And what could she say to that? An uncomfortable silence filled the coach before she broke it. “Does this mean that your clan captured the werewolf? Is it over?”
Northrup had laughed then, short and humorless. “If it were over, they would not have shot me as well.” He sighed and his blue eyes became as opaque as sea glass. “Instinct tells me that we are in more danger than ever.”
“Why?” It was more of a plaintive cry than question.
Northrup’s scowl returned but this time there was a bite to it, as if he’d gladly tear into a Ranulf clan member should one appear. “Because they now know I’m involved.”
She’d been too tired and battered to say anything further then. Northrup had handed her off to the care of Tuttle as he stalked off with his valet, a young man whom he’d introduced as Jack Talent. Mr. Talent was a suspicious sort, who looked at her askance, as if waiting for her to do something foolish. She refused to be cowed by him, or hurt by Northrup’s curt good-night.
Now, warm and clean after a hot bath, she lay cocooned in a bed he provided, as he stood guard outside her door. A sense of desolation filled her. The memory of his hands so rough and wild upon her made her stomach turn. Had that been Northrup, or the beast within him? Did it matter? Stretching her hand out toward the door, she drifted off to sleep, heartsick yet knowing that he would watch over her.
Chapter Eighteen
Spring had well and truly arrived in London. A soft breeze touched with warmth danced over the new green grass carpeting Hyde Park. Winston closed his eyes to the sensation and felt the sun upon his face. Rare indeed for him to feel the sun. The places his work usually took him were cramped, ugly tenements that light and fresh air forsook.
It was early yet, vendors having just arrived to claim the choice spots near well-trodden paths. Along the streets, drays rumbled past as milkmen and grocers made their deliveries for the day. Maids beat rugs in the small alleys between the grand houses, and here and there, boys swept up horse droppings and rubbish. The pampered gentry, however, were still tucked in their silk-lined beds, no doubt sleeping off their excessive, late-night revelry.
For all the glamour and comfort their world promised, Winston had never wanted to be part of it. A man was not his own keeper when he must kowtow to the mores of a society poised on the edge of their seats to see him fall. One mistake, and you were nothing. A sham. As if a man’s worth could be quantified by etiquette. Hard work, the use of one’s mind, that is what made a man’s life worth measure. Such things gratified him more than the lure of being waited on hand and foot. He knew this with the certainty of a man who had lived on both sides of the velvet curtain.
He tipped his hat to a pretty young girl who loitered near a coffee stall. The smell of chicory and baking bread sent his stomach rumbling. Winston eyed the vendor making a show of cleaning a row of porcelain mugs.
“Top you off, sir?” The vendor lifted a basket top enticingly, releasing a cloud of steamy, scented air. “I’ve currant rolls fresh from the oven. ’Tis me wife’s special recipe.”
“Keep them warm for me,” Winston said. For as much as he wanted one, work came first.
He turned the corner, and the grand mansion he wanted came into view. A colonnade in the classic Greek style fronted the mansion. Massive pillars of polished black marble ran along its length. At both ends, triumphal arches held up pediments of limestone carved with the crest of Ranulf and surrounded by a frieze of fearsome wolves.
It rankled Winston that he knew virtually nothing of this Lord Ranulf, who was listed as the Duke of Ranulf in Debrett’s Peerage book, and apparently owned a great deal of Scotland. In all his years, Winston had never come across the man. When he’d asked his superiors for permission to speak to Ranulf, they’d been adamantly against the idea, almost fearfully. Ranulf, they warned, was an intensely private man and a favorite of the queen. He also happened to share a name with Ian Ranulf, Marquis of Northrup. Which might be a coincidence, given that every Scot whom Winston met seemed to be related to one another in some fashion. But Winston did not like coincidences and intended to call upon Northrup as soon as he could.
Winston’s steps slowed as he spied a man walking down the front walk of Ranulf House.
The cut and cloth of his suit claimed the visitor as a gentleman. Indeed, the man walked with a bearing that spoke of pride and utter confidence. However, it was unfashionably early to pay a call, which had Winston on alert. As did the way the man watched the world about him, fierce eyes scanning the street for possible trouble as he walked.
They drew abreast of each other, and the man’s cold eyes met Winston’s. For all the fine attire and regal posture, this man did not look like an English aristocrat. For one thing, he was too dark, with nearly black eyes, thick black hair that curled at the temples, and olive-toned skin. The man’s features were too boldly carved to be British. Deep-set eyes over a strong brow, a nose that would look too big were it not for his square jaw. An Italian, if Winston had to guess.
Winston took it all in a glance, as he was trained to do, and then lowered his eyes. The sunlight touched upon the man’s wine silk waistcoat and his watch fob glinted bright, catching Winston’s eye. It was a pretty piece of work, intricately wrought silver shaped into an angel perhaps. The man moved away before Winston could be sure, having only discerned the shape of outstretched wings and a woman’s figure.
Something chilled Winston’s gut. Defying basic manners, Winston turned to watch the man depart. An unexpected jolt hit him as he met those dark eyes once more. Caught out, he could only stare back as the man touched the brim of his hat before turning to stroll away.
The feeling of being judged, cataloged, and dismissed by the man, while ironic enough to warrant a smile, left Winston distinctly edgy instead. Shaking the feeling off, he made his way to the servants’ entrance of Ranulf House and found a maid in the midst of descending the back stairs, probably hurrying to fetch coal from the chute.
“Good morning, miss,” he said, making himself appear as harmless as he could under her wary gaze, “I am Inspector Lane of the Criminal Investigation Department.”
Beneath the heavy fringe of her dark hair, her eyes went wide. He stepped in closer. “I need to ask a few questions to a parlor maid employed here. A Miss Lucy Montgomery.”
“I’m sorry, sir.” The young woman made a furtive curtsy. “But as I said before, Lucy don’t work here anymore.”
Winston paused in the process of pulling out his notebook. “What had she done to warrant dismissal?”
“Oh, no, sir, nothing like that. She’s been let go on account of illness. I hear tell she’s living with her brother now.” The young lady frowned. “An’ she wasn’t a parlor maid. Not when she left, anyhow. She was personal nurse to one of Lord Ranulf’s guests.”
The telltale tinge of pink on the maid’s cheeks and the way she avoided Winston’s eyes set the cogs in his mind turning. So Miss Montgomery’s rise from lowly maid to nurse had the servants talking.
“And do you know whom this guest might be?”
“Oh, no,” she said. “We don’t ask such questions.”
So they were afraid of this Ranulf as well.
“At the risk of being indelicate, Miss…?”
“Lauren.” She gave a quick curtsy.
“Miss Lauren, do you happen to know the nature of this illness?”
The maid’s cheeks burned bright, and she glanced over her shoulder. But the yard was quiet and still.
“I shall be the soul of discretion,” he promised.
“Well”—she nibbled her bottom lip—“Mrs. Armitage, the housekeeper, says it’s consumption, but Hanna, the one maid let into his rooms, says he suffers from the French Pox. An’ something terribly at that.” A little shudder wracked her frame. “Him being twisted and crippled beyond recognition.”
Syphilis. A lover’s disease. Winston would bet his next week’s pay that Miss Lucy Montgomery now suffered from the same illness.
&n
bsp; The girl leaned closer. “In truth, sir, the staff has taken to wonderin’ if he’s even alive any longer.”
“Why do you say that?”
“A few nights ago, just before Lord Ranulf returned from Scotland, a large state coach pulls up and they made to bundle the guest into it. So he could rusticate, says Mrs. Armitage and Mr. Timms, the butler. Only the fellow got into a rare state of rage. He tore out of the coach and ran off into the night. No one saw him return.”
Winston handed the maid his card. “Give this to Mr. Timms. I shall talk to him and Mrs. Armitage now, if they have a moment.” And if they didn’t, he’d talk to them anyway.
The maid eyed the card as if it were poisoned. She licked her dry lips quickly. “Sir…” A noise from within the house made her jump and her breath shorten. When she spoke again, it was a rush of words. “They won’t answer you. Not truthfully. It isn’t allowed.”
“Even to the CID?”
A sheen of perspiration was apparent on her brow. “Most especially to them.” She glanced over her shoulder and tensed. “I’ve got to go now.”
He wanted to push but knew it would be futile. But there was more than one way to skin a cat, as his superiors liked to say. He started to put his notebook back in his pocket but stilled, a cold realization washing over him as his mind played back what the maid had told him. “I’m sorry, but you say you’ve repeated this all before?”
“Aye.” She nodded vigorously, her mobcap in danger of falling down. “To the gentleman who was just here.” Her brown eyes narrowed. “Come to think on it, he said he was a Yard man as well.” She shook her head as if pitying. “You fellows really ought to get your chores straight now, hadn’t you?”
Chapter Nineteen
When the light of the sun crested over the sharp edges of London’s horizon, Ian went down to breakfast. The slight quickening of Daisy’s breathing told him she would soon wake, and he didn’t want her to find him sitting outside of her door, guarding as he had done for the remainder of the night. Already, she was withdrawing from him. He did not blame her, but given the fact that a werewolf had nearly killed them both, he had to find a way to keep her with him. Blasted, hardheaded woman would probably fight him at every step.
Try as he might, he could not block out the memories of Daisy’s eyes when he had come to his senses last night. On a groan, Ian sank his head into his hands and shuddered. Christ, he had lost control. He could not blame the drug entirely. He’d scented her fear. Mixed with the luscious perfume of her flesh, it had been irresistible.
“Jesus.” He swallowed several times, fearing he would be ill. His hands were steady as he looked at them, but inside he shook. He’d seen his hands changing during his fight with the were. Too far. Nails had turned to claws, long and deadly, bones had distorted, fur taking over skin.
Control. It was a lycan’s curse. All that inner power, and yet the constant struggle to keep the wolf in check. He had failed last night, too driven by rage over the werewolf and too desperate to touch what he should not.
Daisy. She’d looked at him as if he were a monster. And she would be right. In his youth, he had reveled in his wolf, drawing it out until they were nearly one. A deadly dance to be sure. Such power and wildness. Ian blinked down at his hands. The longer he remained in Daisy’s presence, the more he felt.
Inside, his wolf whined, a placating sound, as if to remind Ian of what they once were and how good it felt to have that strength pushed to the limit. A helpless laugh left him. Aye, but he loved the beast, and that was the stink of it. Love and hate. Two sides of the same coin.
He caught her fragrance, warm, clean, and lush, just before he heard the slight swish of her skirts on the stairs. A ghost of a smile haunted his lips. She would never be able to catch him unaware. He had her scent now, as surely as if he owned it. The smile faltered when she entered the room, because while he might have her scent, he would never have her. Manners and honor demanded that he rise and greet her, and yet he could barely make his limbs obey. He did not want to see the disgust and fear in her eyes again.
“Good morning.” His words sounded thick, as though filtered through water, and he fought for a lighter tone. “Would you care for breakfast?”
She hovered in the doorway, her eyes so weary that his heart grew leaden. He spoke to fill the awkward pause. “I have sent a man out to get your clothing.” She was wearing the same gown she’d worn last night. Though tattered and dirty, it clung to her abundance in a loving embrace and shimmered as she moved.
She cleared her throat, a delicate yet awkward sound. “You needn’t have bothered. It is easy enough for me to return home to change.”
Ian knew he scowled. Bloody woman. Did she not realize there was no going back? Not anymore. Oddly, his frown seemed to buoy her. She took a good look at him and then strode forward as though determined to make the most of a bad situation.
Silence became a thick shroud as they sat opposite of each other and picked at their breakfast. Daisy helped herself to a piece of buttered toast. Neat, white teeth bit into it with a crisp sound.
God, it almost felt domestic, sharing a meal with her as if she were a proper wife. Save there was nothing proper about the way he felt watching that little pink tongue of hers sneak out to lick up an errant, buttery crumb resting on the corner of her mouth. He shifted in his chair, and she caught him looking. Frowning, she lowered the toast and stared at it as if she didn’t quite recognize it.
Her voice was rough with regret when she started to speak. “Northrup—”
“I don’t know how to apologize,” he said. “Not in any way that can make things right. I can say that I wasn’t myself, but it wouldn’t be entirely true. That was me last night. A great part of me, at any rate.” Shame rolled within him. “I try to control it, but the beast is always there, wanting out.”
Daisy looked away, her fine brows knitting. Sunlight, pouring in from the tall windows, gilded her in tones of silver and gold, and he fought the urge to reach out and draw his fingertip down the small slope of her nose.
“At the very least, you know who you are.” Her gaze returned to him. “There are days when I look in the mirror and don’t even recognize myself. I’ve become merely shapes and colors. In truth, I hardly know who I am anymore, or if I was ever anyone at all.”
I know who you are, he wanted to shout. You are brave, funny. Fresh air in this smothered town. And utterly blind if you cannot see what I am. Ian owed it to her to make it clear. “Then I envy you,” he said. “For I’ve had lifetimes to learn each line and plane of my face, and I can’t stand the sight of it.”
Her lovely eyes creased at the corners as though his words hurt her. He could not account for it, nor the rawness in her voice when she asked, “Why?”
Ian wanted to look away, but he would not. Not with her. “I look like my father, before he was burned. I look like every lycan male in the Ranulf line. Every time I see this countenance, I remember what I really am. A monster.” He made himself smile, laugh at himself as he always did. “A monster hiding behind a pretty face.”
She did not smile with him. “You are not a monster.”
“How can you say that?” His voice had gone raw, weak. “After what I’ve done?”
“And what have you done? Saved me? At great personal risk.” Daisy spoke on. “You warned me to stay away. I did not listen.”
When he began to protest, she shook her head slightly and the golden curls at her temples trembled. “I know who the true monsters are. They are ordinary men who do terrible things.”
“What do you know of monsters, Daisy-Meg?” Who was it that terrorized her?
She looked at him with eyes wide and pained, and the very air seemed to still about him. “Enough to know that you are not one of them.”
The temptation to tell her everything was so strong that, for a moment, he could not breathe. Nobody knew him, not wholly, but in pieces that he rationed out like a miser. He reached for her, ready to let it all o
ut, the pain and the loss, but she jerked as if she feared he might attack. It was a small movement, and one she might not even know she’d made. But he was too attuned to her to miss it.
The gesture hurt. More than he’d imagined it would. You ruin everything, Ian. You and your beast. Ian stood with an easy grace he did not feel. “Well, then,” he said as best as he could manage. “I’ll leave you to your breakfast.” He strode out of the room without looking back.
Daisy stared at the empty doorway through which Northrup had just made his hasty exit. She had hurt him. She didn’t know how or why, but she felt that tangible emotion roll off him as he quit the room. And it did not sit well with her.
“Blast,” she muttered, and then went to find him.
He was in his library, sitting on the bench before the empty fireplace. He visibly tensed when she entered.
“Do you need something?” His voice was light, unaffected, but he didn’t look at her. As good a sign as any of his distress, for Northrup always looked a person in the eye.
“Yes.” She came farther into the room. “I want to know why you left me just now.”
He made a sound of amusement. “Left you? How dramatic. I was simply finished with breakfast.” Still he would not turn.
Slowly she walked toward him, noting the way his body seemed to twitch with every step she made. “Do you know,” she said, “that I can tell when a person is lying?” She stopped. “It’s quite a useful trick. Drove my sisters mad.”
He frowned down at some invisible spot on the carpet. “Daisy… It was a long night. Now go on with you. I fear I am not of a mood to parry.”
She ought to know better than ignore his request. Last night was proof of that. But this Northrup was not on the verge of violence. No, this was something darker. Closer to despair. She knew that emotion well. So she did not move away. “Tell me what I can do to help you.”
Northrup’s expression told no tales as he continued to sit in stubborn silence, with only the small rise and fall of his shoulders giving testament to his being made of flesh and blood, not stone. Daisy’s heart constricted. Despite the insouciant facade he often presented to her, Northrup had a great capacity for caring. Likely, he’d laugh it off, should she remark upon it, but he could no longer fool her.
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