“There is nothing more tedious than insecurity, my dear,”he’d said.
She’d shut up after that. The irony of it was that she’d only discovered her own capacity for adventure after his death. When it was too late. When it no longer mattered how intriguing she became.
The fact that Timothy Cullen—who was not her husband, her family, heranything—would take an interest in her was baffling to say the least. Why would he look out for her and claim to be her friend? At any rate, Pippa needed a man ruling her life like she needed tighter lacing on her corset. She was learning to breathe freely once more, and no overbearing male was going to stop her.
Pippa set her cup down. “I told Cullen in no uncertain terms to stay away from me.”
“Having males constantly underfoot can be tiresome,” Fi drawled.
“You would know.” Glory gave the redhead a teasing look. “I nearly got trampled by your horde of admirers at the ball last week.”
Fi sighed, giving her pristine skirts an expert flick. “There was not an interesting fellow in the bunch. Lemmings, all of them…no offense, Ferdinand.”
“Ferdinand isn’t offended,” Glory replied as the ferret bobbed its head in agreement. “Lemmings are rodents, a different family from ferrets entirely.”
“Is it too much to ask for a suitor who is clever, rich, and attractive?” Fi mused. Then she turned to Pippa. “By the by, you haven’t told us what the fabled prince looks like.”
Big. Muscular. Overwhelmingly masculine.
“I wouldn’t know,” Pippa said casually. “He was wearing a mask.”
Yet her artist’s imagination had filled in the spaces hidden by black leather. She’d pictured the lad she’d known as a full-grown man with blunt cheekbones and rough-hewn features. Raw and powerful lines that defied conventions of beauty.
“Was he tall?” Fi inquired.
Pippa gave a reluctant nod.
“Young?”
“He is a year older than I am.”
“Broad-shouldered? Full head of hair? In possession of all his teeth?”
Pippa dipped her chin grudgingly in response to Fi’s rapid-fire questions.
Fi arched her brows. “And he leftnoimpression upon you?”
The sensation of being pressed up against Cullen’s sinewy ridges flooded Pippa with warmth. Her insides fluttered as she recalled one ridge in particular. His male member had felt shockingly...substantial. Much larger than anything she’d encountered in her marital bed.
Good heavens. I cannot seriously be comparing Cullen’s manhood to Edwin’s.
Fighting back a blush, she answered firmly, “None whatsoever.”
“Then you are a more sensible woman than I am,” Fi said. “If some virile masked stranger came tomyrescue, I would be hopelessly intrigued.”
“If you didn’t need to be rescued,” Glory argued, “wouldn’t you find his interference annoying?”
“It depends.”
“On what?”
Fi’s eyes sparkled. “On what lies behind the mask, of course.”
Livy and Glory chuckled, and even Pippa had to smile at Fi’s irreverence.
“Whatever the case,” Livy said thoughtfully, “what if he obstructs Pippa’s work again? We cannot have him getting in the way.”
“Charlie will have a plan for dealing with him,” Glory said.
