“I don’t need a quack. The bullet barely grazed me.”
For heaven’s sake,she thought in exasperation.The man is acting as if he gets shot every day.
Then she realized that perhaps thiswasn’tunusual for him. This tough, brawny fellow who seemed inclined to protect all those around him…except himself.
“At the very least, the injury should be examined,” she insisted. “Then we can decide whether a physician is required.”
He gave her a brooding look. “We?”
“Since you clearly cannot be trusted to take care of the wound,” she said tartly, “I had better look at it.”
His stony countenance awakened her inner butterflies. She didn’t know how to interpret it…or the dark energy coming off him in waves.
“Come inside, then,” he said.
Pippa took in Cull’s residence with a mixture of fascination and curiosity. The “Nest,” he’d explained, housed upward of two hundred mudlarks. At present, many of them seemed to be hanging from the rafters of the high-ceilinged great room. Others congregated around the scarred trestle tables, where they alternated between digging into the heaping platters of food and throwing morsels at one another. Still others lounged on the room’s battered furnishings, playing cards, palavering, or napping.
The place was absolute mayhem. It looked like it hadn’t had a proper cleaning in weeks. Maybe ever.
“What did I say about swinging from the lights?” Cull’s voice boomed.“Off.”
Three children dropped from the heavy metal ring of the chandelier onto a table, chortling as they ran off to engage in some other mischief. Seeing those tots play warmed Pippa as much as the fire crackling in the massive stone hearth. For shining through the dirt and disorder was that rare, sought-after vein of happiness. She was reminded of the loving chaos of her own childhood home. Of witnessing the foundlings at the Hunt Academy flourish under caring attention.
An unexpected wave of longing washed over her. As Longmere hadn’t gotten on with her family nor approved of her being so “hands-on” with the foundlings, she’d spent less and less time at the academy. Since Longmere’s death, she hadn’t returned. Not out of a lack of interest but because she was…ashamed.
Of how easily she’d given up the people and work she loved. Of how readily she’d traded her independence—herself—to gain her husband’s approval.
“I’ve been looking for a housekeeper,” Cull said. “They are surprisingly hard to come by.”
The brusque words made her realize that he had been studying her. That he’d misinterpreted her silent anguish as a reaction to his home.
“What makes a home isn’t the housekeeping but the welfare of those inside. Your larks look happy and healthy,” she said quietly.
He grunted. “They’re a pack of bleeding savages.”
His gruff affection did that funny thing to her insides again. When she’d first met Longmere, he’d given her butterflies too. The thought chilled her.
Timothy Cullen and his mudlarks are no concern of yours,she reminded herself.You came to tell him to leave you alone, remember?See to his wound, deliver your message, and get out.
“Where do you want me to look at your arm?” she asked abruptly.
“We’ll use the infirmary.”
She knitted her brows. “You have an infirmary?”
Cull suddenly looked behind her, barking, “What did I just say, Teddy?”
Pippa’s heart seized when she saw that a ginger-haired boy had snuck back onto the chandelier and was swinging upside down by his knees. Suddenly, he lost his hold, plummeting head-first to the ground.
Swearing, Cull raced over.
Thankfully, the boy got to his feet and appeared generally undamaged.
“I ain’t feeling so good,” he said woozily.
“Maybe next time you’ll listen, Teddy.” Sighing, Cull hauled the tot under his good arm, carrying him like an untrained puppy. “Come with us.”
From the great room, Pippa followed Cull through a warren of passageways. Anyone unfamiliar with the Nest would get lost in the winding maze, and she kept her steps brisk to keep up with her host. As they passed various chambers, she noted with some surprise the resemblance with the Hunt Academy. There were dormitories for the boys and girls, and what appeared to be…classrooms?
