Diamond in the Rough - Vivienne Savage Page 0,11

course not.” He’d never touched a married woman. Of course, there was only one woman for him, and before her, there had been no woman at all, not for quite a long time.

“Oh.” Her inquisitive gaze turned sheepish. “I saw her visiting you only last month, visiting over and over each day. We all wondered at the number of times. And…”

They’d speculated. Nothing new. The shopkeepers of their wealthy merchant row often had nothing else to do when business was slow and the days were long. Unlike Gold Valley where the wares were cheaper and often mass-produced, each of them sold their creations at a higher value.

One purchase was enough that he could shut his store for a day. Such was doubly true for Moiranna, who sold fine jewels and crafted trinkets of such great quality noblemen frequented her storefront to purchase gifts for their mistresses and lovers. Xavier did not often dabble in jewelry, but he would have been tempted to visit Moiranna, if not for his vow to fashion Rosalia a gift with his own hands.

“I’ve no interest in married women, Moiranna. The woman came to commission a gift for her husband.” At her dubious gaze, he sighed and dropped his chin. “And to flirt,” he confessed.

“I knew it!”

“However, I set her straight, and she has not yet returned.”

“Then this was vengeance on her behalf. Perhaps she fibbed and wove a tale worthy of this.”

Xavier shook his head.

“No? I cannot imagine you doing anything to…” Her voice trailed. “Ohhhh! I know what happened.”

Surely, she couldn’t.

“It’s about the girl, isn’t it?”

“Huh?”

“The dancer assassin.”

With great restraint, Xavier managed to maintain a straight face. “Why would you ask that?”

“I saw her enter your store, and Perry said afterward that he saw the two of you wandering hand in hand in the Twilight Gardens.”

Ignoring that she and her husband had come frightfully close to the truth, Xavier shook his head. “It’s a shame what happened to her, but I haven’t seen her. Whatever mischief and misdeeds she may be up to, we are no longer in acquaintance.”

Her stare didn’t ease. “You’re lying.”

Any longer in her presence and he’d begin to actually sweat. For a creature barely over four feet, her stare was unnerving. “Now, wait—”

“Something isn’t right here. I’m not a fool, and I’m not blind. Whenever news of a sighting from her appears in the paper, you are conveniently absent from the city.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, began the internal mantra dominating Xavier’s thoughts.

While he panicked, she righted his shop, already stooping down to sweep bits of machinery from the floor and gather sprockets and gears spilling from a shattered clock.

“I hope you realize you have friends in this community who would do anything to help you, Master Bane. We’re on the same side. We’re outsiders in this kingdom.” She stood on tiptoe to set her bounty of damaged goods on the ground, but she didn’t question him again.

Many things came to mind when Xavier looked upon Moiranna and studied her—really looked at her—and took stock of the earnest expression comprised of genuine outrage on his behalf, and hurt that so much had been spoiled.

In her features, he saw the capacity for a friend and yet another person to trust. The recent days had not afforded them many of the latter, and they were rapidly running out of time. Each day was one day that the crown moved closer to acquiring the jewels, and yet another day that they plotted against him. Their scheming wouldn’t end with the death of the dragon slayers.

What do I have to lose?

The half-gnome would either prove dependable or betray them the moment he turned his back. “How comfortable are you with explosions?” Xavier asked.

Her arched brow provided all the answer he needed. “I’m half-gnome, Master Bane. Explosions are what we do.”

Moiranna crafted a better plan in ten minutes than Xavier could have put together with several days’ time. Due to the infrequency of his interactions with gnomes, Xavier had not realized the sheer magnitude of their potential for mischief until she peered up at him with her dark eyes gleaming. If there was anything gnomes did well, it was explosions. The small folk weren’t to be underestimated.

Equal to his gratitude, he wondered why she would risk herself, her business, and her livelihood on his word alone that the city was in danger, and that the guards were the foot soldiers of a tyrannical king and a wicked sorcerer. Were he in the dark and unaware of