Page 54 of A Whisper and a Curse (Raven & Wren #3)

“ C an you wed her?”

Mallory’s question jerked Hadrian from his reverie as he’d watched Tilda descend the stairs, her gray skirts moving about her ankles.

“What?” Hadrian asked, blinking.

The medium sat on the floor with his father’s head and shoulders cradled in his lap. He’d removed his stock and held it to the wound on the captain’s side. The captain’s eyes were closed.

“You and Miss Wren appear to care deeply for one another,” Mallory observed. “You hail from completely different classes. Are you able to wed her?”

Able. As if there were something that would forbid Hadrian from doing so. “I can do as I bloody well please.”

Mallory laughed softly, his lip curling as he finished. “Of course you can. You’re an earl. I shall congratulate you now then.”

“We are not betrothed, nor do we have plans to be.” Hadrian wondered if the medium had seen the memory of him and Tilda kissing. He could have seen that when he’d touched Tilda’s hand last week. “What have you seen?” His tone was skeptical, bordering on accusing, but he didn’t care.

“Nothing between you. It doesn’t take someone with our ability to see the connection between you and Miss Wren.” Mallory smirked. “Though now I’m going to ponder what has happened.”

“Leave him be,” the captain croaked without opening his eyes.

Mallory’s brow creased. “Yes, Papa. Try not to exert yourself. The doctor will be here soon.”

“Talking is hardly exerting myself.”

“Perhaps not,” Hadrian said. “But managing to climb the stairs in your wounded state was most taxing. You must rest. Thank you for coming when you did.” Hadrian didn’t want to think of what might have happened if Captain Vale had not launched himself at Crocker at that precise moment.

The captain opened his eyes and looked up at Hadrian. “Thank you for rescuing my son. I know he’s done wrong, but I told you he’s not a killer.”

“No, Papa,” Mallory said softly. “Nor will I continue as I have.”

“Truly?” the captain asked.

Mallory nodded. “There has been enough harm.”

Captain Vale looked at his son with love. “I’m glad to hear you say that. Our ability was never meant to be used as you employed it.”

“About that,” Hadrian said hesitantly. He didn’t particularly want to discuss it with Mallory, but he wanted to make sure his secret would be safe. “You haven’t told anyone that we are … alike, have you?”

“No,” Mallory replied quickly. “I would never. And I would ask that you do the same. No one at the society knows precisely what I am able to do.”

“But some of them knew that you disguised yourself as Montrose, Parr, and Mrs. Sullivan,” Hadrian noted. “Did they not know you were doing so in order to experience the memories of the person next to you in order to assist the medium?”

“They did not know what I was doing, only that I was able to give them information that would be helpful to them during the séance.”

Hadrian thought of Tilda’s suggestion that he tell his mother about Mallory’s ability.

“I need to explain to my mother how Mrs. Griswold knew about a memory of hers from when I was young. I don’t want my mother trying to see another medium, so I need her to understand that none of what you were selling was real. ”

“That is why you and Miss Wren were sticking your nose into the society?” Mallory asked. “To investigate what we were doing?”

Hadrian inclined his head. “My mother hired Tilda to determine Mrs. Frost’s authenticity.”

“I see.” Mallory’s expression turned pensive.

“Tell Lady Ravenhurst you provided the memory to give her what she sought,” Captain Vale suggested. “Then apologize for deceiving her.”

It wasn’t a terrible idea, but his mother likely wouldn’t believe him, given his lack of encouragement for her endeavors to speak with Gabriel. “I would do that except she saw quite clearly that I did not support her efforts to speak with my brother, nor did I think it was even possible.”

“You can explain that you saw how much it meant to her, so you arranged for the medium to ‘speak’ with your brother.” Captain Vale gave him a gentle smile. “And you are telling her the truth now because you feel guilty about everything. All you want is for her to be happy.”

“That is the truth,” Hadrian said simply. “Thank you.”

Tilda came dashing up the stairs. Her cheeks were lightly pink from her exertions. “A neighbor has gone to fetch a doctor and says he should be here soon. I’m surprised you didn’t move the captain to a bedroom.”

“Hell,” Hadrian swore. He looked down at Mallory. “Let’s pick him up.”

Hadrian took the captain’s legs as Mallory rose and carried his father’s shoulders.

“That way.” Mallory inclined his head behind Hadrian.

“You lead,” Hadrian said. Mallory moved to walk backward as they carried the captain into a bedchamber. They set him on the bed and Hadrian stepped back.

Tilda followed and stood at the foot of the bed. Suddenly, Mrs. Wilson appeared in the doorway carrying a tray with a bowl of water and some strips of cloth.

“Thank you for offering to help, Mrs. Wilson,” Tilda said warmly. “I encountered her a few houses away. She’d gone to fetch a constable. He’s downstairs assessing the situation. I told him Detective Inspector Teague would be here shortly.”

“I appreciate you telling me to take the back stairs, Miss Wren,” the housekeeper said with a gentle twitch of her shoulders.

Mrs. Wilson set the tray on a table and wet one of the cloths. Then she moved to the bed and dabbed at the captain’s brow.

Teague’s voice carried into the bedchamber. “Miss Wren? Ravenhurst?”

Tilda left the room, and Hadrian accompanied her. They encountered Teague near the staircase railing.

“Bloody hell, I am sorry to see this has happened again.” Teague’s frown was deep as he set his hands on his hips.

“But this is the last of the Levitation Killer,” Tilda said. “You have Mrs. Griswold, and Crocker has met his end.”

“Indeed,” Teague said. “I dispatched the constable who was stationed at the society headquarters to fetch Graythorpe. He’ll want to look at everything as part of his investigation ahead of the inquest. In the meantime, tell me what happened.”

“We’re not sure what happened to the constable who was supposed to be here, but it seems as though Crocker sent him away,” Tilda said. They hadn’t asked Crocker what he’d said to the man to make him leave.

Teague nodded. “I’ll find out what happened—and make sure that constable doesn’t make that kind of mistake again,” he added with a deep frown.

Hadrian and Tilda told the tale in turns.

They each managed to sound somewhat unaffected as they recounted the most terrifying aspects of the events that had transpired.

That was purposeful on Hadrian’s part, for he was now worried that his deeper feelings for Tilda were obvious to everyone.

Was she also trying not to sound moved by what had happened?

Whilst they were speaking, the doctor arrived, and Tilda directed him into the bedchamber to tend to Captain Vale.

When Tilda and Hadrian finished, Teague asked where Mallory was.

“I’m here.” The medium came from the bedchamber and joined them. His gaze was wary as he regarded Teague.

“How is the captain?” Tilda asked.

“The doctor says he is lucky the knife did not damage any of his organs. He’s stitching him up now and has prescribed him to rest for a fortnight before returning home.”

“He’s welcome to recuperate at my house,” Hadrian offered.

Surprise flashed across Mallory’s features. “Thank you, my lord, but that won’t be necessary. I’ll take him to Cadogan Place. I need to close down the society. Unless I am in jail.” He sent an expectant look toward Teague.

“You likely will be for some period of time,” Teague replied. “Blackmail was not your only crime.”

Mallory dipped his head. “No, it was not.”

“What will happen with the society?” Tilda asked. “I imagine the Duchess of Chester will be despondent without it.”

“ I will be despondent without it.” Mallory looked at Hadrian. “I only wanted to help people, and I was good at that, even if I didn’t always go about it in the right way. I believe I was meant to do good. It doesn’t make sense otherwise.”

Hadrian understood what Mallory was talking about.

He saw the ability they both possessed as a gift that he could use, much as Hadrian employed his to assist Tilda with solving crimes.

In some way, Hadrian could understand how Mallory had lost his way a bit, especially if he’d come from a place of desperation when he’d been so completely overwhelmed by his ability at first. Hadrian had to imagine Mallory had thought it was a curse, just as he had when he’d first become afflicted.

The only way to make peace with—or sense of—feeling cursed was to try to find some positive way to accept it.

Hadrian realized that he’d done that, mostly, and would continue to adapt in the best way that he could.

He would hope for Mallory’s sake that he would do the same.

“I will hope you may find a way to actually do good when you are released from prison,” Teague said. “Now, excuse me whilst I deal with this.” He gestured toward the staircase.

Hadrian, Tilda, and Mallory moved away toward the captain’s bedchamber, but they stopped short of going inside.

Tilda looked to Mallory. “What about all the people you employ in the society? Such as the Henry siblings?”

“I would offer to write them a recommendation, but I doubt that would help them.” Mallory grimaced.

“I will help them find work,” Hadrian said. He flashed a smile at Tilda. “It’s what we do following a case. In fact, Tilda’s household keeps increasing. Surely you could use a groom and perhaps an upstairs maid?”