Page 22 of The Housebreaker's Assistant
For several seconds after that, Penny and Brutus stared at each other. Greer fought off an inconvenient stab of jealousy. He didn’t have any claim over Penny, but he didn’t like that Brutus obviously knew something about his ginger friend that he did not.
“Is this mission you wish me to accomplish with Greer payment for that?” Penny asked tentatively.
“Not at all,” Brutus said with a smile, taking the glass of wine Valentine knelt beside the table to offer him. “But I would think that you, of all people, would understand the necessity of rescuing a young man held captive from his fate.”
Penny paled. When Valentine offered him a cup, he shook his head and waved it away. “I cannot leave London,” he said the same thing he’d told Greer half a dozen times already, but with a new note of grief in his voice.
Brutus wasn’t expecting the refusal any more than Greer had. “Is there a reason why?” he asked.
“I have a sister,” Penny said at once. “She’s…delicate. I cannot abandon her at the boarding house where we currently live. Mrs. Hunt hates her and has threatened to turn her out if I ever disappear on her.”
Brutus frowned in concern. “Surely, for the right sum, Mrs. Hunt might be convinced to allow your absence.”
Penny shook his head. “She won’t. Helen is…she’s…she’s like a child, though she’s well into her twenties.”
“She’s mad?” Titus asked.
“Don’t say that!” Penny shouted with surprising feeling. “Don’t you ever call her that. Helen isn’t mad. She’s not damaged. She’s an angel.”
“I am sorry,” Titus said, holding up a hand to make peace.
“I’ve met her,” Greer stepped in, wondering whether it was the right thing to do. “She’s a sweet and innocent soul, but utterly incapable of caring for herself in any way. She would be taken to an asylum if Mrs. Hunt turns her out.”
“I see,” Brutus said with a frown.
The conversation ground to a stop. It was plain to Greer that Brutus did not know what to do about the unexpected turn of events. Penny looked uncertain as well. He finally took up the cup Valentine had cleverly left in front of him. When he took a sip, his brow flew up in surprise, likely at the quality of the wine.
An idea flew into Greer’s head out of nowhere. Perhaps it was the way Valentine had anticipated all of their needs or the general air of contentment from the young men who had once nearly died on the street. Whatever it was, it caused him to blurt out, “What if the Den sheltered Helen while Penny and I went to Cornwall?”
Brutus, Titus, and Penny all looked shocked at the idea.
“This isnotthe sort of place I want my sister to reside,” Penny said with a brittle laugh.
“This is only one part of the Den,” Brutus said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. “There are rooms within the compound that never see this sort of decadence.”
“We cannot become responsible for a woman whose requirements might be more than we are capable of fulfilling,” Titus argued.
“If you did take my sister in, would you feed her and make sure she was washed, clothed, and comfortable?” Penny asked carefully. Greer could practically see his mind racing to determine the balance between risk and reward.
“No one at The Zagreus Den ever goes hungry,” Brutus said. It wasn’t a promise, but Greer could see he, too, was weighing the idea of giving Helen shelter.
“We cannot commit to something that could prove disruptive for all without knowing whether the investment would be worthy,” Titus said, once again being the stubborn one. Or perhaps the voice of reason.
“Are you saying I couldn’t accomplish this Cornwall castle-break?” Penny asked, his cockiness shining through his concern.
Greer liked it. More than liked it. He found himself wanting to charge castle walls and swim infested moats with Penny at his side, if only for fun.
“I am saying that you’re a pickpocket,” Titus said. “You’re not even a housebreaker’s apprentice.”
“I could do it,” Penny argued. “You’re the ones who believe I can do it. You told Greer to seek me out and ask me to help him.”
Greer’s smile dropped. “I do not need help.”
Penny twisted to stare at him. “Then what is all this for?”
Greer didn’t have an answer. He didn’t need help breaking into any house in England. He did like the idea of slipping into Penny’s trousers, though.
“I propose a test,” Brutus said after a few moments of puzzled silence.
