Page 43 of To Catch A Rogue
He tugged his waistcoat open, revealing his lock pick set in an inner pocket. "Amateur. Let me stable the horse so he doesn't get a chill from his sweat, then we'll do a little reconnaissance."
"I'll wait by the Bridge of the Four Lions. Make sure no one leaves."
It took him nearly ten minutes to find a place to leave the horse. The boy who took his coin understood only every third word he clearly mangled, but at least he was gentle with the horse.
And if he stole it, well... it belonged to Balfour anyway. Good luck to him.
By the time he returned to the bridge, guarded by its marble lions, there was no sign of Lark.
A pebble hit him in the back of the head.
He spun around, and there she was, hauling herself up onto a nearby rooftop three houses down from their target.
Charlie joined her.
"No guards on the roof," Lark whispered. "I've seen one man in the streets, but no one else."
"So either Malloryn isn't here, or they're really good."
"Preference?"
He considered it. "Malloryn not being here."
Because if the guards were good enough that neither he nor Lark had spotted them, then they were both dead.
Both of them squatted in the shadows and watched the house for ten minutes.
"Where?" Lark asked.
"Third floor, fourth window across. Lock's old, windows are dusty, and there are cobwebs."
"Excellent choice."
He knelt by the edge of the roof and cupped his hands. "Ladies first."
Lark ran at him and leaped into his hands. He tossed her up, and she flew through the air. The second she landed on the narrow ledge, she caught hold of the frame of the window.
Sometimes he just enjoyed watching her in action. She'd always been half-cat, but now she was a blue blood, she took agility to new lengths.
Then it was his turn.
Lark rose up on her toes to peer through the window as Charlie inched along the ledge.
"Want me to fetch a bucket for you to stand on so you can see through the window?" he whispered.
She punched him in the ribs.
"Hey! It's not my fault you stopped growing when we were fifteen." He clapped a hand to his side.
"It's not my fault you shot up like a beanpole."
Charlie shot her a mild look. "I filled out."
Lark ground her teeth together. "So did I."
And quite nicely too.
"I've noticed."
