We’ll bring your killer to justice, Julianna,Pippa thought fiercely.So that you may rest in peace.
Aloud, Pippa said, “I appreciate your efforts. Might we go to the bedchamber?”
Hastings’s laugh skittered down her spine. “That is an excellent suggestion. Come, my sweet.”
As she took the smooth, manicured hand he offered, she was reminded of Cull’s touch. The honest strength of his callused hands, which had shown her such pleasure. She hadn’t seen or heard from him since their last encounter at the Nest. She wondered what he would do if he knew what she was up to…and shivered.
What you do is none of his business,she chided herself.Concentrate on your mission.
In a practiced move, Hastings maneuvered her upon the bed. His weight pressed her into the mattress, his mouth wet and heavy on hers. She moaned in pretended delight, waiting for the drug to take effect. Was it her imagination or did he feel heavier, as if his muscles were relaxing?
She took advantage, rolling atop him. He looked up at her with glazed eyes.
“Allow me,” she said in a sultry voice and began to unbutton his jacket.
“Eager wench, aren’t you?” His words were slurred, his pupils dilated. “Well, prepare for the biggest, hardest…”
His eyelids closed before she got to the final button.
About dashed time.
She continued undressing him, huffing a little as she turned him over to tug off his clothes, tossing them on the ground as if they’d been removed in a passionate frenzy. Pulling down his smalls, she had to roll her eyes; Hastings’s opinion of himselfandhis manhood were obviously inflated. Throwing a blanket over his naked form, she raced out of the chamber. She descended to the main floor, taking the servants’ stairs down to the kitchens, where she opened the back door.
Her fellow Angels were waiting, dressed to blend in with the cover of night.
“How did things go?” Livy asked as Glory and Fi trooped in behind her.
“The sleeping draught worked like a charm,” Pippa replied. “When he awakes, he’ll think he fell asleep after a tumble. The draught only lasts an hour, so we had better hurry.”
Livy stuck her hand out, the other Angels doing the same.
“Sisters first.”They whispered their motto before splitting up.
Pippa and Glory went to search the upstairs floor while the other two made a beeline for Hastings’s study.
“Lady Hastings’s suite is on the left,” Pippa whispered.
With a nod, Glory turned toward the lady’s chamber and Pippa returned to Hastings’s.
The suspect remained snoring on the bed. Pippa worked stealthily, methodically going through his bedchamber and dressing room. Despite Hastings’s dire financial straits, he spared no expense when it came to himself. His fashions were of the highest quality, and he had more cravats than a dog had fleas. Her eyebrows rose at what she found beneath his stockings in a bottom drawer: a stash of opium and a volume titledMiss Fanny and the House of Flagellation.
Hearing a moan from the bed, Pippa hurried back to check on him. Luckily, Hastings had merely turned on his side, snoring again. She tiptoed to his desk, scribbling a note to thank him for the “unforgettable night” before meeting Glory at the stairs.
“I didn’t find anything,” she said in a low voice. “You?”
Glory’s russet ringlets swung as she shook her head. “Someone must have gone through Lady Hastings’s room. All her personal effects are gone. I hope the others had better luck.”
They found their friends in the study. Livy and Fi were at Hastings’s desk, studying documents laid out on the blotter.
Seeing their pleated brows, Pippa asked, “What are you reading?”
Livy looked up, her eyes troubled. “It appears to be a codicil to Jonas Turner’s will.”
“And it explains how Viscount Hastings convinced the inspectors that he did not have motive to kill his wife,” Fiona said starkly.
Pippa followed her friends out the back door into the gated garden.
“Hawker’s meeting us around the corner,” Glory began.
