The crevices deepened around Wood’s mouth. He seemed to be fighting himself. Torn, perhaps, between his butler’s code of discretion and his loyalty to the Turners.
“Why do you ask, my lady?” he asked.
“Because I want to see justice served,” Pippa said truthfully.
Wood’s gaze flickered. After a pause, he said in a low voice, “As you said, my lady was not content in her marriage.”
“Did you ever see Lord Hastings threaten her or hurt her in anyway?”
“Not physically. But my lord had a way of cutting her down.”
Pippa’s throat cinched. She knew that words could wound as well as a blade.
“More than once, I found Lady Hastings in tears,” Wood said somberly. “Her lady’s maid observed her distress as well.”
“On the night she was killed, do you know where Lord Hastings was?”
“He was out all night,” Wood said flatly. “He did not return until dawn.”
“Do you know if anyone else might have wished Lady Hastings harm?”
The doorbell rang, and the butler straightened as if remembering his duty.
“I cannot think of anyone. I have said too much as it is.” His bow was rigid. “If you’ll excuse me, my lady.”
“Yes, of course. And Wood…thank you.”
He inclined his head and went to direct the newcomers.
Pippa headed back to the drawing room and reconvened with Livy.
“The lady’s maid said that her master and mistress fought constantly,” Livy whispered. “Lady Hastings was often reduced to tears by her husband’s cruel words.”
“The butler said much the same.” Pippa chewed on her bottom lip. “We need to search the house. Look for evidence to link Hastings to his wife’s murder.”
“But how…”
Just then, Pippa’s gaze collided with Hastings’s. Under ordinary circumstances, the predacious interest in his eyes would have made her skin crawl. Right now, it fueled her resolve.
Pippa drew her shoulders back and donned a come-hither smile.
To Livy, she said softly, “Leave it to me.”
The next evening, Cull met with the physician in a private room of the infirmary. “How is Ollie faring?”
“Better each day,” Dr. Abernathy said. “Four days after the trauma, the lad is beginning to recall snippets of his past. He cannot remember the events surrounding his injury, but this is not unusual. I expect to see improvements day by day.”
Cull nodded. For a quack, Abernathy seemed like a competent and honest fellow. In truth, Cull had only one complaint about the man. Years ago, while recuperating at the Hunts, Cull had been treated by Dr. Abernathy, who he remembered as being a crusty Scot with beetled brows.
ThisAbernathy was the son of the other one, now happily retired. In his twenties, Douglas Abernathy had the sort of clean-cut handsomeness that was a magnet for female attention. During his initial visit, he and Pippa had been full of smiles, chatting like the best of friends.
A dazzled Mrs. Needles had privately said to Cull that she couldn’t believe such a celebrated physician had come to see their Ollie. Apparently, Abernathy was a favorite among the ladies of the Queen’s Court…big surprise there. Cull would bet Abernathy had “attended to” plenty of high-kick ladies. He couldn’t help but wonder if the doctor had ever treated Pippa. The thought of another man seeing her in a state of undress or putting his hands on her, for any reason, shot up the pressure in Cull’s veins.
He’d been ruminating about Pippa and her stunning confessions:
First of all, being with a “toff” won’t make me happy.
Did she truly mean that? She had trusted her body to Cull, but the agreement had only been for one night. When it came to an actual relationship, could she overlook their differences in class?
