When he told her what had happened to Fanny, she bolted upright. “Heavens, why didn’t you tell me sooner? Is there anything I can do—”
“Fanny’s fine.” Sitting up against the headboard, Cull curled a finger under her chin, his eyes tender. “We’ll visit her later today, if you wish.”
Pippa nodded. “Yes, please.”
“I’m telling you about Fanny, not as an excuse but to explain why I acted the way I did. Seeing Fanny get hurt because of me…I was terrified.”
“Squibb is to blame, not you,” Pippa said hotly. “You were trying to do the right thing.”
“That is what Grier said. And he set me straight on something else, too.” Cull took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers as he gazed into her eyes. “I’m yours, Pippa. Scars and all. I’ve already made my choice, and that is to love you. To do everything in my power to make you happy and that includes supporting your work with the Angels, your painting, and whatever else you desire. That is what I have to offer.” He dragged in a breath. “In return, if you’re willing to take me on, mudlarks, mayhem, and all, then that isyourchoice to make. And I hope to Christ that you’ll say yes.”
Pippa’s eyes grew misty. “Yes, Cull. A thousand timesyes.”
He kissed her with a tender ardor that set her heart aflame. Other parts of her, too. When he hauled her atop him, she felt the strength of his arousal. She rubbed sinuously against him, painting his thick length with her dew, grinding her pearl against his steely flesh. Growling with approval, he gripped her bottom and urged her on. They teased one another with no hurry or rush, no end in mind save the pleasure of being together.
Gazing down into her lover’s smoldering eyes, she said, “Do you know what the woman inPortrait of a Lady Dreamingdesires more than anything?”
“If you say what we’re doing now, I’ll get hard every time I look at the blasted thing.”
“That’s part of it,” she said with a grin. “But what she wants—what she’s yearned for her whole life—is a love that makes her world bigger instead of smaller. That tears down any walls that try to confine her and makes her feel safe to fly. Because no matter what, she knows that love will always catch her.”
He cupped her cheek, his touch reverent, his gaze reflecting the wonder she felt.
“You are meant to soar,” he said huskily.
“We both are, and we do it better together. You told me once that what you offered your birds was a sanctuary and not a prison,” she said tremulously. “And that is what our love is.”
“Now and forever,” he said.
They sealed their pledge, first with the meeting of their lips, then with their bodies. He surged inside her, and she took him deep, her back bowing with bliss. He guided her hips as she found her cadence, as she filled herself with his love and gave him all of herself in return.
The ride soon grew frantic. When he slid his hands up her spine, urging her to lean forward as he thrust up, she gasped his name. Grunting, he continued shafting her, stroking her pearl with each plunge of his cock. The sparks inside her gathered and exploded into a flame that incinerated her earthly tethers. She soared into rapture, and he followed with a harsh groan, pulling out and drenching her bottom with his hot fulfillment.
They lay together, floating and boneless. Her heart pounded in unison with his, and there was no need for words. Only for kisses and soft touches, until it was time to love again.
Two months later
As Cull entered the Nest, he removed his mask and took in the changes with a feeling of awe. The sparkling windows and tidy sitting areas. The larks dutifully setting the clean tables with crockery. The delicious smells wafting from the platters waiting on the newly polished sideboards. Some days it felt like he had wandered into some fantasy, but this was his reality now.
And he owed it all to Pippa. His beloved…and his betrothed.
He spotted Pippa chatting with Fanny and Mrs. Needles by the fire. Fanny, now fully recovered, was holding Pippa’s left hand, exclaiming over the engagement ring Cull had recently given her. At first, Pippa had wanted to wait out the rest of her mourning period before getting engaged. Wanting to protect her reputation, Cull had agreed.
A few days ago, however, Pippa had entertained her mama-in-law. Cull knew that she dreaded the visits but felt obligated to look after the old harridan. One look at Pippa’s tense features afterward had told Cull that things hadn’t gone well. He’d pulled her into his arms.
“I told the dowager that I had met someone…and she called me a wicked slut.” Pippa’s shaky voice had made Cull want to punch something. “She said that she would never forgive me. That she would not tolerate being in my ungrateful presence unless I recanted my sins.”
“I’m sorry, love,” Cull had murmured.
“I’m not.” To his surprise, the shakiness in Pippa’s voice turned out to be laughter. She tilted her head back, her eyes glowing with mirth. “Now I never have to see the termagant again.”
As a parting gift, she had given the dowagerPortrait of a Lady Dreaming.
“Let her hold onto her fantasy,” Pippa had declared. “I have a life to get on with.”
In the end, Cull had the dowager to thank for moving his nuptial plans along. Pippa had realized that, no matter how long she waited, Society was going to judge her marriage to Cull as scandalous. And she cared not a whit.
Hearing that, Cull had wasted no time in getting down on a bended knee and offering her the ring that he’d carried around in his pocket for weeks. He had already asked for her father’s permission. These days, Cull got on well with Hunt, the two spending long hours discussing the intricacies of the ’Change. As Pippa had predicted, her father was more than willing to impart his business knowledge to the mudlarks.
