“There are all sorts of losses.” When his brother Finn had been sent to prison, he’d felt as though the iron door had been shut on him as well. He’d mourned the loss of someone who had been a part of his days, his nights. But fury had tempered the grief, and he’d known he’d see Finn again. Her husband was now lost to her forever. “I’ve been spared the misery of death.”

“You’re fortunate. I’m all of twenty-five and have had far too much to mourn.”

Her husband might not have brought her pleasure in bed, but it was obvious she’d cared for him.

The carriage rolled to a stop, and she appeared uncertain, even as she angled her chin in an attempt to put on a brave front. “We’ve arrived.”

For the life of her, she couldn’t explain why she’d gone to him, asked him to accompany her. She’d known only that she’d longed for his company, but not in the role of a lover—simply as a friend. A friend who laughed when she bested him. Knowing she would give away her identity no longer seemed to matter as she was relatively certain he’d have figured it out eventually. They conversed far more than she’d anticipated, but she found she rather liked it. And if she required naught but silence as they strolled through the cemetery, she knew he would sense her needs and provide only his presence.

If they’d been allowed to stroll within. But when they reached the gates, and he held the lamp he’d taken from inside the carriage aloft, she could do little more than stare in overwhelming disappointment at the padlock that held them securely closed. “I’d not considered that they’d lock it up for the night.”

“To discourage graverobbers I suspect. If you can spare two hairpins, I’ll unlock it for you.”

“Are you also a thief, then?”

His grin, somewhat self-mocking, flashed in the night. “My brother was.”

Glancing around, she realized if constables were wandering about, they might be arrested. No, they would not. Her position would see her needs indulged. Reaching up, she removed two pins and handed them to him.

“Hold this.” He extended the lamp toward her, which she took without hesitation. He crouched, balancing on the balls of his feet, an extremely masculine pose. “Bring the light nearer, so I can see.”

Again she followed his order, watched as he placed one hairpin between his teeth, securing it as he straightened it with his fingers, then did the same to the other. “So your brother thought you might need this skill at some point?”