It was rare for mudlarks to be treated as children, and precious ones at that. Their innocence was often the cost of survival. Case in point: Ollie still had a bandage wrapped around his head and looked like a war survivor. While he was recovering quickly, his memory of the attack hadn’t returned. The lost, scared look that would come over him tightened Cull’s fists with helpless rage.
Yet Pippa’s glowing warmth drew Ollie and the others out of their protective shells. They laughed with her, vied for her tender attention, and Cull could understand why.
Pippa was everything he’d fantasized about…and more.
Not only was she the embodiment of feminine grace, but she also had strength and courage to spare. When she’d arrived an hour ago, she had been giddy with success.
“It took a few coins to joggle his memory, but the valet said Sir John Forsythe-Legg purchased the set of pistols as a gift for a friend. An actor by the name of Vincent Ellis,”Pippa had reported.“Apparently, Sir Forsythe-Legg and his wife were rather ardent admirers of Mr. Ellis, but Mr. Ellis broke off the friendship. That was about six months ago.”
“What do we know about Ellis?”Cull had asked.
“According to the valet, the actor’s main talent lies in his looks. He said Mr. Ellis was an uncommonly handsome brown-haired gentleman with silver eyes…which describes the man I saw with Lady Hastings at The Enchanted Rose. The man who went by the name ‘Thor.’ To be sure, I did a quick sketch of Thor, and the valet confirmed its likeness to Mr. Ellis.”
When Cull had congratulated Pippa on her victory, she’d given credit to Fair Molly.
“Fair Molly’s reconnaissance made the mission go smoothly.”She’d smiled at the mudlark, whose jaw had slackened at the compliment.“She told me what I needed to know to get the valet to talk. She deserves recognition for her excellent work.”
Cull didn’t think he’d seen Fair Molly blush before.
Thanks to Pippa’s efforts, they knew that Vincent Ellis was the man Lady Hastings had been with the night before her murder. And they could link Ellis to the likely murder weapon. All they had to do now was find the bastard. When Pippa told him the Angels would take on Ellis, Cull hadn’t argued. The mudlarks were getting stretched thin between their work on this case, several others, and the situation with Squibb.
Mrs. Needles emerged from one of the corridors, and Cull nearly groaned when he saw who was with her. From the moment he’d introduced the matron to Fanny Grier, the two had got on like a house on fire. They had many shared interests, their favorite being meddling in Cull’s life.
“What are you doing here, Fanny?” he asked warily.
“Can’t I visit my dear friend Mrs. Needles?” Smirking, Fanny cast a too-interested glance over at Pippa, who now held a chortling Sally on her lap. “And it looks like I’m just in time to meet a new friend of yours. Well, well, Timothy. It does appear you’ve developed a taste for finer things.”
“Her ladyship has a way with children, doesn’t she?” Mrs. Needles said, looking pleased. “Does she have any of her own?”
An image of Pippa rounded with child flashed in Cull’s head, and he had to quell a hot, primal pulse of longing.
“No,” he said. “She was only married a year before her husband passed.”
“Pity that.” Mrs. Needles gave him an unsubtle look. “A woman like her ought to have a husband who gives her a nursery of her own.”
Cull huffed out a laugh. “Surely you are not suggesting that I apply for the position?”
“Why not?” Fanny demanded.
“She’s a countess, to start. No lady with her faculties intact would give up a title and privilege for…” He gestured to the chaos around him. “This.”
“You never know until you ask,” Fanny averred.
What was the point when he already knew the answer?
“You both know there’s never been a Princess of Larks,” he said.
“That is just an excuse.” Fanny gave a flippant wave. “How will you end that supposed ‘curse of solitude’ if you don’t even try?”
“While you are the Prince of Larks, you are also a healthy and unmarried man.” Mrs. Needles picked up the argument. “You need to hang up your mask from time to time and make room in your life foryourself.”
“Pippa knows what is behind the mask,” he muttered.
Fanny arched her brows. “Then why are you wearing it now?”
Cull felt his face heat—good thing hewaswearing the blasted covering. He’d debated leaving it off; at the last moment before Pippa’s arrival, he’d put it back on. She’d seen his scars, true, but that had been in a shadowy carriage. Here in a well-lit room…
Feeling like an idiot, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Why do the two of you want to see me leg-shackled?”
