all, they knew all but nothing about one another.
Or did they?
Pulling back, Caroline looked into his eyes, shrouded in the dim light, gazing at her through the openings in the black mask he wore. She felt his pulse thud beneath her fingertips and his warm breath tickle her skin. For a moment, she wanted nothing more than to tear the disguise from his face and look at him.
And yet, she didn’t. What would happen once this illusion shattered? What would happen once she knew who he was?
For a part of Caroline whispered that she did know him.
That she’d met him before.
That he was no stranger.
Her heart beat wildly in her chest as she contemplated what to do. The spark in his eyes, the way they looked into hers, the way they lingered and trailed over her face felt oddly familiar. If only she knew…
“Have we met before?” she asked, and her breath caught when his hands stiffened on her waist. “We have, have we not?”
Releasing her, the masked man moved over to the other side of the carriage.
“I’m right, am I not?” Caroline pressed, still wondering if she truly wished to know. “Take off your mask.”
Again, he chuckled and, yet, the sound was a bit strangled. “I will not.”
“Why?”
He sighed. “For the same reason you don’t want anyone to know where you go at night.”
Caroline paused as her gaze swept over him.
From the first—even when he’d tried to rob her—he’d been respectful toward her…if one could call it that. Although he certainly could have, he’d never forced his attentions on her. Instead, he’d protected her and, so far, he had not uttered a word about betraying her secret. He had not asked for money or anything else of value in return for his silence.
“Why do you rob people?” Caroline asked, trying to look behind his mask. “You said you only rob those who are undeserving of what they possess.” Her gaze narrowed. “What do you do with the money you steal? Do you use it for yourself? Or…?”
“That is none of your concern,” he rebuffed her, his voice strained and defensive.
Caroline chuckled. “Our roles seem oddly reversed.”
He smiled at her then.
The carriage pulled to a halt with a sudden jerk that Caroline slid off her seat, her arms and legs too wobbly to keep her on the bench.
Fortunately, her companion’s reflexes did not seem dulled at all for his hands whipped forward with startling speed and caught her before she dropped to the carriage’s floor.
“Thank you,” Caroline huffed out, her breath coming fast as she held on to his arms to stagger to her feet.
“You need sleep,” he remarked, and she could all but hear his brows rising in emphasis, urging her to heed his words. Because of the mask, however, she could not be certain.
“You may be right,” she conceded, sinking back down onto her seat. Then she lifted the curtain and glimpsed out the window, recognizing the house out front, a few doors down from her own home. Her heart slammed to a halt as she glanced up and down the pavement and, yet, she found the usual fear of discovery to be absent.
“You should go,” her companion stated, “inside and to bed.”
Caroline chuckled, feeling strangely at ease. She knew there was still reason for concern, but for the life of her, she could not seem to muster the appropriate emotion. Perhaps she was simply too exhausted.
Casting him a weak smile, she moved to the door, then paused. “Will I see you again?”
“Do you want to?” he asked, warmth in his voice.
“I’m not certain, but I think so,” she whispered, knowing she ought to feel embarrassed for stating her thoughts so openly.
Leaning forward, he met her eyes. “Then you will.” It sounded like a promise, and Caroline wondered at the warmth it sent through her, touching every fiber of her being.
“Good night,” she whispered before stepping outside. Her eyes moved up and down the pavement as she stepped into the shadows and then proceeded onward with quick and silent steps. Her right hand held her hood in place, ensuring that no one would see her face. Fortunately, the street remained deserted.
However, after she stepped through the servants’ gate and then headed to the back of the house, Caroline froze when movement caught her eyes.
Instantly, her eyes whipped open and she shrunk deeper into the shadows by the wall, her gaze drawn to her cousin’s window.
Oddly enough, it stood wide open.
What was even more odd was the rope that