Fiona gave her ivory skirts a complacent flick. “I do not believe in settling. When the right gentleman comes along, I will know. I have excellent instincts when it comes to men.”
Pippa wished she had Fi’s confidence. She hated that her marriage had made her doubt her instincts when it came to relationships. She’d believed Longmere was her one true love…and now she had to confront the truth that he wasn’t. At least the dagger of guilt didn’t twist as strongly as before.
Maybe it was because Cull had opened her eyes to things that had been missing in her marriage. Not just physical pleasure. She enjoyed spending time in Cull’s company, their banter and getting to know one another. For all his rough edges, he was a complex man. When he’d taken off his mask last night, he’d revealed another layer, and his vulnerability had touched her.
He never hid his admiration for her. His unconditional respect. With Cull, she felt worthy and special. It was the opposite of what she’d felt with her husband: the desperate fear that she wasn’t good enough, that she needed to be more, something other than who she was.
The insight allowed her to say quietly, “There is no need to rush into anything, Fi. Discover who you are first. Then find the man who values you exactly as you are.”
“Hear, hear.” Fi raised her teacup in a toast.
They all leaned in to clink their cups together. A moment later, the door opened, and Charlie and Cull entered. His mask and threadbare blue frock coat did not detract from his brawny appeal. His gaze searched her out, and her heart thudded at the proprietary flare in his rich chocolate eyes.
“Mr. Cullen and I have agreed to a partnership for our present case,” Charlie announced.
Pippa exhaled a thankful breath.
Cull raised his brows at her. As if to say,Did you doubt me?
When he took the chair next to hers, Pippa said in an undertone, “How did you convince her?”
“I’ll tell you later,” he murmured. “Tonight?”
Although her first impulse was eager agreement, she paused.
This is an affair. Don’t get too attached. Put your independence first.
“I have plans,” she said cautiously.
Edwin had expected her to be at his disposal. She had made herself available to him, rearranging her schedule at his whim. Back then, she’d thought of it as doing her duty as a good wife but thinking of it now made resentment flare. Would Cull also expect her to jump at his bidding?
“Tomorrow, then?” Cull seemed unperturbed.
With burgeoning relief, she nodded because she did want to see him.
He rewarded her with his crooked smile.
“Mr. Cullen and I have discussed a plan for tracking down Lady Hastings’s killer,” Charlie said. “As it turns out, all roads lead to Rome; his reconnaissance and ours have led to the same conclusions. While Lady Hastings feared her husband, the codicil to her father’s will suggests that Viscount Hastings had no motive to kill her…in fact, he had four hundred thousand reasons to keep her alive.”
“Did Lady Hastings know about the codicil?” Pippa asked with a frown. “She never mentioned it.”
Cull responded. “According to Turner’s solicitor Fanshawe, Turner specifically instructed that the codicil was to be kept a secret from his daughter. He remained angry at her for choosing Hastings, whom he believed to be a fortune hunter, but he also believed that one should lie in the bed of one’s own making, so to speak. Although he knew Julianna was unhappy, he wanted grandchildren and used the codicil as a means of leverage with Hastings. Fanshawe claims the only people who knew about the codicil’s existence were Hastings and the two beneficiaries, Howard Morton and Louis Wood.”
“It makes sense that Hastings would keep the codicil a secret from his wife,” Charlie said in a hard tone. “Since she was already suspicious of him, knowing that he was bedding her to get his hands on the rest of her fortune would have increased her resistance.”
“Does this mean we cross Hastings off our suspect list?” Glory furrowed her brow. “Let us not forget that Lady Hastings was afraid of him.”
“I agree that Hastings cannot be summarily discounted as a suspect.” Charlie took a meditative sip of tea. “But we must focus on the two new suspects as well.”
“The wheels are in motion,” Cull said. “I’ve started compiling the basics on Morton and Wood, including their financials, relationships, any gossip circulating about them, etcetera. Morton is taking more time as he lives in Hertfordshire. The dossiers should be ready within a few days and will help us decide where to focus our energies.”
“When I spoke with Wood at Lady Hastings’s funeral, he presented himself as a loyal retainer to the Turners,” Pippa said. “He made no mention of the codicil. In fact, he pointed me toward Hastings as the killer…but now I wonder if that was a ruse. I hope my conversation with him didn’t tip him off to our investigation.”
“Your plan was logical, given the facts at the time. From here on in, we’ll have eyes on Wood. The good news is the legal rigamarole required to disburse Turner’s funds apparently takes time. Neither Wood nor Morton will be going anywhere until they have their money,” Cull said. “And, as of this morning, I have another lead. A possible murder weapon.”
Pippa’s eyes rounded. “You found the weapon used to kill Lady Hastings?”
Cull casually removed an object bundled in green baize from a pocket of his frock coat. He set it upon the coffee table, parting the fabric to reveal a pistol. The piece was compact and elegant, designed to fit in a gentleman’s pocket. The blued steel of the twin barrels flowed like water into the smooth walnut handle. Stylish double gold bands encircled the wooden grip.
