Page 36 of Gilded Locks

Her eyes locked on the piece of parchment, and she stepped forward. The man flinched away, pulling the letter back. “This is my response.”

Grace went for the letter again, but he continued to retreat.

Keeping his eyes on her, he bent down and laid the envelope on the ground.

“You, Grace Robbins, are dangerous.”

She smiled and offered a surprisingly authentic “Thank you.”

He chuckled.

“To be continued tomorrow,” the Rogue said, and dashed away loudly.

Grace almost followed him, but instead she walked over to pick up his letter.

She wasn’t going to convince him to stop tonight. He was too jumpy after her attempt to snatch his mask. Maybe there was something to be gleaned from his response.

Lady of the Sunset Locks,

I am left with only the option of stating truth and requesting trust I have not earned.

It has not escaped my notice that you are a woman of intelligence whom I am certain will contend with skill that I am not prepared to combat. And yet, I must beg you to refrain from attempting to stop me.

My aim is valiant: to repair what has been damaged in Fidara before it is too late. The mayor and the sheriff are planning something. I don’t know what exactly, but your family’s name is in the whispers. Whatever they have planned, I hope to discover. If I cannot, know this, at least—harvest marks danger for you.

Decades have passed since this mantle was last taken up. That is a long time for an advocate to turn his back. But I beg you to believe this symbol is still worth relying on.

If you cannot join me, then please, do what you can to protect yourself.

I await your reply.

With sincerity,

A Friend

Grace felt her stomach drop to her toes. Her family’s name was in whispers. What did that mean? She hadn’t heard a thing herself, and Father and Mother would have brought up any dangerous rumors with her, wouldn’t they?

Except, they still didn’t see her as one of them, not truly. Might they keep such a secret from her?

She didn’t want to believe it.

The Rogue could be lying. Would James do that? How well did she know him, really? He hadn’t let her very close.

Then, with a zap of clarity, Grace knew James was telling the truth.

Garrick Clairmont. This was why the son of the sheriff had been following her, at the market, at the picnic, and the night she’d gone to old Mayor Kavanah’s home. It may even be why he and his father had done nothing about the fact that she’d been prowling Craftsman Ridge at night. He was a part of whatever the sheriff and mayor were planning.

She’d known something was wrong.

And her parents hadn’t believed her.

What was she going to do?

Chapter 10

What was he going to do?

He spent an hour pacing a rut in his room.

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