Penelope’s flustered reaction was unanticipated but pleasing to Crow. He wasn’t sure what he had expected when he had offered her a compliment, but he certainly hadn’t thought she would be so startled. Until now, she had been nothing but serious with him. At the very least, he’d thought it would take some coaxing to get her to drop her guard. He had even braced himself for the knight to tell him to shut up or threaten him with her sword again. Instead, she had revealed a bashful side that he hadn’t known existed in her. If she hadn’t been wearing a suit of armor, he might have forgotten he had just made a pass at a trained member of the king’s army.

The thief paused as another thought came to him. Could it be that Penelope actually found him attractive? Considering the way she had treated him until now, he never would have believed it, but the theory [i]did[/i] explain why she would be so embarrassed by his lackadaisical comment. He nearly snorted at the ridiculousness of it. Perhaps a year ago he could have claimed that he was handsome enough to catch the eye of a woman like her, but he had just been released from prison that very morning. The evidence of his time spent behind bars was still visible on his narrow frame from head to foot. His dark hair was matted, his skin was pale, and his clothes were faded and filthy. The chafe marks from the chains that had bound him still decorated his wrists and ankles as well.

Yet, for some reason, Penelope was fazed by his flirting. Maybe he had underestimated his natural charm.

“Low standards?” Crow sat up and raised a brow in mock surprise, putting his amusement aside for now to focus on his goal. “Oh no, love, you misunderstand! I have the refined taste of an aristocrat.” He sidled a little closer to her, taking advantage of her fluster. If he was going to woo her, now seemed like the best chance he was going to get. They were alone inside the wagon, she was squirming, and there was nothing around to interrupt the moment. He flashed her another inviting smile.

“You see, as a thief, I have an eye for things of value. I can tell when something or someone is special at merely a glance, and you caught my attention right away,” his eyes flicked subtly toward the front window of the carriage, where he could see the backs of William and Abraxas’s heads. The two knights didn’t seem to be paying any attention to what was going on behind them. Perfect.

Crow smoothly took Penelope’s hand in his and lifted it to his lips, planting a gentle kiss and looking up at her with a glint of mischief in his eye, “Don’t think for a moment that I have ‘low standards.’ When I tell someone she is beautiful, I mean it.”