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“Whatever the size of her fortune,” Yorke said upon reluctantly surrendering it, “it is not enough to make up for the devil’s own pet.”

Sebastian sighed and sat down to write his response. He hesitated over it for some time, but the word he chose in the end to describe how Pip was faring with his bachelor friends was famously .

Infamously would have been more accurate.

“It will all be worth it in the end,” he reassured himself as he sealed the note with a wafer.

The following morning, the monkey managed to get ahold of the enormous sugarloaf in the kitchens, an event that was followed by unmatched chaos and then a period of dangerous lethargy that had Sebastian on the verge of rushing to Berkeley Square to apologize profusely for killing Mrs. Lawrence’s dead husband’s beloved pet.

He wrapped the listless marmoset in a cravat cloth and rocked him like a baby, attempting to offer Pip everything from water and coffee to brandy to revive him.

Thankfully, the monkey regained his energy after a prolonged nap, and the danger passed. But Sebastian soon found himself considering feeding the creature another sugarloaf, if only for a respite from the resumed chaos.

He chased the monkey out of the drawing room, and he could have sworn Pip was smiling as he did. He might be able to replace curtains in a bedchamber, but affording the destruction of the most elegant room in the house was simply not to be considered.

“You remind me of Felix,” Sebastian said, shutting the door soundly behind them.

He had vivid memories of chasing Felix out of various rooms when he had been a small boy. The remedy he had found for Felix’s penchant for mischief had been to take him out on the back lawn and allow him to run around like a madman for an hour .

That was when it occurred to him that perhaps something similar would benefit Pip. The garden attached to the townhouse was too small to be of use, however. They needed somewhere expansive if Pip’s energy was to be depleted. There was nowhere quite so expansive as Hyde Park.

For the first half hour, he could not relax for fear Pip might disappear into the trees and never return. He did not imagine Mrs. Lawrence would be impressed if he was obliged to convey such news to her.

Apparently, the monkey’s affection for Sebastian was strong enough to bring him back, however.

Sebastian felt exhausted thinking of even another twenty-four hours like the last twenty-four. He and Mrs. Lawrence had not specified how long he would keep Pip, after all, which was a terrifying thought.

That was when he remembered Lord Blackstone’s affinity for animals. Of course, Blackstone collected dead animals, but it was only natural that someone who memorialized beasts was fond of the living versions.

And Blackstone did not merely memorialize them as most taxidermists would.

He insisted on adding hats and spectacles and scarves to them.

Sebastian had still not determined whether this was an intent to humanize them further or if Blackstone had simply found this an effective way of having his own accessories on hand throughout the club.

The viscount’s club was located inside a Palladian building at the intersection of St. James’s and Mayfair, making it a quick walk with Pip on Sebastian’s shoulder—fortunate, as the monkey’s curiosity led him to hop out of Sebastian’s arms and onto the pavement more than once.

Sebastian was obliged to chase after the creature and offer him a small piece of cheese.

One of these days, he was likely to forget a piece in his pocket, which would lead to his arriving at some ton event smelling like a cheesemonger’s apprentice .

Even with that formidable risk, better cheese than sugar for the monkey. Sugar, he was coming to find, was foe, not friend.

The doorman, Plockton, admitted Sebastian to Blackstone’s, raising his brows at the sight of Pip.

Sebastian caught a glimpse into the drawing room and noted one of the men he had become acquainted with recently, John Aubin.

Sebastian was not familiar with the particulars of Aubin’s situation, but from what he had gathered, the man had been somewhat of a rake in the past. Whatever his history, he had easy conversation and manners.

Under normal circumstances, Sebastian would have gone over to greet him, but Aubin was nursing a drink and looking black-browed, as though he had perhaps been thwarted in love. Something told him that an introduction to a mischievous marmoset would not be welcome at this precise moment.

“Is his lordship here?” Sebastian narrowly prevented Pip from touching the ram’s head mounted on the wall.

The doorman watched the monkey warily. “He is upstairs, Mr. Drake.”

Sebastian nodded. “I will see myself to him.”

He took the stairs, ignoring the glassy eyes of the myriad creatures that lined the wall.

Pip, however, seemed to be in awe at the assortment and remained perched on Sebastian’s shoulder obediently. Perhaps in his animal fellows he saw the threat of predation.

“Just you wait,” Sebastian said, for they had not yet passed through the corridor of horrors .

That was the name he had privately assigned the walk that led to Blackstone’s office.

It was lined with cases full of every creature imaginable.

Unlike most galleries full of preserved animals, these cases did not have glass, which gave them a more menacing feel.

Pip’s little claws clutched at Sebastian’s shoulder nervously as they passed by snakes and hawks and large felines.

Sebastian smiled. The monkey could use a bit of healthy fear to remind him that he was not, as he seemed to believe, at liberty to execute whatever madcap ideas occurred to him.

Lord Blackstone was in his study, seated behind his desk. He had an amiable if somewhat common face, with slightly unkempt gray hair. The pipe that was his frequent companion hung out of the side of his mouth.

Sebastian had been reluctant at first when Lord Blackstone had invited him to join his club.

Belonging to a club exclusively filled with other gentlemen who had been blackballed hardly seemed conducive to his goal of appealing to the haut-ton , after all.

But Lord Blackstone was a viscount and a respected member of Society, and he seemed to take care that those he invited to the club were not disreputable but rather unlucky or misunderstood.

The fact that Sebastian could dine well there instead of relying on the questionable meals at the townhouse had been an undeniable draw, as well.

“Drake!” Blackstone said, the greeting garbled thanks to the pipe, which he pulled from his mouth when his eyes landed upon Pip. “Zounds, boy!” He retreated into the wingback chair in which he sat. “What have you there?”

“This is Pip.” Sebastian lifted his shoulder to display him. “He is a marmoset.”

Pip climbed down his arm, and Blackstone retreated farther into his chair, a wary look in his eye. “Yes, yes. I see that. But what is he doing here?”

Not the most promising reaction.

“Do you mislike him?” Sebastian asked.

Blackstone forced a nervous laugh. “No, no! It is just that…I am accustomed to still creatures, you know.” He jumped slightly as Pip hopped from Sebastian’s shoulder to the floor. “It is easy to forget how fast they move.”

“Pip is certainly quick on his feet.” He frowned. “Or are they hands?”

“Two hands and two feet, just like yours and mine, Drake. Though his feet are prehensile, of course. ”

“Just so,” Drake said, not having the smallest notion what this meant.

If it signified that Pip was twice as likely to get into mischief, then he had to disagree.

He was at least fifty times more so. “You know much about these things, my lord. I, on the other hand, am terribly ignorant. That is why I thought I would see whether you have any interest in taking dear Pip in for a few days. For your research and investigation, you know. He is quite charming.”

Pip chose this moment to notice and take serious exception to the admittedly strange portrait behind Blackstone—a badger wearing a tailcoat. Pip opened his mouth wide, baring his teeth at the badger.

Blackstone’s chair grated against the wood as he attempted to distance himself from the terrifying image Pip presented.

Sebastian suppressed a grimace and forced a laugh. “Silly creature, isn’t he?”

Blackstone also laughed, but the nervousness of it and the way his eyes watched Pip spoke volumes of how he truly felt. “I wish I could, Drake, but, unfortunately, I cannot take the marmoset.”

Sebastian did not betray his disappointment, though he felt it keenly. “I understand, my lord. Do you have any recommendations for me, then? Or advice on how to control it, perhaps?”

“Control it? Dear boy, one does not control living creatures.”

“Hence the reason you surround yourself with dead ones,” Sebastian commented, unable to stop himself from thinking just a bit wistfully of how much more manageable Pip would be if he was in one of Blackstone’s display cases. With glass, preferably.

The monkey took to exploring the outer rim of the room, while Sebastian chased after him, taking away books and a small globe and a quill, in turn.

“You might try training it,” Blackstone suggested, looking on with constant vigilance.

“Training it,” Sebastian repeated, replacing a book on the nearest shelf. “To do what, precisely?”

Blackstone shrugged. “That remains to be tested. If you have something the creature wants, you might be able to use it to elicit a behavior you desire—or stop a behavior you dislike. “I might know a man who could help.”

“By all means, supply me with his name and direction,” Sebastian said. He was feeling desperate at this point.

Eyes flitting frequently to Pip, Blackstone scribbled with his quill upon a scrap of paper, then handed it to Sebastian from behind the desk.

Curiosity piqued, Pip drew nearer. Blackstone shot to his feet and quickly made his way around the desk. “I must be going now, Drake.” He glanced warily over his shoulder once he reached the door. Pip was busy inspecting his pipe. “I wish you every success with the marmoset. Good day to you both.”

The door shut with a resounding thud behind him.

Sebastian heaved a great sigh, folding his arms and watching the monkey put the pipe in his mouth. “Well, Pip. It is just you and me again.”

He stood in silence, lost in thought as he watched the monkey and considered Blackstone’s suggestion.

Could Pip be trained? Could life with him be less chaotic? It could hardly be more so.

With enough bonbons and the help of the man whose name he now held, perhaps there was hope yet.