mostly for the money, but partially for the sex, when Greer said, “The job’s in Cornwall.”
Penny froze, then jerked back, gaping at him. “Cornwall?”
Greer nodded. “There’s something some friends of mine want me to retrieve from Trebarral Castle.”
“From a castle?” Penny’s jaw dropped even more.
“It’s the job of a lifetime,” Greer said.
It certainly sounded like it. Penny wouldn’t deny that the thrill of a challenge like that stirred something in him. He and Greer would become legends if they successfully broke into a castle to steal whatever it was Greer’s friends wanted.
But it was, of course, impossible for Penny to agree to anything.
“I can’t leave London,” he said, shaking his head. God only knew what would happen to Helen if Mrs. Hunt thought he’d actually run away and abandoned her.
Greer’s heated look dropped to a stony frown. “It would only be for a fortnight at most.”
“I can’t leave London,” Penny said more firmly.
“Not even if I make the trip worth your while?” Greer asked, leaning all the way into him and cupping Penny’s not-so-soft cock and balls.
Penny caught his breath and fought not to shiver. Just because he knew what his weaknesses were didn’t mean they weren’t weaknesses anymore.
He brought his lips to within a hair’s breadth of Greer’s, like he was about to kiss him. Greer softened his mouth, ready for the kiss, but Penny repeated, “I cannot leave London.”
“You could if—”
That was as far as Greer’s rebuttal got before a sharp whistle sounded from the other side of the street.
“Stay where you are!” a gruff voice shouted. “You’re under arrest by order of Her Majesty the Queen!”
Penny pulled back from Greer and glanced around the suddenly tumultuous street. Uniformed police officers flooded in from two sides while everyone who’d been lingering around, from Gap-Toothed Annie to Branston, burst out of the buildings and their hiding places to scatter.
And here Penny had been cozied up with Greer in plain sight.
“Run!” he shouted, then darted off to what he hoped was safety.