" It ain’t what you think, m’lady,” Samuel hastened to say. “I would have returned the purse before the carriage drove off, truly I would. I was just practicing.”
“For what? You’re out of that life now.”
“I got to keep my skills up, because you never know…” He trailed off as if to keep from saying too much.
But he’s already said enough. She knew what he was thinking. Because you never know when you’ll lose a position. Because one day the dream will vanish as so many others have, and you’ll have nothing to stand between you and starvation but your skills. "

― Sabrina Jeffries , Dance of Seduction (Swanlea Spinsters, #4)