“We’re asking the questions,” Cull growled.
“Right-o, no need to get nasty.” Warily, Ellis went on, “When I saw Mary that night, she was acting rather strange.”
“Explain,” Cull said.
“First of all, it’s not exactly the done thing to hunt one’s brother down at an establishment like The Enchanted Rose,” Ellis said wryly. “But Mary’s always been bull-headed. Not her fault, though.” Affection crept into his voice. “She wouldn’t have survived an upbringing like ours otherwise. That night, she was agitated and said she needed a favor. She knew I had a set of pocket pistols, and she wanted one of them. When I asked her why, she said she needed it for protection. So I gave it to her.
“The truth is, I’ve been worried about Mary. It’s been nearly three weeks since I’ve heard from her…and I think she was mixed up in some shady business.”
Cull exchanged a grim look with Pippa. The timing of Mary’s disappearance coincided with the death of Julianna Hastings. What were the two women mixed up in together?
“Why do you say that?” Pippa asked.
“In the last year, Mary was always flush in the pocket. My sister’s a talented actress, but she wasn’t making that blunt treading the boards. I assumed she’d found a rich protector.” Ellis shrugged. “When I asked her about it, she laughed and said,‘Better than that. I’ve found myself a rich husband.’”
Pippa’s shoulders stiffened, and Cull knew they shared similar thoughts. Had Julianna Hastings hired Mary Brown to take her place so that she could escape the husband she loathed? And then, when she was ready to leave her marriage permanently, had she used Mary Brown to do it?
“I assumed she was joking. Mary had an odd sense of humor.” Ellis glanced at Pippa, then Cull, his expression growing suspicious. “You don’t mean Mary harm, do you?”
“No,” Pippa assured him. “We are investigators. We’re trying to discover what happened to one of our clients, who may have involved Mary in a dangerous scheme.”
Paling, Ellis said, “You don’t think something…happened to my sister, do you?”
“Does Mary have any birthmarks or distinguishing physical characteristics that could be used to identify her?” Cull asked.
Ellis shook his head. “Something has happened to her, then?”
“We don’t know for certain.” Pippa gentled her voice. “But there is a chance, yes.”
A spasm crossed Ellis’s features, and Cull knew then that the man had been telling the truth. Because he knew that look of pain. It stemmed from the knowledge that one had failed one’s sibling, and it was too late to right the wrong.
In Ellis’s case, it was almost a certainty.
Cull’s chest knotted. For him, it wasn’t quite too late. Not yet.
“Could you give us your sister’s address?” Pippa asked.
Nodding, Ellis drew a slow breath. “If you…if you find out anything about my sister, will you let me know?”
“We will,” Pippa promised.
The next morning, Pippa woke up alone in her bed. She wasn’t surprised; Cull had stayed the night but told her he had to leave early. Rolling over, she buried her face in his pillow, inhaling his delicious scent as memories of last night assailed her.
A part of her couldn’t believe what she’d done with Cull in a room full of strangers. At the time, it had felt right…arousing. Yet on the journey home, Cull had been brooding and taciturn, and her thoughts had grown increasingly anxious.
How could you have made such an exhibition of yourself? What were you thinking? Can you blame Cull for being disgusted with your shameful behavior?
Her tension had mounted until she couldn’t stop herself from blurting out an apology. She’d hated how small she sounded. At the same time, she couldn’t deny that shehadbeen reckless. Had Cull not played his part so brilliantly, the outcome could have been disastrous. She realized that, in her efforts to assert her independence, she might have gone a bit too far.
In her marriage, she’d always been the follower, never the leader. Her relationship with Cull was an intricate dance that went back and forth; she loved having him for a partner, but she felt as if she were just learning the steps. Sometimes she stumbled; sometimes she stepped on his toes. Yet she trusted him not to let her fall…and wasn’t that the most important thing?
All of this had come out in a confused babble. Halfway through, Cull had silenced her…with his mouth. Then with his hands and cock. His possession had been savage, his vigorous plowing thumping her back against the carriage wall. She’d climaxed repeatedly. After her fourth or fifth time—she’d lost count—he’d pulled out with a roar, jerking himself to a hot finish upon her bared breasts.
Afterward, he gathered her close, saying quietly, “Don’t ever apologize for your desires, Pippa. I’m not your dead husband. To me, you’ll always be perfect as you are.”
She’d been too relieved and sated to quibble over her so-called perfection.
Now Cull was gone, and she already missed him. He’d told her he would be busy today, but he planned to meet her tomorrow night. At her parents’ house.Sending up a silent prayer, she decided to cross that bridge when she got there. That is, if the family affair did not cause her to throw herself over said bridge.
