The tonelessly uttered words squeezed Pippa’s heart. Who would do something so vile…and to achild? The realization rammed into her.
“Is Ollie’s injury related to Lady Hastings’s murder?” she exclaimed.
Cull gave a rough nod. “He was following her.”
“Why?”
Cull said something under his breath. It sounded like, “Because I’m an idiot.”
Pippa knitted her brows. “Pardon?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze not quite meeting hers. “At The Enchanted Rose, you seemed curious about Lady Hastings’s activities. I thought if I provided you with information about her, you might be…pleased.”
Pippa’s jaw slackened. Although Cull’s mask concealed his expression, his hunched shoulders conveyed his discomfiture. She had the wild thought that his face might be ruddy beneath the black leather. Something in her melted as she realized that this big, mysterious underworld prince had tracked Lady Hastings…for her. To please her.
“It was stupid and selfish.” Cull’s jaw was taut. “I should not have put my personal desires before the well-being of my larks. What happened to Ollie is my fault.”
Hearing his self-recrimination, she said haltingly, “You didn’t know what would happen. And Ollie is strong. He will recover.”
“He will. And when he does, he’ll tell us who did this to him and the Hastings woman. And that bastard is going to pay,” Cull vowed.
Suddenly, Pippa understood why the mudlarks were so loyal to their prince. She’d seen it in every interaction between Cull and his charges. He cared for them and took responsibility for their welfare…perhaps putting them before his own wants.
“Now do you understand why I am no good for you?” His eyes smoldered with emotion. “If I fail in my duty as a leader, people around me get hurt. When I left you fourteen years ago, I did the right thing. My mistake was not staying away. You and I belong to different worlds. You deserve a toff who can offer you a carefree life of luxury and ease.”
“That is not what I want,” she whispered.
His chest gave a mighty surge. “I know losing your husband the way you did…it’s affected you. But these risks you’ve been taking won’t heal your broken heart. Nor will spending a night in bed with a cove like me. I shouldn’t have approached you, shouldn’t have taken advantage of your delicate state. You’ve a loyal heart, and if your reaction to our night together proved anything, it’s that you need more time to grieve your husband.”
She stared at him, utterly flummoxed. No man had expressed such earnest interest in her happiness before. Nor had one been so completely and utterlywrong.
She didn’t know if she was touched or exasperated.
“You seem to know a lot about me,” she said.
His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m the bleeding Prince of Larks.”
“For the sake of your reputation, I hope the information you provide your clients proves more accurate.”
He drew his brows together. “What does that mean?”
“It means that most of what you just said about me isincorrect.”
“How so?” He didn’t sound convinced.
“First of all, being with a ‘toff’ won’t make me happy. I have had that, and it’s not an experience I care to repeat,” she said candidly. “Second, howdareyou assume that I am some delicate flower so overwhelmed by grief that I cannot handle a night of passion?”
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “You wept for your husband, Pippa. Like your heart was breaking.”
Irked by his gentle tone, she said, “I wasn’t cryingforLongmere, you nodcock. I was crying for myself.”
“I don’t understand the difference,” he said, angling his head.
“Maybe you would if youaskedme how I was feeling instead of making assumptions.” Annoyance took the edge off her nervousness. Allowed her to speak the truth that their encounter had unlocked. That she’d never given voice to. “Being with you made me realize what I’ve been missing all along. What I never felt in my marriage. I was crying because I finally understood that maybe…maybe there’s nothing wrong with me after all.”
“What could be wrong with you? You’re bloody perfect.”
Cull’s incredulity warmed her, even if he was wrong.
