Camille

Tess Oliver

Copyright © 2009 by Tess Oliver

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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Chapter 1

The shadows of the grave markers stretched thin across the mossy ground. I scooted nearer to Dr. Bennett. A layer of death rested eternally beneath me, yet the white heat of the moon infused the night air with energy.

“Another graveyard,” I said, “why always a cemetery?”

Dr. Bennett grabbed my hand and pulled me along the fence. We stooped low behind a dense row of shrubs. He lowered Dutch’s cage to the ground. “Perhaps, for the next hunt, we should send a short missive suggesting our prey show up in a more preferable location such as Hyde Park or the Adelphi.”

“I don’t see why not.” In a futile attempt to warm my feet, I reached down to tighten the laces on my boots. “We’ve been following the man for two hours. What if the paper was correct and the man was actually bitten by a dog?” I rubbed my hands together. The friction heated them but only for a moment. “If I find that I could have been at home, tucked on the settee with hot tea and a book instead of…”

Dutch’s hairless tail flicked through the bars of his cage and lightly brushed my cheek. I jumped, imagining a cold finger had reached up from one of the graves. A low growl rolled out from beneath the cat’s whiskers shattering my dog bite theory.

Dr. Bennett shifted onto his left knee, and the light conversation froze into rigid silence.

The cat’s gray stripes bristled, and it shrank back into a crouch. We’d saved the animal from two boys who’d been torturing it with a lit candle, hence the hairless tail. But it was not until we’d nursed the cat back to health that we’d discovered Dutch’s talent for sensing a lycanthrope. Drunken laughter pulled my attention away from the cage.

The lantern glow inside the caretaker’s shack cast a liquid stream of light across the yard and onto the unearthed coffin. A shiver vibrated my tired body, and I clutched my cloak tightly around my neck. Sometimes I wondered what it would be like if my life had not taken such a fierce turn. Not that I didn’t appreciate what Dr. Bennett had done for me. Without him, I surely would have ended up starving and homeless. Or worse. Besides, I’d tried to stop feeling sorry for myself long ago because it only made my life more pathetic.

My toes tingled with numbness as I rolled forward onto them and wrapped my gloved fingers around the black iron bars, the only barrier between me and the hallowed home of the dead. “You did remember the bullets this time,” I said as a statement, but it was more a question. Academically, Dr. Bennett was the smartest man in Britain. He’d read every science book written and even wrote a few himself. He was a distinguished member of several of the Scientific Societies, all with names too long to remember. But I had to remind him to do simple things like stir honey into his tea, put on shoes, and bring his silver bullets.

He patted the pistol in his pocket and nodded.

I glanced across the yard. Two silhouettes wavered in the small window of the shack. “I believe we’ve found tonight’s dinner special, fresh gravedigger with a side of caretaker.”

“Don’t be so crude, Camille. They have no idea the danger they’re in.” There was a stern edge to his voice but he knew that my ill-timed humor was a defense system. It kept us both from going mad. Dr. Bennett glanced across the deserted grounds to the coffin. “That funeral must have been hours ago. I don’t understand the delay.”

The two men laughed again not realizing that the next grave may very well be their own. “It’d serve them right, lazy louts. Spending the evening celebrating, while she sits out in the cold, waiting for eternal peace.”

“I hardly think the corpse is experiencing any discomfort from the cold.”

I hugged myself. “She may not be, but I’m frozen down to my drawers.”

“Spoken like a finely raised young lady. How do you know the corpse is a woman?”

“The casket is small and feminine. Anyone can see that.” Other girls my age were floating across polished dance floors, and I was standing in the cold assessing the size of a coffin. I stood and shook out my feet. A flicker of movement in a nearby tangle of ivy made me drop back to a crouch. We both relaxed simultaneously as a rat scurried past our feet. An unnatural silence surrounded us now. My heart raced as if I’d run a steep hill.

Dutch released a series of yowls. Dr. Bennett hastily removed his coat and threw it over the cage to silence the cat. His gaze shot across to the copse of trees at the far end of the cemetery, the last place we’d seen our prey still in the shape of a man. “No doubt the transformation is taking place as we speak.” A visible shudder ran through him, and he fished for the pistol in his pocket. None of this was new to us, yet even with experience, the terror of it never lessened.

A crackling of leaves snapped our attention to the south end of the cemetery. Three figures, one tall and two short, floated out from behind the vine covered mausoleum. Their nervous whispers swirled around the maze of crooked headstones. The smallest one tripped, and the tall one grabbed his coat collar and wrenched him back to his feet.

Dr. Bennett pressed his face closer to the gate. “Now, who’s this?”

“Splendid.” I leaned forward. “Who would have thought a cemetery could draw such a crowd.” A bitter taste filled my mouth. While I’d seen the horrific remnants of a werewolf attack, I’d never actually witnessed a victim being ravaged by one, and I intended to keep it that way. But five possible targets in one location seemed like unavoidable carnage. My stomach tightened somewhere between nerves and nausea.

We watched as the three sprinted across the path to the caretakers shack. The tall one knocked lightly as he took a peek back over his shoulder. He handed the gravedigger a bottle, and the stout man shut the door on the three boys.

“They look rather young.” I stood. “I’ll scare them off.”

Dr. Bennett took hold of my wrist. “Wait. Those lads are planning to rob that corpse. That explains the delay on the burial. They must have bribed the gravediggers with gin.”

“I don’t see how stolen jewelry will help them if the flesh has been shredded from their bones,” I whispered loudly.

Dr. Bennett’s eyes widened as something caught his attention across the way. His hold on my arm tightened as he yanked me down to my bottom. “It’s too late, Camille.”

I wrapped my arms around my knees and pulled them against my chest both for warmth and to keep my heart from slamming against my ribs. For an instant, my gaze floated up to the night sky. It looked as if someone had cut a perfect circle out of black broadcloth and patched it with a gold sovereign.

The tall lad pulled a metal pipe from his coat. The moonlight illuminated his face beneath the wild, black hair that framed it. It was a symmetrical face with a straight nose and a strong jaw. The thief bit his lip in concentration as he pried open the casket. His younger companions backed up at the site of the dead woman, but he reached directly in to grab his treasures. He seized the woman’s arm. Her pale hand hung limply as he attempted to slide a ring off her finger. It didn’t budge.

I squeezed my legs tighter and shut my eyes for a moment attempting to transport myself into a bad dream that I could wake from at any moment. The ground beneath my frozen feet trembled. My eyes shot open and I looked at Dr. Bennett. The pallor of his skin assured me that he had felt the tremor too.

The boys were still huddled around the dead woman. One of the younger boys grabbed the tall boy’s arm. “Let’s go, Strider. Leave the bloody ring.”

The boy they’d called Strider reached into his coat and pulled out something shiny. With one swipe, he removed the corpse’s finger. Both the finger and ring dropped to the dirt. As he stooped to retrieve the gold circle, a ripple started in the boxwood lining the back fence of the cemetery. The wave of movement grew in speed and intensity.

A breath caught in my dry throat. Panic pushed me to my feet. I was in no mood to witness the murder of three pickpockets. “Give me my bloody finger!” I yelled into the night air.

“Christ, Strider, what’ve you done?” one of the smaller boys asked and grabbed the arm of the other, dragging him back the way they’d come. The lad with the knife stared in our direction, slipped the ring on his pinky, and ran off, leaving the disfigured hand draped in a macabre display over the side of the casket. At the back fence, he easily tossed the two smaller boys over. He grabbed the bars to hoist himself up but lost his grip and fell hard on his bottom.

“Get up, you fool.” My teeth ground against each other as I clenched my jaw. Then the sound came. It started as a guttural snarl and quickly exploded into a squall loud enough to shatter the stone angels that stood watch over the yard. My hands flew to my ears. It was an unbearable noise that sounded as if the wretched creature was caught somewhere between ecstasy and torture.

The thief shot to his feet.

Dr. Bennett raised the pistol in his shaky hand. “Godspeed,” he whispered as the boy grabbed the fence again. With preternatural speed, the beast bolted across the yard. Its putrid odor lingered in the cool night air. My gaze darted to the back fence. The tall boy had one leg still on the cemetery side as the beast’s jaws snapped at him. He yelled out before falling to the ground on the other side.

Blood pounded in my ears and gooseflesh covered my skin. I grabbed Dr. Bennett’s arm. “Shoot it.” The words barely broke free from tight lips.

It heard me. Like the dense orange center of a flame, its eyes flickered in the blackness. My head throbbed with each of its thunderous breaths. I grabbed the fence for support. At times like this, when my defenses were concentrated elsewhere, the disastrous memory of my father’s death surfaced. I could not pull my gaze from the beast’s eyes. Transfixed, I hoped to catch a glimpse of something, a glimpse of the human soul still within.

Dr. Bennett’s voice jolted me from my trance. “Run, Camille!”

I hesitated, not in fear but in worry for Dr. Bennett. My only true friend.

“Now!”

I pushed to my feet but my legs wobbled. The roar rolled closer. With rubbery legs, I flew across the path toward the road. A gunshot blasted behind me, and I stumbled but caught myself. I dared not look back. Up ahead I spotted three shadows darting down the gravel path that led out of the cemetery grounds. I followed.

My thin soled boots were no match for the myriad of rocks and holes in the road. One deep crevice wrenched my ankle into an unnatural position, and I fell to the ground. I jumped to my feet and wiped the gravel from my palms. A branch snapped behind me. Clumsily, I reached under my cloak to the pocket in my trousers. My fingers curled around the smooth ivory handle of the knife. I turned sharply on my heels, waving the gleaming silver blade in the air.

“Tis only me, Cami.”

A whimper of relief bubbled from my lips at the sound of Dr. Bennett’s voice. His chest heaved with deep breaths as he clutched Dutch’s cage in his hand. He lowered the cat to the ground as I ran to hug him. His embrace always felt logical, scientific, but it comforted me.

“The bullet landed in its leg. It limped off into the dark. I think it will be enough silver to finish him, poor wretch.” There was a heavy sadness in his words. “The gravediggers stayed hidden inside. More interested in their gin than in the outside events, I suppose.” He grabbed my shoulders, and I pulled my face from his chest and stared up at him. The color was inching back into his skin. “Let’s find that lad. I want to get a closer look at his leg.” Dr. Bennett picked up Dutch, grabbed my hand, and pulled me along.

A wall of heavy trees loomed over the road, nearly obliterating the light from the sky. Anybody or anything could lurk unseen in the thick foliage. Tendrils of fog curled up from the moist ground as our feet pounded the path. My ankle still ached. I held tightly to Dr. Bennett’s hand so I would not stumble again.

We raced along for a good fifteen minutes following their footprints. But as the gravel ended, so did our trail. “I’ve lost sight of them.” Dr. Bennett’s breath came in heavy spurts leaving puffs of steam in the cold air. “No doubt, they’re headed for Whitechapel.”

Chapter 2

The warming glow of the gaslights lining Whitechapel Road smoothed the gooseflesh on my arms. Suddenly we were back amongst the living. During the day, the road was a throng of shop owners, shoeblacks, and newsvendors. Horses and cabs slammed over the uneven pavement with little regard for the poor souls on foot.

In the middle of the night, when the visitors retired to the safety of their homes, the road transformed into a quiet canal of cobblestone and brick, lined on either side with a rainbow of wavy shop windows. Up ahead, the towering white silhouette of St. Mary’s steeple stood lonely in the midnight sky. The street was far from deserted though.

We slowed our pace. Two men, enjoying alternate pulls on a bitter smelling cigar, leaned in the doorway of a vacant building. I yanked the hood of my cloak low over my face as Dr. Bennett approached them. A young girl had no place on the street after midnight unless she was a prostitute.

“I say, did you happen to see three young lads run past here recently?” Dr. Bennett asked.

One of the men had a long scar across his cheek. He squinted into the light to get a better look at the man addressing him. Dr. Bennett, with his neatly trimmed moustache and white-peppered beard, always appeared respectable. And for good reason, he was. No one would ever guess he’d just shot a man in the cemetery.

“Aye, three skinny ne’er-do-wells sprinted past just now. Looked like trouble, they did. The tall one must ‘ave been in quite a brawl.”

“Yes, yes. Which way did you say they went?” The strain of the night was getting to Dr. Bennett and his patience grew thin.

“I didn’t say nothin’ about it.” The man’s gaze dropped to the cage. “A bit strange seeing a grown man with a caged cat. You planning to cook ‘im?” His unshaven cheeks wobbled with laughter.

“About the three boys,” Dr. Bennett continued. “Did you see where they went?”

The man turned his attention to me. I stared down at my feet. Surely, the trousers looked strange hanging above my petite, kidskin boots. We were, no doubt, a curious pair, out for a stroll with our pet. But the drama of tonight’s adventure left me aching with exhaustion. I reached into Dr. Bennett’s coat pocket and fished out the expensive cigar he always had tucked inside.

“Sir,” I said louder than I’d anticipated, “we’re happy to part with this cigar, if you would be so kind as to point us in the direction they ran.”

Dr. Bennett’s gaze followed the cigar as I handed it to the eager man.

The man displayed a sparse row of yellowed teeth as he motioned with his head. “They ran toward Buck’s Row. There’s a hole in the wall down one of the back lanes where scoundrels with a ‘eavy pocket can trade trinkets for sour ale and bread.”

Dr. Bennett nodded politely, and we turned in the direction they’d pointed. Our footsteps were slow and plodding as we headed to Buck’s Row.

“Curse you, gravity. I think this cat needs a few less bacon scraps.” Dr. Bennett switched the cage to his other hand.

“Would you like me to carry the cage for awhile?” I asked, but I really didn’t have the energy to lug the heavy cat around town.

“No, I can manage. I’m going to miss that cigar though.”

I’d been to Buck’s Row only once before and in daylight. I shuddered thinking what it would be like at night. In this area of London, the neighborhoods changed drastically with a step in either direction. Sections of the streets were lined with comfortable homes, glittering shops and street carts overflowing with goods. Then there were the other sections, areas so wrought with poverty and despair even the street lights refused to be lit.

Loud voices and a badly tuned fiddle drew us down a narrow lane. A man and a woman crouched on a front stoop shared sips from a bottle of murky liquid. They eyed us greedily as we crept past. Dr. Bennett’s hand went instinctively to the pistol in his pocket. Further down, moans and grunts floated out from behind a stack of broken crates. Dr. Bennett took hold of my arm and urged me to move faster.

Prim, proper girl that I was, I twisted my head back to catch a glimpse down the passage. Dr. Bennett yanked me forward.

“There seems to be a great deal more activity on this side of town.”

He dragged me toward the music and voices. “I’ve raised an amusing girl with the vocabulary of a sailor who gives away imported cigars to men who would be just as pleased smoking a piece of dried fish rolled in parchment.”

“I believe it’s time to accept the loss of the cigar, John. By now those two blokes are leaning over a tavern table, puffing away as they recount their comical story about the bookish man, his odd companion, and their balding cat.”

Loud laughter stopped us in front of a dimly lit doorway. Dr. Bennett peered down at me. “Cami, keep your face concealed and try not to be noticed. I need to see that boy’s leg and find out more about him. He may be the perfect specimen for my observations.”

I smiled and pulled my hood lower. “Always the man of science. Here I thought you meant to help the lad.”

“Well¬¬-- naturally,” he stammered, “that too.

The weak candlelight inside the public house was more welcoming than I‘d expected. There were three, crudely built tables lining the walls of the windowless drinking hole. At least a dozen people were crammed into the place. We entered unnoticed. In one corner, a man with a tattered patch over his eye strummed an almost sweet sounding tune on a fiddle. It did not take long to spot the two small boys from the cemetery. They were wrestling over a pint pot. The liquid contents splashed over one of the boy’s hands, and he quickly licked every drop from his grime covered fingers.

Dr. Bennett and I shuffled to a bench in the darkest corner of the room and sat down. He set Dutch’s cage on the ground. The cat growled at the unfamiliar voices. A group of scruffy looking patrons huddled around the counter, their attention drawn to something.

A red haired woman stood in the center of the room with her hands on her hips. “Come on now, Strider, you promised a dance.” She directed her plea toward the group at the counter. It was hard to tell her age. She could have been twenty or forty. Poverty always seemed to blur the line between youth and age. The cluster parted and revealed Dr. Bennett’s specimen perched on a stool with a glittering ring on his smallest finger.

In the candlelight, his face was even more striking than in the moonlight. He was pale and filthy, yet he seemed out of place here. A faded seaman’s coat, no doubt stolen from an unsuspecting corpse, stretched tightly over his broad shoulders. He flashed a charming smile to the girl. “Give me time, sweet’eart. I’m still catching my breath.”

Suddenly, another girl came out of the shadows and shoved the first girl to the floor. “I don’t think so, you rotten smellin’ cow.” She stepped over her sprawled victim and jumped into Strider’s lap.

The impact nearly pitched Strider and the stool over, but he caught himself and the girl. The first girl pushed herself to her feet, spitting obscenities as she brushed off her greasy skirt. She marched toward the couple, but he put up a hand to stop her.

Strider shifted the girl he was holding to one side and held out his free arm. “Now you know I’ve arms enough for the both of you.” The angry girl’s shoulders relaxed, and she flew to his side.

“How’s that fair, Strider?” The question came from a thin man in a badly patched pair of trousers. “The rest of us are standing ‘ere without any sugar, and you’ve got both hands filled with honey.”

Strider shrugged, a crooked smile inched up one cheek. “If life were fair, Jack, I’d be sitting inside a fancy townhouse in Grosvenor Square instead of this place.” He squeezed the girls closer as they showered his face, ears, and neck with kisses.

I rolled my eyes. “Swaggering coxcomb. For a lowly thief who robs from dead people, he’s sure full of bluster.” The words spurted from the corner of my mouth. Dr. Bennett elbowed me into silence.

The fiddler strummed a brisk tune, and a few of the patrons danced across the rough floor. The red head jumped up. “Let’s dance, Strider.”

The other girl chimed in with the same request and shoved the redhead hard in the stomach.

I sat forward. “This is far more entertaining than I’d expected.”

Strider pushed them off his lap abruptly. “Tell you what, ladies, why don’t you dance with Jack and Henry over there.” He reached down and rubbed his leg. “I’m not really fit for dancing tonight.” The light was dim, but I could see that the shredded leg of his trousers was black with blood.

Dr. Bennett leaned his head toward mine. “I’m going to order some drink to see if I can get a closer look at that leg.” Several of the more shifty looking customers were eyeing us now. “Perhaps, you should come with me,” he added.

“My very thought.”

Dr. Bennett picked up the cage and headed toward the man serving ale. Our shoes crunched on the filth littering the floor. Several bloodshot stares followed our steps.

“We don’t allow no animals in here. This is a respectable place,” the barkeep grunted from behind the counter.

Dr. Bennett tossed five shillings on the counter. The clang of coins brought everyone to attention. “Do you have something besides the ale? A bottle of good whiskey perhaps?”

The barkeep’s eyes nearly popped from his face as he eyed the money. His gaze shot to Dr. Bennett’s face and back to the five shilling gleaming in the candle light. “I’ve a bottle of whiskey in the back.” He leaned forward to sweep away the coins, but Dr. Bennett covered them with his gloved hand.

“They are yours,” Dr. Bennett said, “as soon as you return with the bottle.”

While Dr. Bennett bartered with the man, I peeked at Strider from under the lowered edge of my hood. His eyes were on me! Like a scared turtle, I pulled my face back into the shadows of my cloak. It was the shortest moment in time, but our eyes had locked for an instant, and I found myself wanting to look at him again. But I dared not attempt it.

“What happened to your leg, lad? You may need to see a surgeon.” Dr. Bennett’s voice was muffled by the heavy wool around my ears, and I fought the urge to push the hood off my head.

“Don’t trouble yourself about it, old man. But if a surgeon shows up in this flash house, I’ll be sure to ask ‘im his opinion.” His voice was edged with the pain he was no doubt suffering.

I braved another glance at him. He stared at the ring on his pinky now. It was hard to tell whether he was contemplating his sordid deed or the worth of his prize. I studied his profile. It may have been the long sweep of his lashes, but it seemed that life in the underworld had not completely erased his innocence. He could not have been more than eighteen. Two curved lines framed the corner of his lips changing him from somber to roguish with the slightest movement of his mouth. He dropped the stolen band on the counter. It spun like a top before he caught it back up in his fist. He held tightly onto it not realizing that the thin circle of gold may very well have bought him an early grave. And suddenly following him here seemed a terrible mistake. I knew from experience that it was much easier to hunt prey that you have not met personally … or loved.

The barkeep returned with a dust encrusted bottle. He blew the dirt and cobwebs off the label and held it close to a lantern on the wall. “Tis the finest bottle of spirits I’ve got.” He licked his lips greedily as he eyed the coins on the counter.

Dr. Bennett pushed the money toward him and took hold of the bottle. I grew curious about his purchase. I knew he rarely drank, and if he did, it was port not whiskey. He pushed the bottle toward the boy. “This might help.”

The lad made no move toward the bottle at first. He stared at Dr. Bennett suspiciously and then attempted to get a better look at me as I hid behind my friend’s back. I inched further out of his view.

“My name is Dr. Bennett.” His hand shot forward.

The boy hesitated before returning the handshake. “They call me Strider.” Once again he tried to get a look at me. Then he stared down at Dutch. “Most respectable physicians carry a leather satchel. But then we don’t see too many respectable physicians in this part of town.”

“Cat or no cat, I know a bit about medicine. And if you don’t douse that leg with some potent alcohol, you’ll be learning to live without it soon.”

There was no cynical response this time. I peered over Dr. Bennett’s shoulder and watched as Strider grabbed the bottle off the counter and opened it. Using the end of his dingy coat, he wiped the dust from the opening and raised the bottle in a silent toast before taking two hearty swigs as if he drank water. He wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his coat and bent down to pull up the leg of his trouser. Dr. Bennett had figured the perfect way to get the thief to show him his wound and help keep it from infection.

A small crowd had collected around Strider now. The two young accomplices from the cemetery watched with anticipation as the shredded trouser leg inched up exposing a gruesome flesh wound. I was able to get a clear view of his leg as I peered around Dr. Bennett’s arm. A quiet gasp escaped my lips. There were six, deep teeth marks on each side of his calf. One of the younger boys turned around and retched onto the floor, while the other stared at the leg in horrified amazement. The red head decided to skip over for a closer look. She screamed and nearly fainted onto Strider’s lap.

Dr. Bennett motioned with his arms. “Stand back and give him some air.” He looked at Strider then down at the leg. I knew him well enough to know that he was cataloguing dozens of details in his mind. Dr. Bennett fished his linen handkerchief from his vest pocket and lowered it to the leg.

Strider’s hand shot out, stopping Dr. Bennett’s quest for a blood and cell sample.

“I merely intend to wipe away some of the excess blood and debris.”

Slowly, Strider released his hand, and Dr. Bennett gently wiped off a good amount of blood. I peered up at Strider’s face. He was biting his bottom lip the same way he had in the cemetery. Sweat trickled down his face, and he grew paler by the moment.

“Enough!” Strider blurted. He upturned the bottle of whiskey, and the liquid cascaded over the bite marks. A yell seemed to catch in his throat before he collapsed forward off the stool into Dr. Bennett’s arms.

Dr. Bennett held the limp boy over one arm and removed his black neck cloth with the other. He handed it to me over his shoulder. “There’s a barrel with rainwater outside the door. Soak this well. The lad’s burning up.”

The alleyway had filled completely with a dense fog. The icy water soaked through my gloves and my fingers ached. By the time I’d stepped back inside with the dripping piece of cloth, Dr. Bennett had Strider laid out on the bench we’d sat on earlier. His long legs hung off the end of the splintered wood.

Dr. Bennett examined the injury with the eyeglass he kept tucked in his pocket. The onlookers, including the two girls, stood back watching the whole scene. The red head kneaded her skirts with her fingers, and the other girl covered her face as if trying to avoid breathing in something foul. A fever in this neighborhood usually meant some dreaded, contagious sickness.

I knelt down next to Strider’s head and pushed my hood back but not completely clear from my head. Long black lashes shadowed his ashen cheeks. The sheen of fever covered his face. I placed the cold wet cloth over his forehead. His brown eyes shot open. He jumped to his feet then sat down hard on the bench. I peered up at him as I reached around for the cloth. His fever glazed stare fell on my face. I swallowed hard.

“Who the bloody hell are you?” he asked.

Dr. Bennett stood and rubbed his chin from the swift kick he’d received when Strider shot up. “Mr. Strider, your injury is worse than you might think. If you let me help you--”

“I don’t need your help.” His head rested back against the rough, mold stained wall as he scanned the crowd from beneath heavy lids. “Goose, Charlie, get me out of ‘ere.” His two young companions raced to him. Dr. Bennett and I stepped out of the way, and with some effort, the boys helped their sick friend stand and hobble out the door.

Dr. Bennett returned to the barkeep. “Does the boy have a real name? Where does he live?”

The man didn’t answer. Dr. Bennett reached in his pocket, pulled out three shilling, and held it out on his gloved palm.

“Strider’s his real name. Nathaniel Strider, I think. Doesn’t have a permanent home. No family that I know of.” The man stared down now at the black glove. “Far as I know, he sleeps in stairwells and on front stoops.”

Dr. Bennett dropped the coins onto the counter. One rolled off and the man dove for it as if it were a priceless jewel. I picked up Dutch’s cage. The cat had curled itself into a tight ball; a striped paw shielded its face from the cold draft coming in through the door. I followed Dr. Bennett into the damp night air and trudged beside him back to Whitechapel Road.

“I will need you to do your best investigative work this week, Cami. Keep an eye on that boy.”

“I wonder, John, if it is wise to follow him. Becoming acquainted with him in human form may impair our judgment when the time comes.” The night had been draining, but the swirl of dread in my chest and head weakened my spirit even more.

“Don’t you see, Cami? This lad might provide us with some insight.” He stopped, took hold of my shoulders, and turned me to face him. The weak glow of the street lamps could not hide the glint of anticipation in his eyes. “Your father was close to ending this cycle of mutation. I’m convinced of it. But without his journal…” He picked up my hand. “I must move forward on my own.”

I nodded silently, not really in agreement, but in surrender.

Dr. Bennett hired the only cab in sight. As we climbed inside, he continued, but I truly did not want to hear more. “Those teeth marks are deep enough to trigger some cellular changes. The lad has no idea the trouble he’s in. That is, if he survives till the next full moon.”

I stared out the window at the blurred cityscape and held up my hand. “Please, John, I can listen no more tonight.” I despised being rude to him, but the events of the evening topped with the mention of my father had filled me with an unshakeable melancholy. I could not even pretend, as I often did, that the night had been staged. My bizarre life was all too real.

Chapter 3

Sunlight seeped beneath the hem of my drapes far too early. We’d arrived home several hours before dawn, and I’d fallen heavy headed into bed. Amazingly, I’d slept without nightmares. In fact the hollowness in my stomach brought images of Manchester pudding and currant jelly with mutton. It was that same hunger that urged me from my downy covers into the cold air of my bedroom. Dr. Bennett would already be at work in his lab, and he would need breakfast as well.

The water in the ewer stand refreshed my face and arms. My trousers from the night before were still draped over the foot of my bed. I reached for them and threw them over the back of my chair. It had been a long while since I’d pulled a dress over my head. Some time ago, I’d convinced myself that buttery silk gowns were meant for girls with a social life, not for girls who lurked in midnight shadows hunting werewolves. Besides, my boyish disguise had allowed me to venture out alone. Most days, Dr. Bennett never strayed from the house, content only in his lab hovering over his microscope or seated in his favorite chair poring over his books. He hated the outside world and strangers. Only our midnight hunts lured him from home. From my wardrobe, I pulled out a green day dress in hopes that a change of costume would boost my spirits.

I stopped in front of the full-length cheval glass, a possession from my earlier life, and tied my dark hair up with a ribbon. A thick, white lock of hair framed the left side of my face, a constant reminder of my past.

I pinched my cheeks for color, a habit I’d learned from my mother. I had been named after her, and although she died when I was six, I remembered a round freckle near her mouth, the distinctive smell of lavender, and remarkably soft hands. Often she’d spoken in what I later learned was French. Dr. Bennett, my father’s closest friend at the time, was the only one who could speak it with her. My father’s face would scrunch up small and red whenever they excluded him from the conversation. Several years after my mother’s death, my father and Dr. Bennett had had a terrible fight. Their roaring voices boomed from the study in our house. John stormed out and did not return until the dreadful night of my father’s death.

The reflection staring back at me looked foreign in feminine attire. The feel of the soft cotton floating around my legs made me smile.

Dr. Bennett hunched his shoulders over the lab table as he stared into the eyepiece of his microscope. Absorbed in his work, he did not hear me walk into the lab. The long rows of shelves lining the back wall of the room were filled with jars of oddities I’d always tried my best not to look at. Other than that, it was a room I enjoyed. There was a primitively built cot of wood and canvas strategically placed near a window to take advantage of the natural light. Very often, I would find Dr. Bennett fast asleep there with a book on his chest and his glasses still propped on his nose. The stacks of books in the corner had been my school mates growing up, and like school mates, some were dull and some were intriguing.

I peered over Dr. Bennett’s shoulder at the slides he’d prepared. They were cell smears from his handkerchief. “I’ll fry some eggs. Would you prefer coffee or tea?”

He didn’t look up from his work but nodded. “Fine, fine, Cami,” he answered absently. His work would engross him so deeply; he often didn’t know I was in the room.

I smiled. “Coffee it is then.”

“Cami, run down to the corner to pick up a paper.” He glanced up for a moment, then refocused on the thin plates of glass in front of him. “You’re wearing a dress. Very nice.” His face shot up. “Is everything all right?”

I held out my arms and looked down at the green stripes of my skirt. “Everything is fine. I just thought I’d surprise Emily.” It was a lie. I hadn’t really given my sister a thought when I put on the dress.

“I daresay she will be shocked when she sees you.” He refocused on his work. “You know, I think I would prefer coffee instead of tea this morning.”

I smiled and left the lab. My mantle hung on a hook near the door. I flung it around my shoulders and tromped down the three front steps to the wet pavement. The newsboy shouted the headline before I reached him.

“Mysterious death of the fish cart man. Read all about it!” The boy pulled a paper from his shoulder bag and handed it to me. I paid him and tucked the newspaper under my arm. I didn’t need to see the picture or the details. The death was not a mystery to Dr. Bennett and me.

We relied on London newspapers to keep us abreast of mysterious dog attacks and possible targets. Unfortunately, most lycanthropes traveled the smaller towns and farmlands outside of London. The remoteness and lack of population in these places made it easy for them to thrive without being caught. The fish cart man was most likely bitten by one of these outsiders. Dr. Bennett and I did not have the time and resources to focus on the rogue beasts prowling beyond the city limits.

I decided a warm plate of eggs cooked loosely, the way Dr. Bennett liked them, would help soften the front page news. Dutch circled my legs while I worked. Finally, I tossed him the bacon scraps I’d saved yesterday morning. The cat pounced on the pink meat as if it had caught some wild prey and scurried off to its favorite place beneath the kitchen table. The coffee smelled comforting, and I poured myself a hot cup and balanced the bitterness with cream.

With Dutch close at my heels, I carried the plates to the small sitting room. It was my favorite room in the townhouse. The walls were once covered with faded green wallpaper, which I peeled off one day to discover orange paint. Together with the toasty brown color of the wood floor, I’d decided to call it the marmalade room. We ate most of our meals at a card table next to the hearth. Some days we’d sit sipping milk with vanilla and read or debate, forgetting completely about our midnight excursions. I filled the grate, lit the fire, and went to call Dr. Bennett to the table.

He sat in the exact position I’d left him. “Come before the eggs get cold,” I called from the doorway.

“I knew that boy would be a great specimen.” He drew his eye away from the microscope and waved me closer.

“We should hurry. I left Dutch alone with a plate of eggs,” I said as I walked to the microscope. It had taken a while, but I’d become quite adept at peering through the lens. For the longest time, all I saw was black, and I pretended to see things so as not to disappoint him. My face pressed against the cold metal of the eyepiece. There was a cluster of odd shaped cells.

I pulled my eye away and looked at Dr. Bennett. “They don’t look like anything you’ve shown me before.”

“Precisely. These are blood cells from the bite. Not only are the shapes of these cells changing, but if you looked again in a few moments, you would see they are dividing rapidly.”

“But what does it all mean?”

“I have never been able to study a human who is going through the first transformation. That lad could help us, and in turn, we may be able to help him. But we need to bring him here.”

“Bring him here? A werewolf?” Fragments of the memory of my father’s death splintered free. A cold sweat broke out on my skin and the room swayed.

The stool scraped across the floor of the lab. “Cami, my dear, I’ve upset you.” Dr. Bennett placed a hand under my elbow and guided me to the stool.

The dizziness had not cleared completely, but I no longer felt as if I would swoon. “Forgive me, John, but have you lost your senses?”

“Not at all. Let’s go to the sitting room. Some food and a warm fire will do you good, and I can explain myself better.”

The glow in the hearth dried the sweat from my face and arms. Dr. Bennett cut his eggs into six portions as he always did. After only one bite, he pushed away his plate and sat back in his chair. “I’m really too anxious to eat this morning.” He searched around for something. “Did you not buy a paper?”

“I did.” The frown on my face must have been plain to see.

Dr. Bennett stared down at his hands. “I see.”

I reached across the table and placed my hand over his. “You had no choice, John. He would have killed others. Better to be dead than a murderous beast. Right?”

He squeezed my hand, and I sat back. Dr. Bennett poured cream into his coffee and stirred it three times like always. “All the more reason to find this boy, Strider.”

I took a sip of my own lukewarm coffee. “Yes, bring the next murderous beast here, by all means.”

He leaned forward. “Hear me out, Camille. I’ve been looking at the lad’s cells all morning. I am convinced he is not completely altered…yet.”

“But it’s dangerous.”

He took one bite of his egg and swallowed. “Who is this staid, dull girl sitting across from me? Where is your sense of adventure, Camille?”

“I am the same impulsive and silly girl. I just prefer not to bring a werewolf into our home.” I stared down at my cup. The cream had produced an iridescent sheen on the surface.

My gaze lifted. Dr. Bennett had that I can read your thoughts look on his face. It was not always easy living with a genius. “Sometimes, you ask too much of me.”

“Courage has never eluded you before, Camille. Stop convincing yourself otherwise.”

“Courage is a fickle friend. One day it’s there for you, and the next it has disappeared like a snowflake on hot coals.” That I knew first hand.

Dr. Bennett stood from his chair and walked to the window. “What if we could help this boy, Strider?” He walked over and put his hands on the back of my chair. “We must think of him in purely scientific terms. No emotional attachment. He will be a specimen to study, and in the long run, if we can save him…”

I twisted back and looked up at him. “And if we can’t? What right do we have to make him a specimen?” I stood now and began clearing the plates that we’d barely touched. My hunger had diminished without a bite. “And what will we tell him? Pardon us, but we need to poke you with needles to find out whether you’re a full-fledged shape-shifter or merely stuck at some hideous stage between human and beast.”

He looked at me with thoughtful blue eyes. “We tell him that without us, his fate is sealed, and he has less than a month to live.” He walked to the table and nonchalantly picked up the cups as if he’d just recited the recipe for gingerbread.

My insides churned as if someone had taken an eggbeater to them. As outlandish as the whole scheme was, it brought with it the hope of ending our midnight hunts. “Am I really staid like old Mrs. Bruner next door?”

“Not quite. That type of starched composure takes years of practice.”

We carried the plates down to the kitchen. “Today is visiting day at Bethlem. Tomorrow, I’ll make a trip to Buck’s Row and look for our finger-slicing, grave robber. Perhaps I can convince him that he needs our help.”

“That’s my girl.”

Chapter 4

“Do not forget your parcel,” Dr. Bennett called from his lab and stuck his head out into the hallway. “I have a letter for your sister.” He outstretched his hand, and I grabbed the wax sealed missive from it. As always, Emily’s name was written hastily on the front with an oversized E. I had no idea what his letters to Emily contained. He never spoke about the contents, and she never read them in my presence.

“Are you walking to Bethlem?”

“The paper, where did I lay it last?” I leaned over the umbrella stand and found the stack of sugar and Cobb paper tucked behind it. I grabbed the twine that held it in a bundle and plucked it from its hiding spot. “Yes, I’m walking. The fog has lifted, and the view from Westminster Bridge should be splendid. Besides, it’s too early for visiting hours.”

“Be careful. The carriage traffic is heavy at this hour.”

“I hadn’t actually planned to walk down the center of the road.”

“Such an amusing girl.” He disappeared back into his lab.

The dawn mist had lifted leaving behind a crisp, blue sky and a glacial breeze. My shoulders inched up closer to my ears. My eyes watered from the cold, blurring the silhouette of the parliament building. Barges meandered beneath the squat arches, producing long turrets of smoke that snaked up before scattering in the gusty morning air. The crystal view was well worth the walk, but for most of the journey, I kept my face down to shield it from the biting wind.

Bethlem Hospital, with its magnificent dome and columns, looked as imposing as Westminster. But in the parliament building, self-important men flew through the halls in long, black coats making decisions about critical matters. Here, at the hospital, curables and incurables shambled through the halls in white gowns trying to decide whether or not they mattered. Even though it was visiting day, the place was near to deserted.

“Can I help you, Miss?”

“Sarah, it’s me, Camille. I’m here to see Emily.”

Sarah lifted her plump frame from the chair and glanced over her desk. “It is you. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you in a dress.”

“Is my sister back in her room?” I had no interest in discussing my wardrobe.

She waved her hand toward the hallway that led to the female ward. “I’m sure she’ll be pleased to see you.” She laughed. “That is if she recognizes you.”

I pretended to be amused and headed to Emily’s room. One worker pushed a carpet sweeper around the feet of the patients who lingered on the varnished benches, while another watered the green plants cascading from the sconces on the wall. Not many years back, the floor would have been covered with filth rather than an immaculate rug, patients would have been shackled to the walls rather than moving freely about, and the only thing green would have been the porridge served at supper.

My fingers rapped lightly on the door.

“Come in.”

I sighed with relief when the voice on the other side sounded cheery.

Emily smiled. She was thinner, which made her round, blue eyes look like saucers in her small face. Her pale yellow hair was twisted into a knot at the nape of her neck. With her starched white shift and fair skin, she nearly vanished into the whitewashed walls of the room.

“I haven’t woken them yet.” My sister walked to her window. “We were waiting for you.”

She drew back the curtain and pushed the window open a crack allowing in enough breeze to blow life across the room. Hundreds of blue wings twittered on the backs of paper fairies as they clung to the delicate chains circling the room, and we were no longer standing in a place called Bedlam. We were in a mystical forest, Emily’s forest of sugar paper creatures.

“You’re wearing a dress.”

“Why does everyone feel the need to state the obvious this morning?” I tossed the bundle of colored paper onto her bed and placed Dr. Bennett’s letter on top.

“It seems rather odd, that’s all. But you should wear dresses more often. It makes you look more mature.”

My sister Emily had been born eleven minutes before me, and she’d convinced herself that those few extra moments gave her the imperious rights of older sister.

“I’ll keep your advice in mind.”

She rolled her eyes at my sarcastic tone, picked up the pack of papers, and pocketed the letter. “Could you not find red?”

I shook my head. “Not even from the book binder. Why don’t you make her hair brown? I brought some coffee colors.”

Emily walked to her dresser and lifted a delicate paper sculpture from the top drawer. “Her name is Aidan which means little, fiery one. Brown hair will not do.”

I flopped onto the bed. “Fine. I will look for red. If only I had such immense things to worry about.”

“Forgive me for being a nuisance,” Emily said and tucked the hairless fairy back into the drawer. “There was an incident last night, wasn’t there? I nearly scratched myself raw.” She pushed back her sleeve and showed me her forearm. Her crescent shaped scar was surrounded by red skin. After my father’s death, she had carved a quarter moon into her forearm with a knife. She’d done the same to mine, and I’d let her because she was the older sister, and even though I was considered the strong one, she made all the decisions. We had rubbed the cuts together to show our never ending devotion to each other. But that promise had ended when she’d abandoned me for this place.

“Dr. Bennett handled it.” I rarely spoke of our midnight hunts with Emily. “Are you reading anything new?”

Emily adjusted several of the fairies so their wings would get the full effect of the morning breeze. “I picked up one dreadful novel after another and couldn’t finish any of them. So I’m reading Austen again.”

“Perhaps I’ll bring you enough paper to sculpt yourself a Mr. Darcy.”

“A paper man. How romantic. And when I tire of him, I can just crumple him into a huge ball.” Emily sat on the bed next to me, pulled free my white hunk of hair, and weaved it into a tight plait. “What’s the matter, Cami? Was it very bad last night?”

I rested my head on her bone thin shoulder. “There was a victim last night, a mere bite, so we’re quite sure he survived. John thinks he could provide us with answers.” I lifted my head and glanced at the nightstand where my father’s journal had been locked away for years.

“What kind of answers?”

I stood and walked to the pitcher of water on her dresser. “Answers to how the universe began, Emily, what do you think? A cure, Dr. Bennett is searching for a cure.” The water cooled my dry throat. I had not meant to be rude, but occasionally, I became angry that I was out there in the ugly world, and she was in here hiding from it.

“Who was this victim?” Emily asked.

I shrugged and tapped one of the fairies with my finger. The blue winged sprite twirled around as if dancing. “Some lad who lives on the streets. Makes money by stealing from dead people.”

“Less chance of being caught, I suppose. Is he young?”

“Seventeen or eighteen perhaps.”

Emily untied her new bundle of paper and sifted through the assortment. “Do you think it wise to get to know this victim? After all you will probably be faced with--”

“Killing him,” I finished for her. “Dr. Bennett has been stalled with his study. He needs more evidence. And since we don’t have father’s journal…”

Emily was practiced at ignoring things she didn’t want to hear. She continued categorizing the squares into piles according to color and size. My mention of the journal swept past her unheeded. Nothing would make her part with father’s journal.

“’Tis a foolish endeavor, to be sure. There is no stopping the cycle.”

“Spoken with the confidence of a true expert, Emily.” I fingered some of her creations. “Tell me, who supplies you with all this unfaltering knowledge. Is it little Ciara here?” I traveled along the chain and pointed out several. “Or, mayhap, it was Fayette or Elgar.” I glanced at her and saw that color had flooded into her cheeks. I dropped my hand. “Forgive me, Em, but you have no idea what it is like.”

She walked to her dresser, pulled out a shawl, and threw it around her shoulders. “I have some idea, Camille. But don’t forget, you’re the strong one.”

Her last words stung as they were meant to, and only she and I knew the reason why.

My sister grabbed hold of my hand. Her skin felt clammy. “I could use a little exercise,” she said. “Let’s take a turn round the ward.”

Two nurses swept past us. “Is it Frances again?” Emily called to them as they rushed on.

“Aye,” one of the nurses called back over her shoulder.

“Poor Frances,” Emily sighed. “She is always convinced that she is choking on her food. She hardly ever eats for fear that she will die from it. She’s grown terribly thin.”

I peeked over at my sister who was literally skin wrapped over bones and wondered what she might consider to be terribly thin. “Why don’t they feed her soup?” I asked. “It would be difficult to choke on broth.”

She shook her head. “You would think. But Frances sputtered and coughed the entire time they spooned it into her.”

“Perhaps it’s not in her head. Perhaps she has some unseen malady that does not allow her to swallow properly.”

Emily squeezed my hand and directed me to a bench in front of a large window. “Perhaps. But I think it is more likely that she is deranged.”

Sunlight streamed in through the window and onto Emily’s face. We were twins, but we looked nothing alike. She was the fair-haired beauty, and I was the dark-haired exotic, a phrase my father drummed up for me so I would not feel left out when people marveled at Emily’s appearance. The bench we sat on reminded me of the park bench we rested on the day she told me she could no longer function outside of the hospital walls. “Deranged? Is that the category you’ve placed yourself in now?”

“Not deranged, just inappropriately suited for normal life.”

I laughed. “If you are referring to life outside these walls as normal, you’ve been holed up here too long.”

The large door at the end of the hall swung open and a young man walked through carrying a small table. Emily released my hand and smoothed a few stray hairs back from her forehead. A grin erupted at the side of her mouth. The man approached us.

“Will this do, Miss?” he asked.

“That is perfect, Samuel,” Emily answered in an uncharacteristically soft tone.

He smiled. “I’ll put it in your room.”

Emily stared up at him with her disarming, blue gaze, and Samuel nearly fell backwards with the table. “Under the window would be perfect.”

“Right away, Miss.” He hurried off.

“What was that about?” I asked.

“Oh, that. I needed a table to work on.” The blush diffused from her cheeks.

“Em, I’m not talking about the table. I’m talking about the man.”

She shrugged. “I see no need to live a completely solitary existence. Besides, Samuel brings me anything I ask for.”

I jumped to my feet. “At what price? Emily, I’m shocked.”

“Really? Don’t be.” She stood and wrapped her arm through mine, and we walked toward her room.

Chapter 5

It was only October but autumn was scooting away on brisk breezes. I opted for trousers again since they provided more protection from the cold and because I’d be traveling to the East End alone. I reached for my lucky hat, the John Bull topper I’d found in Hyde Park, and pulled it low over my brow. It was a look that would have made Emily cringe. The visit yesterday with my sister had stirred my thoughts all day. I told myself I should be happy about her rather unseemly relationship with the hospital worker. But envy left a bitter taste in my mouth. She’d been concealed within the walls of Bethlem, rarely even stirring out of doors, and she’d formed an attachment. While her beauty could have afforded her a much better suitor in the outside world, she’d managed to find affection within the limited population around her.

Dr. Bennett met me at the front door and handed me his coin purse. “I saw the men unpacking boxes of oranges and winter pears yesterday at Covent Garden. Maybe you should stop for some. Fresh fruit might make a tasty lure for a hungry boy. And buy a few for home.”

I nodded and tucked the coin purse into my trouser pocket. “A bejeweled corpse would make a better lure, but I don’t suppose you have one of those.” I bounced up to my tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

“Be careful, Cami. You know the rule.”

“If anything smells the slightest bit sour, then leave off right away.” I turned to go. I only hoped I could smell something sour beneath the rotten stenches of the lower East End.

Ribbons of yellow, red, and green vegetables stretched across the long line of grocers’ carts at Covent Garden. The flower girls were hard at work tempting shoppers with their tiny clusters of violets. Several stands displayed the early treasures of winter, solid oranges, tart grapes and French pears. Not wanting to weigh myself down with heavy fruit, I purchased one orange and one pear. There would be more tomorrow. Besides, I wasn’t sure how to use them as a lure.

My purchase being made, I braced myself for the heavy horse and foot traffic of Whitechapel Road and the public house off Buck’s Row. I had no notion of how to find our specimen, but I was even more worried about how I would approach him if I spotted him.

I slipped into the tavern and sat on the same bench. The few patrons looked too steeped in misery to notice a small visitor. Because it was day, no candles or lanterns were lit, making the place more dreary and cold than the night before. I surveyed the room and saw only two familiar faces, the man behind the counter, who was no doubt the owner, and the red haired girl.

The girl slouched on a chair at one of the tables. In the dim light drifting across the threshold, I could see her face. The heavy makeup from the night before had been smeared away and dark rings circled her eyes. Her red hair was piled in a matted mess atop her head. It dawned on me that she was no more than twenty. A shadow crossed the floor, and my eyes flitted to the entrance. The other girl had returned.

“There you are, Jane. You look a sight, you do.”

The red head sat forward and put her elbows on the table. “And where ‘ave you been, Nell? Rutting around with that worthless man of yours?”

Nell slid out a chair and sprawled her legs apart as she sat. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” the girl teased. “The man I’ve been with weren’t the least bit worthless.”

“The draper’s assistant then?” Jane slumped back uninterested.

“I’ve been with Strider.”

Jane shot forward and leaned her face close to Nell, who beamed at the interest she’d provoked. I leaned forward as well.

“You’re a lyin’ pig,” Jane sneered. “I saw Strider leave ‘ere barely able to stand on his own.” She slumped back again.

Nell adjusted the tattered shawl around her shoulders. “He’s feelin’ much better now. Spent the last two hours with ‘im on the shoemaker’s stoop.” A satisfied smile spread across her face.

It was hard to know whether the girl was telling the truth or whether she was determined to rile Jane. If she was telling the truth, then I could only assume that Strider’s health had improved greatly. Jane and Nell sat in silence now, one of them smiling and the other seething. They were completely ignorant of the fact that the object of their affections would soon transform into a flesh-tearing beast, the likes of which they could never have imagined.

“You there!” The owner waved a gnarled finger at me from behind his counter. “If you’re not buying nothing, then off with you.” His command drew the attention of the girls. They snickered at me as I stood and hurried out the door.

The air outside smelled thick with sewage. I swallowed back the fetid taste in my throat and headed in the direction of the shoemaker’s shop.

Not two blocks from the place, a soft moan rolled out from an alley. A girl’s delighted giggle mingled with a young man’s voice. I felt my cheeks grow warm. As I rushed past, something caught my eye. An old sailor’s coat lay draped over a tattered basket. I pressed myself next to the rough brick façade and peered around the corner.

I’d seen him for the first time two nights ago, and saw him only from behind now, but I recognized the broad shoulders and black hair instantly. The girl in his clutches was small and blonde like Emily, and I could see a heavy pink blush on her cheeks as he bent to kiss her. His long leg was tucked between her thighs. Nathaniel Strider was an impossible blackguard, but I could not look away.

Strider pulled the blouse from her shoulder. “You know I’m always thinking of you, Love.”

A laugh escaped my lips. My hand flew to my mouth. It was the tiniest sound, yet his head quickly turned, and his eyes found me instantly. His heated gaze made my breath come in short spurts. I dropped my arms and clenched my fists so hard, fingernails bit into my palms. My first instinct was to pull back out of view, but I found myself looking around the corner again. I made not a sound, at least not a sound that a human could hear, and his eyes flicked toward me.

The cad continued to caress the girl’s shoulder with his mouth, all the while staring at me. His glare bordered on mischievous. The bloody bastard took pleasure in being watched. He lifted his head and smiled wickedly at me before returning his full attention to the girl. I stumbled back several steps and raced to Whitechapel without looking back.

Once lost in the melee of Whitechapel Road, I stopped to catch my breath. My ears throbbed with the cold, and I felt lightheaded. I unfurled my fingers. Thoughts tangled in my head. I’d known full well that citizens on the East End behaved differently. But this wasn’t about the way I’d seen Nathaniel Strider behaving. This was envy over the girl he kissed.

After Emily’s revelation the morning before had settled in my mind, I realized I was less shocked than resentful. Emily had someone to stroke her hair, someone to press lips on her, someone to stare at her as if she were an angel. It was the same jealousy I felt now about the girl who stood in the alley being caressed by Nathaniel Strider’s mouth.

My fingers lightly brushed my own lips. I wondered what it would be like to be kissed by him. Of course, I could just ask any of the girls on the East End. That thought extinguished my romantic notions instantly. Nathaniel Strider could never love. He’d obviously discovered early on that girls’ hearts were vulnerable, and all a lad needed was a penetrating gaze and a disarming smile and the world was at his feet. For the moment, I’d seen enough of my charge.

My pace slowed considerably on my return home. Dr. Bennett had a rather distorted view of my courage. I wanted to end the midnight hunts more than he did, but I sensed this plan of his would not end well for any of us. To find a way to stop this in less than thirty days seemed no more possible than stopping the moon from completing its cycle. And from the keen sense of hearing and sight our specimen displayed in the shadows between the buildings, it was obvious his transformation had begun.

Thirst and hunger made my head ache. The pear drooped heavy in my pocket. I pulled it out and took a bite. A lure for that rake? Not unless I tucked it between my breasts.

The blur of people and animals made me dizzy. I leaned against a lamppost to eat my fruit and watch the street locksmith busy at his trade. A small girl stood patiently near her father who waited for the locksmith to fashion a key. The girl enjoyed her biscuit, taking no notice of the boisterous crowd sweeping past or the waterfall of crumbs on her pink dress. My spirits had sunk. It may have been my weakened state or the emotion of the morning, but the whole scene in front of me triggered a memory. The blood drained from my head, and I held onto the lamppost for support. The image before me blurred as I remembered back to a little girl in a pink dress licking a half-penny ice while her father laughed with the local locksmith. I shook my head to clear it.

I dropped the half eaten pear and hurried home. I’d had enough distress for the morning. Locating Strider would not be a problem. He seemed to be getting around fine even with the injured leg. Indeed, from what I had witnessed, Nathaniel Strider was more than fine. I had no clue how to bring him home to the lab. How could I possibly tempt him from the bevy of enthusiastic girls he had waiting for him around every corner? Lost in my worried thoughts, I pushed hastily past a boardman and smacked my shoulder on his jutting sign.

“Watch yourself, laddie,” the man called after me.

Bloody grand. I’d spent so much time in trousers, everyone assumed I was a boy. And the only way to catch the interest of Nathaniel Strider was to be a wanton female or a rich corpse. I was in trouble.

Sir Dutch greeted me at the door. We’d given him the title of Sir when he’d first shown his uncanny ability to sense werewolves. Dr. Bennett and I had wandered out rather aimlessly one night, not quite sure where to begin our search. I’d carried Dutch because we’d found that when left alone, he’d shred drapes and overturn vases. We’d read about a bill-sticker near Lambeth who’d fought off a vicious dog attack by clubbing the animal with his paste can. Dr. Bennett and I’d headed toward Lambeth, and as we passed several warehouses along the Thames, the cat hissed and growled. Dr. Bennett deduced that the cat was warning us and drew his weapon. The night came to a grisly end with the sharp blast of a gun. On the way home, we’d decided Dutch was not a proper name for a hero, so we knighted him Sir Dutch.

Dr. Bennett sat in the marmalade room poring over science publications. The fire from the morning had died to a red shimmer. His morning coffee sat stale and cold in its cup.

“You must be famished, John.”

He startled at the sound of my voice. “You’re home. Did you find our young man?”

I placed the orange in front of him. “I found him, but he was occupied.” I had no intentions of going into the details. “I must admit, I’m not sure how to proceed with this.”

“You may have to be blunt and tell him he is in grave danger.” Dr. Bennett removed his eyeglasses and rubbed his eyes before resting back in the chair. The morning paper was spread over the seat of the settee. “Perhaps it would be better if I spoke to the lad.”

His offer tempted me, but I was determined to try again. Besides, the randy bloke needed a good smack of reality, and I treasured the thought of giving it to him. “I’m not ready to give up yet.”

“Very well. But remember time is limited.” He picked up a Mendel’s publication about the hybridization of plants.

I sat across from him and fingered the copy of Darwin’s book on Natural Selection. “Finding anything significant?”

“I’m afraid I’m looking in the wrong places. Mendel’s and Darwin’s theories are all about changes over long periods of time.” He closed the books in front of him. “This transformation of human to werewolf happens at an alarming rate. It defies all of these theories. You saw those cells this morning. The lad had contact with the beast only hours before and already, there was transmutation. I must start back at the beginning. I must return to the theory of cells.” He placed his palm on some papers near the corner of the table. “I’m going to peruse some of Virchow’s cellular studies next. Maybe he has some wisdom to impart.” He smiled. “After all, the man spends nearly as much time at the microscope as me.”

“You read through the paper then?” I looked pointedly at the settee.

He glanced over at the splayed paper. “No new attacks mentioned. Only the death of the…” His words trailed off. “He had three children.”

I spotted Schwann’s book on the theory of cells in the pile and pushed it in front of him. “All the more reason to carry-on.” I picked up the orange and peeled it. The sweet citrus fragrance filled the room. “Father used to say that peeling an orange was like bringing a piece of sunshine into the house.” It was rare when I mentioned memories of my father, but the sight of the girl with her father at the locksmith’s cart had released some of them.

Dr. Bennett nodded weakly. The burden he carried showed in his brow.

I held up my palm topped with a sticky wedge of fruit and returned a smile. “Here’s to finding a cure.”

He plucked up the orange and raised it in a mock toast. “To finding a cure.”

Chapter 6

A bone aching frost hung low in the morning air, and I half considered hopping on an omnibus for the journey to Buck’s Row. Only the last time I’d climbed aboard one, I was treated to a continual jabbing with the tip of a gentleman’s umbrella and the rancid smell of rum from the breath of the man sitting across from me. The trip became unforgettably unpleasant.

By the time I’d reached Whitechapel Road on foot, soot-filled dew dripped off the brim of my hat, and the trousers hugged my calves with sticky moisture. The street was choked with traffic and people. I pressed myself against the building fronts in an attempt to stay clear of rushing vehicles and ambitious pedestrians. Unfortunately, my safe journey along the warm bricks of the shops was diverted by an industrious, second-hand furniture shop owner. In an obvious attempt to attract buyers, he’d pushed four chairs, a table, and a wardrobe onto the already cramped pathway. I navigated around his clutter and managed to step directly into a pile of fresh horse manure. My scowl did little to dampen the spirits of the shop owner who seemed all too pleased with his advertising idea.

My shoulders hunched against the cold as I planned where to start my search. I was convinced the publican would not take kindly to me sitting on his bench again, and I dared not purchase any ale in his establishment. I could always follow the young girls in the neighborhood. Surely, one or two or three of them would lead me to Nathaniel Strider.

On warmer days, the streets teemed with languid energy, but on cold mornings such as this, vitality thrived and even the down trodden with little to motivate themselves moved about with alacrity. Malnourished dogs barked wildly as if the drop in temperature signaled the arrival of a hailstorm of soup bones.

Over the din of boisterous conversations and excited animals, I heard angry words being exchanged from behind. A jumble of tangled limbs and flying fists plowed toward me. I threw myself against the wall to get out of the brawling men’s path. They stopped not two meters in front of me and continued to pummel each other.

A crowd gathered, not to separate them, but to cheer them on. Blood from the combatants’ noses sprayed the cobblestone path. I scanned the crowd from under my hat and discovered that as others gaped at the spectacle, I’d caught the attention of one of the onlookers. His intense gaze stunned me, and a breath lodged in my throat. I slid between two of the cheering spectators and rounded the corner out of view. A furtive glance over my shoulder assured me that no one had followed.

I plunked down onto the front step of a chandler’s shop and laughed. The prey I’d been stalking had found me first. It was hard to know why he’d chosen to watch me over the fight. My plain brown trousers and gray wool coat were not out of the ordinary. Perhaps it had been my imagination or my surprise at seeing him in the crowd. Perhaps he hadn’t been watching me at all. Still, it was difficult to dismiss that soul-striking gaze, which felt all too real at the time.

Determined to continue my quest, I sidled along the shops until I reached the same corner I’d escaped around moments before. The mob and the rivals had dispersed leaving behind only watery drops of red on the pavement. No sign of Nathaniel Strider.

I resumed the same path I’d begun before the interruption and had gone no more than ten steps when I saw him. He lurked around a cart of apples. The costermonger, his attention diverted by a paying customer, didn’t notice the nonpaying customer helping himself to two pieces of fruit. I ducked into an empty stairwell.

I quieted my trembling hands, swallowed to wet my dry throat, and cursed myself for becoming so ridiculously agitated at the sight of him. Perhaps Dr. Bennett would be better for this task. At this point, I had no idea how to approach him. Like a mirage, my fickle courage had vanished. There was more time, I assured myself. I could return to Buck’s Row tomorrow. By then, I would have worked up the nerve to step right up to Nathaniel Strider and introduce myself before giving him the news.

Ashamed at my cowardice, I trudged back toward the main road, staring down at my feet as they landed on each stone. Each step grew heavier and heavier with dejection. Suddenly my boots left the ground completely as someone grabbed both my arms, dragged me round to the alleyway, and slammed me up against the wall. My eyes snapped shut as my head landed with a sharp thud against the rough brick, vibrating my skull with pain.

“Why are you followin’ me?”

My eyes shot open. I was looking directly into the brown eyes of Nathaniel Strider. He shook me, and my head hit the wall again with only the crushed brim of my hat for protection. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. I winced as his powerful grip tightened on my arms. His face was close to mine.

Voices came from the end of the dark passage. I turned my head to see if help was near. A small boy stood in a recess, holding a thin toddler in his arms. The lad’s bare feet looked blue against the icy, wet pavement. Hesitantly, I returned my attention to my captor.

“Who sent you?” He released me and shoved the hat from my head. His eyes narrowed. “Bloody hell,” he said and harshly pinched my breast. “A girl in trousers.”

I screamed and moved to hammer him with my fists, but before I could land one punch, he had both my wrists in one hand and pinned above my head.

Anger helped me find my tongue. “What do you mean who sent me? Who would be out looking for a lowly thief like yourself? Scotland Yard has finer thieves to chase.” I met his angry gaze with one of my own and realized, too late, the mistake I’d made. His hold nearly crushed my wrist bones. “You’re hurting me. Please let go,” I pleaded. “Your strength, you have not learned to control…” My words trailed off. His eyes never left my face. The pain from his fierce hold on me brought on tears. They left hot streaks on my cheeks. “Please, let go, and I’ll explain.”

His grasp loosened, and as my arms collapsed, my knees followed. Strider caught me but with a gentler grip. I rubbed feeling back into my hands.

His long, black lashes fluttered down as he brazenly reviewed the rest of me. He straightened and placed a hand on either side of my head, effectively trapping me against the wall. “Explain.”

His nearness made my head spin. I swallowed hard. “I—I came to tell you, you are in grave trouble.”

He squinted hard at me and then threw his head back with laughter.

Obviously assuming I wouldn’t run, he dropped his hands and crossed his arms over his chest. “Sweet’eart, I must tell you,” a smile punctuated his words, “I’m always in grave trouble.”

The cold prompted me to pull my jacket tighter around my shoulders. His faded seaman’s coat hung open, a column of brass buttons framing each side of the dingy white shirt beneath. “You don’t understand.” I glanced down at his leg. His trousers bulged with some kind of wrap beneath. The leather of his shoes was worn so thin, I could see the outline of his toes. “Those teeth marks on your leg...”

“How do you know about my leg?” His eyes narrowed. “You’re that odd, little creature from the other night, with that pompous doctor and his cat.” Now he scrutinized my face, and I shifted nervously from foot to foot. “I thought those green eyes looked familiar.”

“The bite did not come from a dog.” The words blurted out louder than I’d expected. I pressed myself back against the wall attempting to put more distance between us. “They came from a werewolf.”

He did not move. He blinked three times before the lines around his mouth deepened.

“I know you must think me daft, but I assure you, I’m quite sane.”

“And how would you know how I came about the bite?” His face moved closer. “Exactly how long ‘ave you and the doctor been following me?”

I rolled my eyes. “And you refer to Dr. Bennett as pompous. This may well come as a puncture to your bloated head, but we were not following you at all. We were tracking a werewolf.” I put my hands on my hips. “And what kind of person steals from a dead woman, and even worse, cuts off her finger?”

He shrugged but my words seemed to shame him. “Less chance of getting caught.” Just as Emily had surmised. “Besides, it’d been three days since I’d eaten.”

Now I felt ashamed, but his hunger provided me with opportunity. “I promise you a warm meal if you return home with me. Dr. Bennett is expecting you. We’re just past Covent Garden.”

Strider glanced in the direction of the main road. I hoped he wasn’t planning to run off. “What could he possibly want with me?”

My mind rushed to find a good reason. If I didn’t think of something clever, he would surely leave, but his nearness muddled my thoughts. “Dr. Bennett wants to help you.” It was a pitiful, unconvincing response.

“Strider!” A woman’s shriek rained down on our heads from a broken, second story window where a rag had been shoved into a missing corner of glass.

Strider stepped back to get a better view. “Ah, Sally.” He blew a kiss up to the girl. She had wavy hair and a large bosom that nearly spilled over the window ledge.

“I thought that was you. Who are you with, Nathaniel Strider? Where’ve you been hiding?” The girl leaned out dangerously far to get a better glimpse of me. I stepped back out of view.

“Blasted woman, who are you talkin’ to?” It was a man’s voice. A giant, angry face joined the voice. He glowered down at Strider. “You! I’ve been waitin’ to get my ‘ands round your throat.” It seemed only the height of the window stopped the man from hurtling himself to the ground below. He disappeared from the window.

“Where did you say you lived?” Strider asked hastily as he picked my hat up from the ground and plopped it down on my head.

“Two blocks west of Covent Garden.”

Heavy footsteps pounded down the stairs inside the building. “What are we waiting for, lass? I’m as hungry as a wolf.” His fingers grabbed hold of my sore wrist, and he whisked me out of the alley and down the road.

I was thankful for the thick crowd on Whitechapel, which forced us to slow our pace. The man with the angry face proved no match for Strider who pulled me along like a kite on a string. The frigid air weighed heavy on my chest. I fully expected Strider to release his hold on my wrist and dash off. But he didn’t. My offer for a warm meal had apparently worked.

His face turned and he looked down at me. “What’s your name, lass?

“My name is Camille.”

“Camille. I don’t believe I’ve ever kissed a Camille.”

I stared down at the ground to conceal the color heating my face. “Somehow, I find that hard to believe.”

With a laugh, he returned his eyes to the chaos on the main road. “And the good doctor, is he your father?”

I paused for a moment not really wanting to answer. “No, my father is dead. Dr. Bennett is my guardian.”

“My father is dead as well.”

“I’m sorry for you,” I said.

“I’m not. I hated him.” His arm snaked around my waist, and he pulled me against his side to avoid a pile of broken glass on the path. His arm dropped away, but I could still feel where his fingers had touched me.

“Is your mother gone as well?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Don’t know for certain. Last time I saw her she was alive. I—I’ve been on my own since I was ten.” The hitch in his voice seemed to come from somewhere deep in his chest.

A change of subject seemed necessary. “I must say, you are much improved since that night in the public house.”

“Not much keeps Nathaniel Strider off his feet,” he said confidently.

I smiled up at him. “With the exception of every girl on Buck’s Row.”

“Not every girl,” he corrected and then stopped suddenly. “You really ‘ave been tailing me.” He fished one of the stolen green apples from his coat and offered me a bite, which I declined. “You watched me yesterday-- in the passage way.” There was no shame in his voice. He continued walking.

I scurried to keep up with his long strides. “I was not following you as a form of entertainment. Believe me, I have better things to do and watch.” I used a tone of disgust, but it did not seem to faze him as he lazily crunched on his fruit.

He swallowed. “Indeed? I saw the expression on your face yesterday. You seemed rather entertained.”

Now I stopped. I grabbed his arm. “What a monstrous arse you are! Don’t you see? I am trying to save your life.” Frustration simmered through me. How could I possibly make a boy who’d survived the daily horrors of London’s street life comprehend the level of torment he now faced?

Strider lifted my chin with his fingers. “Settle down, girl. I didn’t mean to anger you.” He looked at me, and it felt as if his gaze had stroked my face. His eyes seemed to focus on my bottom lip, which now trembled as it always did when I felt nervous or self-conscious. His fingers dropped from my chin. “About this meal you promised.”

Still reeling from the way he’d looked at me, it took me a moment to decipher his simple question. “The meal, of course. How does vegetable stew sound?”

“Considering I have not had a vegetable or a stew for months, having both sounds extraordinary,” he said.

We walked silently for a stretch and that is when I noticed every female, whether dressed in grimy broadcloth or plush velvet, stole a glimpse at him. And he made love to every girl we passed with his smile and his brown eyes.

After several blocks, Strider pulled the second apple from his coat and headed to the entryway of an empty shop. I followed, hoping he had not changed his mind. In the lonely darkness of the abandoned steps sat an old woman. A light blue shawl hugged her frail shoulders and layers of filthy, threadbare skirts covered her legs. With closed eyes, she was huddled against the door frame. The misery in her face seemed to be a plea for God to be merciful and take her. Strider reached down and picked up her gnarled hand. His touch did not startle her from her state of lethargy. He placed the apple in her hand. She stared at the fruit as if she did not recognize it. Then she lifted her bloodshot eyes in a silent thank you.

A lump the size of the apple had formed in my throat, and I suddenly realized why every girl on the East End was smitten with Nathaniel Strider. He returned to me, and I forced a smile from beneath a veil of dread. How could this possibly end well?

We did not speak the rest of the way. My thoughts blackened. Damn to hell the moon.

Chapter 7

Dutch’s yowls of protest met us at the front door. I’d completely forgotten the cat and his sensitivities. Strider glanced inside apprehensively.

“Tis only our cat.” I stepped over the threshold and turned to look at Strider. Spatters of sunlight sprinkled through the cloud cover, softly lighting his face. He was remarkably handsome. There was an edge of innocence in his expression that belied all of the disreputable activities I’d witnessed.

I motioned him inside with my head. “Surely, you’re not afraid of a cat?” Although, I had to admit, the unearthly sounds coming from under the coat rack where Dutch now hid were far from inviting.

“Would you like to hang up your coat?” I asked as I removed my own.

He shrugged the seaman’s coat higher on his shoulders. “Thank you, no.” His eyes flitted around the room with great curiosity. I wondered if he’d ever stood in a house like this. Dr. Bennett, like my father, had been a gentlemen’s son and had inherited enough money to live his life comfortably as an academic.

Strider looked down at his trousers and shoes then up at me. He fidgeted with his sleeves, his uneasiness growing with each moment. It was the first time I’d seen him without that shell of self-confidence. I worried he might still make a dash for it.

“We live a very ordinary existence.” I assured him. “You needn’t feel out of place.”

He nodded silently and followed me downstairs to the kitchen.

I pointed to a stool where Dr. Bennett often perched while I cooked. “Sit here near the stove to warm yourself. The kettle is warm. I’ll pour some tea.”

He surveyed the kitchen. “I always thought fancy houses had servants to make tea.”

I was pleased that he was speaking again. “I suppose so. Maggie comes in twice a week to clean, but Dr. Bennett prefers not to have a lot of people in the house.”

His eyes opened wide.

I put up my hand. “Not you. He will be very pleased to see you.”

He raked his long, unruly hair back with his fingers. “Right. The good doctor intends to save me from being eaten by a wolf or beast of some kind.”

“You’re not much of a listener.” I lifted a filled teacup from the table. “You are in no danger of being eaten by a wolf.” I wished that that truly had been the extent of his danger.

Rather than taking the handle, he wrapped his fingers around the entire porcelain cup. He put his lips to hot liquid and yanked them away. Hot tea splashed across his lap. He jumped up and the delicate cup crashed to the ground. Immediately, Strider crouched down to retrieve the broken glass pieces.

“Don’t cut yourself,” I warned too late.

He stood with a handful of jagged porcelain mixed with a good deal of blood. I grabbed hold of his wrist and shook the shards into the tin waste bucket under the table.

Still holding his wrist, I dragged him to the wash basin and plunged his hand into the cool water, which instantly colored red from the blood. I drew the clean handkerchief from my pocket and wrapped it snuggly around the cuts on his palm to stop the bleeding. His hand felt large and rough in mine. My fingers lightly brushed his as I finished swathing his palm.

“Tis not as bad as it looks,” I said flustered by his regained silence. He was so close, I could feel his breath on my cheek. I became very aware of my own breath now as I peeked up at his face. He looked incredibly vulnerable, nothing like the boy I’d been following the last two days. Our eyes met. He looked at me for a long moment before wrenching his hand free from my grasp.

“I shouldn’t have com ‘ere,” he said. He took several steps backward.

“’Tis only a cup.” I struggled to keep the desperation out of my voice. “Let me fix you some food.”

He stopped his retreat and appeared torn between escaping back to the streets and filling his stomach with what was probably his first warm meal in months.

“Please, Strider, stay.” I took a step toward him.

“Nathaniel,” he said. “Call me, Nathaniel.” His breath stealing gaze made me quickly comply.

“Nathaniel.” His name tumbled off my lips, and an argument erupted in my head. Send him on his way, I thought. He will bring nothing but heartache. But the other half of my mind confidently assured me that it was too late.

Dr. Bennett called down the stairwell. “Cami, are you down there?”

Strider’s shoulders tensed at the sound of his voice. I tried to reassure him with a smile.

“Dr. Bennett, please come down. We have company.”

Footsteps resounded down the narrow passage. Dr. Bennett’s brow rose with surprise and a grin erupted below. He walked straight up to Strider, stopping as he noticed his injured hand.

“Aah, Mr. Strider, we are pleased to have you.”

Strider bowed awkwardly, his discomfort still heavy. “I—I was just leaving, sir.”

He turned to look at me. “Only wanted to see Miss Camille, ‘ere, home safely.”

I mouthed the words please stay to Strider, but he only smiled weakly in response.

Our gazes broke apart, and it felt like a cord between us snapped.

Dr. Bennett stepped closer to him. “Much obliged, Mr. Strider. But please, for your troubles, won’t you dine with us?”

“My leg hasn’t caused me any trouble. And I have to meet some people—about—

about a …” His words trailed off as he raced to the stairs.

“Nathaniel.” I called after him but it was no use. The front door slammed shut. I grabbed a loaf of bread from the larder, ran upstairs, fell out onto the stoop, and flew down the steps. The long tails of Strider’s coat flapped behind him as he ran away.

“Nathaniel!” I shouted between breaths, thinking that my pursuit was useless and that, surely, he considered me a nuisance. Then he stopped. Slowly, he twisted back to face me.

I gulped breaths of icy air as I rushed to catch up to him. “I promised you a meal.” My hand shot forward with the bread. “It’s not warm but please take it.”

There was an edge of embarrassment in his expression. “I’m no beggar.”

I shook my head. “I know you’re not. But I promised you a meal. You’re not going to make me break my promise, Nathaniel. Are you?”

I placed the loaf in his hand. He stared down at it. A flood of hunger washed across his beautiful face making my chest tighten. I wanted to help him so badly now, I could feel the despair of him leaving in the tips of my hair. “Please reconsider,” I said so quietly I wasn’t completely sure I’d spoken aloud.

He picked up my wrist with his wrapped hand, pressed my fingers to his lips, and released it. My shoulders sagged as I watched him walk away.

I raised the fingers he’d kissed to my own lips then cursed myself for being so ridiculous in thinking that I’d made an impression on him. Nathaniel Strider treated every girl with the same captivating charm. Yet somehow, in those last few moments, he managed to make me feel as if I was the only girl in the world.

He was further away now, but I could still see the confident set of his broad shoulders, and the ends of his black hair curled up on the collar of his coat. His long gait was accented with a slight swagger. I drew my gaze away. It was too late to turn back. Somehow I had to convince Nathaniel Strider that he needed me.

The front door stood ajar as I returned home. “John?” I called as I stepped inside.

“In the kitchen, Camille.”

I plodded down the stairs. Dr. Bennett had the tin waste basket on the table. He reached in with his handkerchief and pulled out a chunk of blood-covered porcelain. “I noticed you had wrapped the boy’s hand, so I decided to search the trash for a cell ….” He stopped suddenly and his face shot up. His complexion paled.

“What is it?”

“Camille, did you cut yourself, as well?”

“No. I don’t think so. The blood is all his.”

Before I could finish my sentence, he laid the glass filled handkerchief on the table and rushed over to grab my hands. He inspected them thoroughly on both sides. Dr. Bennett sighed as he dropped my hands. “Thank heavens. What could I possibly be thinking of exposing you to such danger?”

“I don’t understand.” Then I comprehended his alarm. “An exchange of blood…” My words fell off to a whisper.

Dr. Bennett sat on the stool and stared down at the broken pieces of porcelain. “This experiment is over, Camille. You were right. It’s far too dangerous.”

I stepped in front of him. “No! We can’t stop now. If we do, he has no chance.”

Dr. Bennett put his hand on my shoulder. Whenever he was upset about something, the skin on his face seemed to tighten. Now it looked like glass. “Cami, we both know it’s too late for the lad. And we both know how this will have to end.” The somber tone of his words and the dreadful message felt like black wool around my heart.

My tongue was dry, and the swelling in my throat made it hard to speak. “No, John, we started this plan, and we will finish it. Strider is not just a specimen. He is a human.”

His brow wrinkled causing his eyeglasses to jut forward on his nose. “Camille, you have not already formed an attachment to Mr. Strider?” He shook his head. “I should’ve known better. Getting personally involved with this boy, this boy whose life will surely come to a grisly end.”

My eyes flitted to the handkerchief, now stained red with blood. “I was in no danger. I shan’t be careless. We must try.”

There was nothing more difficult than convincing a man with an abundance of logic and lack of emotion to change his mind. Dr. Bennett seemed resolute in his decision.

“I’ve been thinking,” I said quickly, “a while back you showed me some cells under a microscope that had dark spots in the center. You called them nuclee something or other.”

Science always peaked Dr. Bennett’s interest. I knew the man too well. His eyes widened. “Nuclei. Yes Schwann wrote a great deal about them. They are central to a cell’s existence.”

“Have you studied Strider’s? Are they different than normal? Surely, if they are so important, they must contribute to the transformation.”

“Naturally, that is where my theorizing went first. But I cannot see any significant changes in the nuclei of his cells. I know there are other structures. I can see the slightest shadows of them through my scope. But my lenses are not powerful enough.” He squeezed my arm. “I’m sorry, Cami. I should never have acted on this with such enthusiasm. The truth is, I’m no closer to solving this than I was four years ago.”

“Only now we have added emotion to the equation. You and I had never met the victim in person.” My apprehension about this plan had been acute and for good reason. Now we were faced with a grim situation that seemed inescapable. How appropriate. It was not like anything in my life turned out well. I lived in a backward fairy tale. The happy ending started at the beginning, when I was young, and progressed right through to once upon a time there was a girl stuck in an unfortunate existence. My self-pity moment was cut short by an idea.

“A few months ago, you told me that you believed each cell had a thin membrane, a boundary of sorts, which held together the contents and allowed selected materials into the cell.”

His face brightened, and I hoped I’d sparked a rekindled interest in his study. “My God, Camille, I had no idea you actually paid attention to my ramblings.”

I smiled. “I’ll admit some of your topics are too lofty to appeal, but occasionally, I do catch an interesting fact or two. Besides, Dutch is not much for conversation. So what do you think?”

“About what?”

“Isn’t it possible that the transmutation takes place across that membrane? What if certain molecules are suddenly allowed into a cell because of the mutation?”

He rubbed his chin. “You know, Camille, you may be on to something. I would need to borrow a better microscope from the university.” I could almost see a set of gears spinning in his head as he sunk into one of his deep thoughts. “I’ll do it. Can you get the boy back here?”

My stomach tightened. Today had been such a disaster, and I had no idea how to proceed. I forced a grin. “I brought him here today, didn’t I?’

“I’ll get the microscope.” He cautiously picked up the handkerchief. “We may make a scientist of you yet, Cami.”

Chapter 8

I drew back my drapes in a worthless attempt to add light to my room. A mixture of smoke and fog smothered the streets, cutting short any attempt by the sun to warm the ground below. The people on the sidewalk pinched their coats close to their bodies and tramped through the mist as if moving across a vat of tar. Except for variations in height and width, each figure looked exactly the same. The opaque air made my own quest that much more difficult.

I dropped the curtain edge and shuffled in my slippers to the wash stand. Even the cold water in the basin could not cool the dreariness from my head. For three days, I’d lurked in places where sewage glazed the pavement, where bone thin children wore only a layer of filth to shield them from the harsh cold, and where haunted, yellow stares dotted the lightless passages. And three days of torment brought me no closer to finding Nathaniel Strider.

“I’ve laid a plate for you by the fire,” I called to Dr. Bennett from the doorway.

He was busy buffing the brass tube of the microscope with a cloth. Like a child with a new toy, he’d barely taken his hands off the instrument since he’d borrowed it. “Come see this, Cami.” His fingers motioned me closer.

I peered into the eyepiece for a moment. Each cell had a distinct outline. I raised my head. “Beautiful. Like a collage of odd-shaped tiles. Are those the membranes you spoke of? The ones that keep the cell in tact?’

“Yes, but I’m afraid these are cork cells. The boundary around plant cells is much sturdier than animal cells. They are highly visible under this lens.”

“Shouldn’t you be looking at animal cells?” My words sounded sharp, but I couldn’t help myself. “I’m slinking around the seediest sections of London, while you,” I waved my hand toward the microscope, “while you waste precious time staring at plant cells.”

His mouth tightened into a straight line like it always did when he was angry. “Camille, I know you’re frustrated. Particularly since your excursions have been unsuccessful. But I assure you, everything I do here has a purpose. There is a significant relationship between plant and animal cells.”

My shoulders drooped. “Forgive me. These last few days weigh heavily on my mind.”

He placed my hand around his arm and led me into the hallway. “Science takes time. You mustn’t get your hopes up about saving this lad.”

The crumbly biscuits I’d made for breakfast stuck to the roof of my mouth. I washed it down with a swallow of tea, flopped back in my chair, and stared at the back of the paper Dr. Bennett held. The day’s obituaries were lined in straight columns down the right side. The names of prominent citizens and business men were listed. The lost race inhabiting the slums of London died without mention or notice.

As my eyes drifted down the column an idea struck me. “The obituaries! Why did I not think of this before?”

Dr. Bennett folded down the top corner of the paper and looked at me.

I leaned forward to get a closer look at the small print. “Don’t you see? I’ve been spending all my time in the wrong places. Nathaniel Strider steals from dead people. He told me himself that there was less chance of getting caught.”

“Surely, you’re not suggesting a visit to a cemetery.”

I shrugged. “Only if someone wealthy dies, of course.”

He shook his head and smiled. “Of course.” He straightened the corner of the paper and disappeared behind it again.

I read through the list of obituaries. Several merchants and a man who’d spent the last twenty years working for the Treasury Office did not sound promising, but the wife of a successful tradesman, a cotton mill owner, had suffered an acute onset of apoplexy and had succumbed to it while convalescing in her home near Regent’s Park. “Why are there no services listed?”

“Services for whom?” This time he did not bother to look over his paper.

“This woman, Mildred Smith.” I poked at the back of the paper. He sighed loudly. “It does not mention where she is to be buried.”

“Perhaps it is a private funeral for the family only.”

“What a bunch of burial snobs.” I sat back hard against the chair.

Dr. Bennett folded the paper in half and placed it on the table. “Not everyone wants a spectacle to be made of their death.” He pointed to an advertisement. “This may be of greater interest to you than poor Mrs. Smith’s funeral.”

I spun the paper around to read it. “Madame Tussaud’s is offering Londoners free entrance today. How can that be of interest to me? You know I find the place gruesome.” I turned the paper back to him. “Besides, with a free entrance, I can only imagine the caliber of crowd queued up to get in.”

Dr. Bennett’s eyes peered at me over the rim of his eyeglasses. “Precisely.”

It took me a moment to realize what his one word response meant. I sat up straight in my seat. “You think it possible?”

“It says the free admission includes a visit to the Chamber of Horrors. My dear, if it is one thing you can count on the masses for, it’s a profound interest in the macabre. And with the fee waived today, it is a fortuitous opportunity indeed for those with empty pockets.”

“I’ll head there straight after breakfast and watch for him outside of the place. Mind you, I have no intentions of entering otherwise. A visit to the morgue would be more inviting.”

I donned my favorite blue-striped visiting habit complete with the large pink sash and matching coat and tried to convince myself that my motive for dressing like a girl had nothing to do with Nathaniel Strider. “I’m leaving,” I called from the entryway.

Dr. Bennett joined me at the front door. “Here’s some money. Take the omnibus to Baker Street.” He surveyed my outfit. “It may have been wise to dress down today. I’m afraid your stylish wardrobe might draw too much attention.”

“Little chance of that. Strider has only seen me looking like an oddly dressed boy.”

“Actually, I wasn’t thinking about the lad. I meant in general. There will be all sorts of characters milling about Baker’s Street today.” Then he gave me a distressed look that I knew too well.

“I will not get my hopes up, John. I promise.” Of course, I knew it was a lie. I had already convinced myself that this had to end well. I could not bear it otherwise.

Obviously attempting to fill his vehicle to capacity, the omnibus conductor stopped at every corner to coax patrons inside. By the time we reached Baker Street, my face was pressed against the cold window pane. My biggest worry was having to climb over the laps of all the strangers sitting beside me. The sidewalks were crowded with people, and as we neared the wax museum, I could see a queue already forming. Then as the buss jerked to a halt, I spotted his tall frame in the sea of visitors.

My shock and the violent motion of stopping squirted me across the aisle and into the lap of the stout man across from me. “I am profoundly sorry,” I stammered as I pushed myself upright. He grunted and straightened his waistcoat. The door opened and I plowed over the rest of the patrons and exited with cheeks hot from embarrassment. The morning was off to a splendid start.

The crowd had doubled by the time I’d reached Tussaud’s. Strider stood halfway through the queue. Reluctantly, I joined the end of the line. It seemed I would have no choice except to enter the museum. Perhaps if I passed him inside, I could work up the courage to plead my case once more. But I dreaded the whole scenario having to creep through dimly lit passageways squeezed between strangers while being stared at by the effigies of late monarchs. With so many visitors, and such poor lighting, it was entirely possible that Strider and I would not even cross paths.

The forest of heads provided the perfect barrier. Strider’s height allowed me to keep track of his whereabouts and my lack of it made me nearly invisible.

Through a gap in the crowd, I spotted two girls standing next to him. He spoke animatedly to them, punctuating his phrases with that bloody smile of his. They stared at him raptly as if they stood alone with him on the sidewalk rather than crushed between jabbing elbows and unwashed bodies.

“Well, what ‘ave we ‘ere?” A voice drawled behind me. I decided to ignore it. “That’s a smart little outfit you’re wearing, Miss. Come for your free day at the museum, ‘ave you?”

Why had I not listened to Dr. Bennett’s warning about my wardrobe? I focused on the heads in front of me.

I felt a tug on the hem of my coat and could no longer disregard the comments. I swiveled around. “Please, do not touch me,” I said curtly. By their brown, weathered faces and the musty smell of their clothing, I surmised they were barge workers taking a break from a day on the river.

One of them tipped his cap and tilted his head. “You’ll ‘ave to excuse Johnny ‘ere. “He’s got trouble keepin’ his hands to ‘imself.”

Johnny’s mouth pulled to a sneer. “That’s right. I’ve a terrible time controlling these hands.” He held up his blister covered fingers. The lines in his palm were crusted with black dirt.

I turned back around and scooted forward. A few heads parted and I scanned the bobbing parade of caps and hats for the wavy black hair. I spotted Strider just as he’d leaned over to kiss one of the girls on the mouth. It felt as if my stomach filled with lead cannon balls. To make matters worse, the two wretches had now moved up to flank me on either side.

“Seeing how you’re all alone, Miss, Johnny and me, thought you might be needin’ a couple of escorts. It can get scary inside, we’re told. With all them skewered French heads and all.”

I moved forward without answering them.

“You think you’re too good for us? Is that it?” One of them snarled at my back.

I blinked hard to keep my eyes from watering. After the humiliating scene in the omnibus and the kiss in front of me, having these two louts taunting me was too much. The throng of people shifted forward as the doors opened. I slipped between several women and tucked myself into the first cranny I could find out of view of the two barge workers. I glimpsed ahead. Strider had already gone inside. Like a school of fish being swept by the current, the entire crowd washed into the museum.

A murmur rolled through the spectators as they wandered into the richly appointed throne room where kings and queens of the past could eye their subjects with eternal disgust. Aside from the historical costuming, the displays held little interest for me. Dr. Bennett had brought me two years ago, and I could not rid myself of the creepy feeling that the displays were not wax at all but rather mummified corpses made to look like sculptures. We’d cut the visit short after three steps into the Chamber of Horrors. We had, after all, our own horrors to face on the moonlit streets of London.

I wandered into one of the less traveled pathways and pressed myself against the wall. There had been no sign of Strider, and I hated to admit that I felt relieved. The morning had gone so badly, all of my confidence had faded. It occurred to me that I’d been better off waiting outside. He would have to leave the place eventually, and I could wave him aside and speak to him. Inside, with the rush of people whirring through the chambers, it would be nearly impossible to converse with him. And I had no idea how he would react when he realized I was following him again.

A woman clashed shoulders with me, and I stumbled, nearly pitching headlong into the stampede of feet. I caught myself, and as I straightened, I saw his face. I was sure he hadn’t seen me, and coward that I was, I ducked under a rope spanning the doorway to a dark room. There was a sign dangling on it that I had not had time to read, but I was quite sure it said NO ENTRANCE. I only needed to stay tucked away long enough for him to pass. Then I would head to the exit, wait outside, and see how long my resolve lasted.

I backed further into the deserted room when two figures climbed beneath the same rope. I had been spotted. But not by Nathaniel Strider.

“Well, if it isn’t Miss High and Mighty.” Johnny licked his lips as he drew closer.

I tried to push past him, but his friend’s arm shot out and caught me. My foot stomped down hard on his.

“You witch!” He dropped his arm to grab his injured foot.

I raced deeper into the lightless room and a scream caught in my throat. A row of decapitated wax heads impaled on large spikes lined the wall. But the trailing footsteps terrified me more than the ghastly display. I tucked myself into the blackest recess of the room and tried to quiet my breath. My legs were shaking wildly.

“Gotcha!” Johnny’s grubby hands grabbed me around the waist. “Can’t hide in the dark with that white, pussy cat stripe in your hair.” The smell of his breath sickened me.

My scream echoed off the walls, and his filthy palm tightened around my mouth.

“Johnny, look what I found. Bring the wench over ‘ere.” I kicked and squirmed but his arms were too strong. He picked me up like a bag of feathers and followed his limping friend.

From the corner of my eye, I could see the roped doorway. But when I saw what had interested the man, the room began to sway, and I felt close to fainting. The guillotine, a historical relic of Madame Tussaud’s earlier life in France, stood tall against the back wall of the room. The polished blade hung high over the apparatus. A basket with a wax head finished off the execution scene.

My mind focused long enough for me to have one coherent thought. “I have money,” I blurted. “I’ll give you what I have, if you let me go.”

“Let’s ‘ave it then,” Johnny began groping my midsection to find my coin purse. I struggled to get my arm free and swung my elbow into his nose. He threw me to the ground, but before I could get up, his friend had hold of my hair. He yanked me to my feet and dragged me to the guillotine.

“I’ve always wanted to see how this thing worked.” His words barely registered as my thoughts scrambled to wake myself from this nightmare. My hair was twisted around one of his hands, and he held my two wrists with the other as he shoved me to my knees.

The floor and the room moved in a wavy pattern. I hoped I would lose consciousness before hearing the blade release. My mind froze and the memory of my father’s death crawled up to make its last appearance before being blackened forever. And through the blur, I saw my father’s face and a small hand holding a pistol. Then I heard the noise, the guttural roar I’d heard often before. I could no longer discern between real life and my memories. There were yells of pain and someone screamed in terror, but it had not come from my mouth. That much I could sense.

Suddenly, my hands and hair were free, and I collapsed forward. Two glowing eyes moved toward me. I rose to my feet and stumbled backward as the blood began to return to my head. Strong hands caught me but I no longer felt scared. Arms covered in a sailor’s coat pulled me against a hard chest.

I cried into Strider’s shirt. Murmuring voices filled the empty room. I lifted my face and saw the two men lying unconscious on the floor across the room. I peered up at Strider. His face was bloodless, his lips snow white. When he let go of me, my heart sank low in my chest. He twisted back and looked at the two men on the floor. One of them stirred. Then Strider’s face whipped around, and his wild gaze held mine. His chest heaved with breaths as he opened and shut his hands as if they pained him. No doubt, the transformation from man to wolf must be excruciating.

My feet felt weighted with bricks as I took a step toward Strider. I placed my hand on his raised arm, but he yanked it away, spun around, and plowed through the mystified onlookers who were more than eager to get out of his way.

Chapter 9

I did not light the fire in the hearth, deciding the frigid air soothed my nausea. Dutch circled my legs rubbing his face on my boots. I recalled little of what transpired after leaving the wax museum. The sunlight had broken through the clouds, and I remember shielding my eyes from the brightness as I floated in a daze down the street path. Somehow, I’d managed to find my way here to the safety of the marmalade room, but if someone asked me to retrace my steps home, I could not. Dr. Bennett had heard me come in, but did not leave his work to greet me, and for that, I was grateful. The last thing I wanted was to have to recount the events of the morning.

Dutch jumped into my lap and I startled. A purr rumbled in his chest, reminding me of the sound I’d heard. The transmutation was happening quickly. I rubbed my wrists remembering how on our first meeting Strider had nearly crushed them with one hand. Werewolves were powerful, but it had not been a fortnight, and his strength seemed already without limits. The two barge men had, no doubt, been hurled against the far wall.

Dr. Bennett stepped into the room. “You’re back. How did you get along at Madame Tussauds?”

I shrugged. “Nothing new to report.” There was no need to alarm him with my tale. He sat next to me on the settee. “John, remember a few months ago when you told me about a theory you had? You thought that different human characteristics may well be transferred to the werewolf. You thought a very meek, shy person may become a less virile werewolf and so on.”

“Yes, I believe so. In fact, I believe the fish cart man may support my hypothesis.” He sat in the chair across from me. His blue eyes were bloodshot from staring at slides. “From what I read about the man, he was a quiet, reserved sort of man. It was quite easy to destroy him.” He paused for a moment and swallowed. “If he had been a more aggressive man, there is no doubt he would have caught his prey that night, and young Strider would have been a victim of a different sort.”

My shoulders curled forward, and I pushed the cat from my lap. If only he had been, then I would not have known him, and we would not be facing this prospect. “So someone full of youth and energy, someone with an extreme lust for life--”

“If my theory is supported, they would be extremely lethal as a werewolf.”

“Strider was there today, at the wax museum.” My voice cracked.

“Did you talk to him? Will he come?”

I shook my head.

He leaned forward and patted my knee. “You have tried your best, Cami. I’ll go out tomorrow and see if I can convince him. A few pound notes ought to help.” He stood and walked to the window.

“And if he refuses?” All my optimism had vanished.

“Then we’ll wait until the next full moon, and we will hunt him down.” His words sounded cold, but it was obvious he wanted there to be no doubt in my mind.

I looked at him.

His face softened. “Camille, we’ll have no other choice.”

My eyes ached but I had drained them of tears for the day.

“The weather has been nice today.” Dr. Bennett pulled back the curtain and looked out the window. “Hold, Cami, what have we here? Come see.”

There was not much outside that could interest me, but I pushed out of the chair and plodded to the window.

Dr. Bennett pointed. “There, on our front stoop.”

My gaze followed his finger. Nathaniel Strider sat on our steps with his arms crossed tightly around him.

My fingers clutched Dr. Bennett’s sleeve. “You go. I don’t want to scare him away.”

The tiny crinkles around his eyes deepened as he smiled. Dr. Bennett was not always astute when it came to my emotions, but my agitation was obvious. He took hold of my trembling hand and squeezed it. “I’ll go and invite him inside before he changes his mind.”Two deep voices were muffled by the window pane as I paced the rug in the sitting room. Strider’s face kept flashing through my thoughts. The terror in his eyes had shown he was not ready for this. But now, surely, he believed what I’d been telling him. I could not imagine what it felt like emotionally and physically to come to the realization that your human soul was slipping away.

The front door creaked open. I raced to the window and smacked the glass with my forehead. No sign of Strider. Dr. Bennett had convinced him to come inside. My stomach cramped with twitching nerves. I fell back into my favorite chair and tucked my hands between my knees to stop them from shaking. I sucked in a deep breath, held it, and marveled at my own transformation into a ridiculous ninny.

Dutch’s tail shot straight up in the air, and the hair on the cat’s back bristled. Its amber eyes bulged with fury.

Footsteps descended the steps to the kitchen. I stacked the books on the table in alphabetical order by author and added coal to the grate for a fire. After ten minutes, I’d run out of tasks to keep busy. I could stand it no longer. I checked my reflection in the glass of the mantle clock. The white strand had come loose from the ribbon at the back of my head. I tucked it behind my ear, pinched my cheeks, and headed to the kitchen.

Soundlessly, I descended the stairs to the kitchen and poked my head into the room.

Strider sat on the same stool, his elbows on the table, and his forehead resting on his hands. Dr. Bennett stood behind him with a hand on his shoulder. Sensing my presence, he looked up.

“Ah, Camille,” Dr. Bennett said.

At the sound of my name, Strider’s head shot up. He hopped off the stool, knocking it sideways. He stared at me as if I was on fire.

“Camille,” Dr. Bennett continued as if there had been no reaction to my presence, “Mr. Strider needs our help, and we haven’t a moment to waste.”

I walked into the room. Strider moved back a step.

“Camille is my scientist’s assistant and a very good cook.” Dr. Bennett winked at me. “I think we should start with a warm meal. And I’m sure Mr. Strider would relish a hot bath.”

The look on Strider’s face conveyed anything but relish. My presence seemed to make him terribly uncomfortable. I fathomed it had to do with the incident at the museum. I had seen him in the early stages of transformation and he knew it. Or perhaps, he just didn’t care for me. This thought depressed me as I trudged back upstairs to start a bath.

I’d spent twenty minutes chopping carrots and potatoes for a stew when Dr. Bennett called me upstairs. He stood outside the bathing room door holding a pair of trousers and a white linen shirt. “I know these are not the most fashionable for a young man, but do you think they will fit him?”

“You are both tall and thin. I suppose they’ll fit,” I answered. “You might bring out his clothes, and I’ll throw them in the copper to wash.”

“Good thought,” he said and rapped lightly on the door before opening it.

I had no right to but I glanced inside. Strider’s black hair stuck wet to his shoulders. He leaned forward and I saw was his broad, bare back. It was scarred with strap marks. My hand flew to my mouth, and I tumbled out of the doorway and down the hall.

I returned to the kitchen and lit a fire under the huge copper pot hardly paying attention to my task. On the first night, he was merely a common thief, but as the many facets of Nathaniel Strider were revealed, it became obvious that he was much more. No doubt, he’d survived some of the worst life offered. And none of it compared to what he faced now.

“He would not part with the coat but here’s the rest.” Dr. Bennett held the dirty pile of clothing at arm’s length as he crossed the room to the kettle and plunged them into the water. He returned to the cooking table and stared down at my work for a moment. “Those potatoes look fresh. They should be quite tasty in a stew.” The light tone in his voice sounded forced. He pulled up the stool and sat down. “My God, Cami, I hope we don’t regret this.” Out came the solemn tone he’d been hiding.

I swept up the pile of vegetables into my apron and threw them into a pot on the stove. Hot water splashed the front of my apron. “Blasted.” I dropped the lid on with a clamor. “Too late for regrets, John. Like it or not, this has begun.” I scooped some flour from the crock and half of the powder slipped to the floor. “Bloody hell,” I cursed and threw the rest of it to the ground, scoop and all. “This is entirely the Queen’s fault.”

Dr. Bennett lifted a brow. “Cami, we can hardly blame Her Majesty for your clumsiness.”

My foot plowed through the powdery mess on the floor, and it covered my shoe. “Not this. I mean him.” I pointed upstairs. “If the monarchy would take care to feed all its people, then Strider would not have been robbing a corpse, and he would not have been bitten, and he would not be sitting upstairs in our bath.”

Dr. Bennett smiled. “I admire your logic, convoluted as it is. You do have a point. Unfortunately, it does not help our situation. He is an interesting young man. And though he’s lived in the streets for a good portion of his life, he is a charming lad with a great deal of thought in his head. Which, of course, makes this all the more difficult.”

Footsteps echoed in the stairwell. We both stood. He had donned his dirty coat over the crisp trousers and shirt. His hair still dripped and dark stubble shadowed his jaw, but he cleaned up splendidly. So splendidly in fact, I had a hard time not staring.

“Sup will be on the table soon,” I said to break the silence.

Strider nodded with a shy grin. “Hope you’re not going to too much trouble on my account.”

“Trouble? Nonsense.” I lifted the pot lid and stirred. “I make this stew three times a week at least.”

Dr. Bennett tore off a chunk from the loaf of bread sitting on the table. “You must be hungry, Mr. Strider. What time was your last meal?” He handed the bread to him.

“I think it was around noon—Tuesday last.”

My stirring spoon splashed into the stew pot with a clang. “Tuesday?” I asked.

“Aye, Tuesday.” His answer was plain and matter of fact with no edge of self-pity, although I felt plenty of sorrow, especially when I thought how hollow my stomach felt if I skipped just one meal. I couldn’t imagine the pain and weakness that would accompany such a lack of food. How does one sleep with such emptiness?

Dr. Bennett placed his hand on my arm, a silent signal telling me not to pry any further.

“Mr. Strider, why don’t we head to the sitting room and wait for supper.”

Strider nodded and followed him to the stairs. His foot on the first step, he looked at me over his shoulder for a moment, then turned back. Once they’d left, I sat down hard on the stool and stared at the pot on the stove. The lid vibrated over the fragrant steam.

Suddenly, Dutch scrambled down the steps hissing wildly before scurrying under the kitchen table like a field mouse hiding in its burrow. I reached under to stroke the animal, but it swiped at me with an angry paw. A claw snagged my palm. I yanked my hand away and pressed it against me to stop the blood. Dutch’s hiss subsided into a low growl. The copper with Strider’s clothes had begun to rattle with heat. Nothing would be the same now. What had we done?

I carried in a plate piled high with steaming stew for our guest. The marmalade room was strangely silent as I walked in to place the food on the table.

“Camille, why did you not tell me about your encounter at the wax museum?”

I glanced at Strider and then peered up at Dr. Bennett. “It was nothing really. I did not see the need to worry you.”

“Forgive me,” Strider spoke. “I was sure you’d told him. Especially with…”

I pulled a fork from my apron and laid it next to his plate. “If the incident was the cause of you coming here today, then I’m pleased it happened.”

Strider did not reply but stared at his plate for a long moment before picking up the fork. For a person who had not eaten in three days, he ate with a great deal of composure. “This is a plateful, to be sure,” he said between bites. “Tis very good.”

“It is not often we have visitors,” Dr. Bennett said. “I believe I will fetch a bottle of port to go with the fine meal.” After divulging the humiliating state of our social life, he left the room in pursuit of wine.

“If you would trade those unflattering trousers and that topper for dresses like you wore today, visitors would be lined up at the front door,” Strider said without looking up from his plate. A bit of food and the confident, cocky lad had returned.

I plunged the fork into my stew. “Yes, that is what I need. More attention like I received today.” I shoved a potato chunk into my mouth only to discover, too late, that it was still very hot. My eyes watered as I forced myself to chew and swallow it.

He handed me my glass of water. “You found some unwanted attention today, but it seems you’re hiding in boy’s clothing to keep away wanted attention as well.”

His words stung mostly because they rang true more than I liked to believe. “And what is wanted attention? A kiss from Nathaniel Strider? I hardly think anything given out that freely is anything worth wanting.”

He swallowed and leaned his face close to mine. The scent of sandalwood soap radiated from his freshly washed skin. The lines around his mouth deepened. “Tis the wanting that makes a kiss worthwhile.” He looked at my lips and then dropped his gaze to his plate. I sucked my bottom lip in between my teeth to keep it from trembling.

I pretended to concentrate on my stew, but every bite tasted like paper and stuck in my throat. I’d never sat at a table to eat with a boy, and this was not just any boy. Every inch of me reacted to his presence. If I closed my eyes, I’d be able to visualize every detail of his face.

The silence verged on uncomfortable until he spoke again. “I came near to tearing them apart with my ‘ands.” His tone had fallen to a near whisper. He dropped his fork and tightened his fingers into a fist. “I don’t know how it happened. Through the din of the crowd, I heard this tiny scream. As small and distant as it was, it was like thunder in my head.” He looked up at me. Some of the blood had drained from his face making the dark circles under his eyes more pronounced. “I knew it was you. I don’t know how or why, but I knew it was you.”

I was torn between throwing myself into his arms and racing from the room. Instead, I dropped my fork and steadied my hands in my lap.

He stared down at his plate. His shoulders relaxed slightly, but my heart still raced.

“I could feel every beat of my pulse as if my veins had come to the surface. And there was this power, this rage. It surged like a flood.”

It took all my courage to reach up and touch his arm, but he pulled it away and shook his head. “Then I saw your face”, he lifted his eyes again, “that incredible face. You looked at me but you weren’t frightened. You even touched me. How could she not be afraid, I asked myself?” The anguish in his expression made my throat tighten. “Because you’d been telling me the bloody truth all along.”

“Dr. Bennett is a brilliant scientist. He’ll help you.” It was all I could think to say, but the words sounded like childish prattle.

“Did I hear someone mention my name?” Dr. Bennett returned with the bottle of port. He sat at the table seemingly unaware of the tension now circulating the room. He opened the bottle, and I decided I needed a glass as well.

Chapter 10

“John, you will surely grow a hump on your back the way you sit staring into that microscope day and night.”

Dr. Bennett lifted his head and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “You may be right, Cami. However, I don’t think I’d make a good cathedral bell ringer. I really don’t care for heights.” He reached for a new box of slides. “Our visitor hasn’t woken yet. I’m sure he rarely gets a good night’s rest.”

“How do they survive?”

After laying the new slides out on parchment, he began labeling each one. “Who’s that, Camille?”

“The poor. How do they get on without food in their belly or a place to lay their heads?”

The sound of a throat clearing drew our attention to the doorway. Strider stood there in Dr. Bennett’s white shirt and trousers.

“Did you sleep well?” Dr. Bennett asked.

He nodded. “Like someone clobbered me over the head.”

I smiled. “Come in, Mr. Strider. This is the science lab.”

“Only if you promise to stop calling me Mr. Strider. It’s Nathaniel.”

I motioned him inside. “Well then, Nathaniel.”

He wandered in and surveyed the room with curiosity. The oddities on the back wall caught his attention, and he headed straight to them. The jar containing a preserved pig fetus seemed of particular interest. He lifted it and shook it, watching the rubbery specimen bounce off the walls of the jar.

“Is that a microscope?” Strider asked as he walked to where Dr. Bennett sat. “I’ve seen one of those in a book.”

Dr. Bennett scooted back. “Have a look. You’ll be astonished at what you see.”

Strider approached the brass instrument as if it might explode.

“Just place your eye over the eyepiece like this.” Dr. Bennett modeled the technique.

Strider hovered over the scope and slammed his eye on it before jumping back with a hand over the squinting eye. “That bloody thing is dangerous.”

I moved to the microscope. “You may be the first person in England to injure himself on a microscope.”

Strider lowered his face to mine and lifted the eyelid open with his fingers. “Do I still ‘ave an eye?”

I laughed. “Still there.”

He straightened with a sigh. “Too bad. I hear girls take a liking to a man with an eye patch.”

“Yes, when the eye was lost in some wildly romantic fashion like a sword fight or pistol duel. Not from smacking it on the eyepiece of a microscope. And you hardly need any more help with the ladies,” I added. “Now watch.” I lowered my face slowly over the microscope and adjusted the light. I glanced up at Dr. Bennett. “Are these…?”

Dr. Bennett nodded. “And they have multiplied at an astounding rate.”

The shape of Strider’s cells had changed dramatically since the last time I’d looked. Strider moved his face closer. “Give me another chance. I think my eye has recovered.” The lines framing his mouth acted like parentheses around his disarming smile. Everything about him standing here in the austere atmosphere of the lab was engaging. His presence lit the room more than any dose of sunlight and beneath the warmth of his gaze, his cells were mutating into something straight from hell.

Strider looked through the scope not knowing he was looking at his own cells. Most likely, not even knowing he had such things as cells. He pressed his face there a few moments and looked up. “All I see is black.”

“It takes time,” I assured him. “It took me several weeks to see anything at all.”

Dr. Bennett’s eyes widened. “I never realized that.”

“That’s because I lied.”

“Well, you’re very practiced at deception then, Cami. I had no idea.” Dr. Bennett removed the slide we’d been looking at and replaced it with a new one. Then he reached for a piece of paper on the shelf above his head. “After breakfast, I wonder if you two can take a trip to the apothecary’s shop. I’ve assembled a list of things I need for my study.”

“Certainly. That is if you don’t mind, Nathaniel?”

Strider snapped to attention. “Forgive me, I didn’t hear anything after the word breakfast.”

“Coming up,” I said and headed to the kitchen.

# # #

Nathaniel Strider may have been experienced in the art of robbing corpses and seducing women, but it was clear he’d experienced little else in his life.

“Look at those!” Strider headed straight for the colorful array of show globes along the apothecary’s counter. He began to remove the stopper of a tall one filled with a creamy blue liquid, but I grabbed his arm to stop him.

“I’m sure they’re not meant for touching.”

He moved instantly on to a new toy, the scale. He pushed one side down then the other as Mr. Jameson came out from the back room.

“Please do not touch that. I have just had it calibrated.” Mr. Jameson’s shaggy blonde moustache twitched angrily as he spoke. He adjusted his eyeglasses and peered closely at Strider.

Strider dropped his hands and pushed them in his pockets. Mr. Jameson sneered at him for another moment then turned his attention to me. “Miss Kennecott, good morning to you. Is this lad with you?”

“Good morning, Mr. Jameson. Yes, this is Nathaniel Strider, a friend of mine.”

Strider nodded to the man who returned the acknowledgement with a suspicious glare.

My hand jutted forward. “I have a list from Dr. Bennett.”

He unfolded the list and read it. “Some of these are unusual requests. I’m not sure if I have an iron or brass spring lancet. It says here no silver lancets, and those I know I have. The glass flint cup with rubber suction, I may have in back.”

I had not scanned the list when Dr. Bennett handed it to me. As Mr. Jameson read it, a bitter taste rose in my throat. Deep down I assumed blood samples would be needed, but I’d pushed the vile thought out of my mind. Strider, still enamored with the devices on display, had apparently no idea that the top two items on the list were for bloodletting.

“Now, these other items I have.” Mr. Jameson pulled a large wooden chest with tiny drawers out from under the counter. Strider leaned in to get a closer view. A new aroma emanated with the opening of each drawer as the apothecary pulled out the grains he required. Several of the elements required the mortar and pestle before they were weighed and filled into labeled bottles.

“I’ll check for the phlebotomy instruments in back.”

Phlebotomy. Even the word made me lightheaded. I sat on the bench to wait but could not convince my companion to do the same. He played with a pill sorter, which I decided he couldn’t damage. I closed my eyes for a moment and opened them to see him sliding something into his pocket.

The bench nearly turned over as I jumped off it and flew to his side. I held out my hand without a word. Reluctantly, he retrieved the stolen bottle from his pocket. “Not that he would miss it. The place is filled with ‘em.”

He strolled to the end of the counter and lifted his hand to touch the next instrument. “What’s this for?” he asked.

“It’s a pill silverer,” I said. My answer took a moment to register. “Christ! Don’t touch that!”

He lifted his hands up in the air as if he’d been caught stealing. Now he scowled at me. “When I was seven, my mum sent me to a school run by nuns. Sister Collins was as wide as she was tall. She was so sour, I was convinced that she drank acid from a rusty iron cup at tea time.”

“Your point?” I asked.

“I’d rather be standing ‘ere with her right now.”

“Forgive me,” I felt a blush of humiliation rise in my cheeks. “I’m not usually such a shrew. I guess I’m not used to having a companion on my errands.” I looked at the shiny brass dome on the pill silverer. “Especially a companion who must stay far away from silver.” I added.

“I don’t understand.”

“Silver is poison to you now. It would be safer for you to reach your hand into a scalding pot of oil then touch the silver powder in that bowl.”

He looked at me in disbelief, but within moments, the spirit had drained from his expression.

Mr. Jameson returned with the instruments requested. I paid and we left the apothecary. Strider had not touched or stolen anything else. At least not that I knew of. I didn’t need to look at him to sense that his mood had darkened.

Sunlight streamed from the crystal sky. “Tis a nice enough day. Let’s take an excursion to Covent Garden. I’ve a few coins left, and we could buy some pears.”

My suggestion lightened his step. “I ‘aven’t been to the Garden in a long while.” He smiled down at me. “Least not with someone who had coins in their pocket.”

“But I’ll bet that didn’t stop you from tasting the fruit on the stands.”

He shrugged. “Having the money to buy things is really just a formality.” Something up ahead caught his attention. A young shoe-black was crouched behind his box pressed against the wall of a building staring up at a tall, well-dressed man whose boot he’d apparently just shined.

The man lifted his foot and stuck it in the lad’s face. “I’ll not give you anything. My dog could do a better job cleaning my boots with his tongue,” the man snarled.

Strider stopped suddenly, and the man backed up into him. He turned around and shoved Strider. “Out of my way!”

I stepped back, my heart racing as I waited for Strider’s reaction. His body stiffened, but he kept his tightly clenched fists down to his side. “Sorry, mate,” he said through clenched teeth.

The man squinted at Strider’s face before finally having the good sense to turn and leave, but not without nearly falling headlong over the shoe-black’s box in his urgency to depart. I moved closer to Strider. Heat radiated off of him.

I placed a hand on his arm. It pulsed with power. “Strider,” I whispered. “Nathaniel.”

His breathing slowed and his gaze softened as his eyes met mine. He leaned forward and handed the boy a sovereign. The shoe-black’s eyes widened as he peered at the treasure on his palm. Strider reached down and patted the boy’s cap.

We resumed our walk. “How did you--”

“I didn’t survive this long on the streets by only stealing from dead people. Besides, that bloke deserved to be separated from his sovereign. The way I look at it, he’s lucky that’s all I took from him.”

His last words sent a shiver through me.

Chapter 11

Strider’s long legs gave him a distinct advantage as we walked. I was near to skipping in order to keep up. He seemed to sense my struggle and slowed his pace. “That’s a bonny dress you’re wearing.”

This morning I tried in vain to convince myself that my only reason for choosing a dress was because the day looked to be quite sunny, and I did not need the warmth of trousers. But I knew it was a lie. “I did not wear it because of anything you said,” I insisted. “It was too warm for trousers today.”

The morning sky was clear, but a chill clung to the air. Strider pulled his coat shut against the cold. “Aye, it’s warm indeed.”

“It is early still.”

We passed two young women walking arm and arm, dressed smartly in jewel toned velvet and cashmere shawls. One of the lady’s parasols dropped just as we passed. Strider rushed to her, picked it up, and returned it to the owner with a smile and a bow. The blush on the lady’s cheeks convinced me that she had dropped it on purpose. They giggled behind gloved hands as they continued on their way.

“Dr. Bennett seems like a respectable sort. But it’s odd that he lets you travel the streets alone so much.”

“He trusts me.”

“But what about all the untrustworthy people in the streets? If I had not been at Tussaud’s yesterday…”

“I’ve never had trouble like that before. Besides, I never would have gone there if I hadn’t been looking for you.”

His face dropped down, and we walked in silence for a few moments. “Your lifestyle is quite different than most girls at your station and age. That you must admit.”

“I admit nothing. Dr. Bennett has been an excellent guardian. And if growing up reading science books and professional papers rather than sipping lemonade and poking a needle through fabric is abnormal, then I’m happy to be so.” I stopped him and pointed across the street. We waited for a cab and an omnibus to rush past and walked on. “And you, Nathaniel Strider, you are not exactly a candidate for conformity.”

We stopped and faced each other. “Yes, but my situation is quite different than yours, and I am a man.”

“I can handle myself just as well as any man?”

He stared at my face without saying anything. A side of his mouth turned up. He lifted his finger and touched my bottom lip, barely making contact with it. “Did you know that when you’re angry your bottom lip shakes?”

I kept my expression stern, but my legs felt like currant jelly. I caught my traitorous lower lip with my teeth and walked on.

A crush of laborers and customers circulated around the stalls of Covent Garden. Pots filled with imported flowers and hampers of fruit made the air rich with fragrance.

One of the flower women jumped up from her crouch and held a shabby bouquet in front of Strider’s face. “You look like a lad who likes to buy flowers for his girl.” She winked at me.

“This girl?” Strider motioned to me with his head. “Why, there is no flower fine enough to compliment her sweetness.”

“You’re a sweet one yourself, laddie,” the woman said and returned to her position on the pavement.

“How do you do that?” I asked.

“Do what?” He picked up a red geranium that had fallen from a pot.

“Charm every girl you…”

Before I could finish, he reached forward and tucked the blossom behind my ear. Twice his fingers brushed my cheek, and I realized I was holding my breath until he had finished fashioning it in my hair. “Now, what were you asking?”

“Never mind.” His talent was so effortless; he didn’t seem to realize he possessed it. I tapped the petals of the flower. “I thought no flower was fine enough.”

“Well, except if it is free.” He put out his arm for me to take. “How did you get that unusual streak of white in your hair?”

It was a question I had not expected. I considered making up a fake story, but then he and I were connected now in this incomprehensible situation, and he should know. “It happened when I was ten. My father was a research scientist like Dr. Bennett. He was an expert in cellular biology studying transmutation.”

“Your father was a transportation expert in celery?”

“Yes, he studied at Oxford and learned how to move green, stalky vegetables across London.” I pulled him to a stop. “My father spent his life looking for a way to stop humans from becoming werewolves.” A long, black curl had landed on his face, and before I could stop myself, I was reaching up to push it back. His breath picked up speed, or at least I imagined it had.

“You mean like me?” he asked. His words were quiet, but I heard him clearly over the clamor of barrows and voices.

“My father’s experiments took a horrible turn. Somehow he contaminated his own blood with that of a werewolf.” All the moisture dried from my mouth and speaking became a chore. I had never told the story aloud to anyone. I’d gone over it again and again in my head but never aloud. Not even with Emily. Of course there was no need to tell it to my sister. She’d witnessed the entire event first hand. The cold clamminess that washed over my skin whenever I thought of it swept over me now.

Obviously sensing my distress, Strider placed his fingers over my lips. “Say no more.” He picked up my hand and led me to a sunny corner. We leaned against the building and watched as a man sorted flowers.

Heat from the sun comforted me and I relaxed. I could not make sense of my thoughts. The anguish that overcame me when I thought too hard about my father’s death seemed to be overshadowed by the possibilities I now faced. The tragic ending to my father’s story could easily repeat itself, only, for the time being, the boy standing next to me had no idea how this might end. Up to this point, Dr. Bennett and I had been rather elusive about our plans. And suddenly, it dawned on me that I had very likely lured Nathaniel Strider to his death.

A costermonger strolled past with a barrow of oranges. Strider bent forward to breathe in the fragrance. “I seem to remember something about buying fruit.” he said

His smile obliterated my dismal thoughts. “Indeed.” I pushed off the wall and as I did, a flash of red caught my eye. “Red paper.” I hurried across the path to a table covered with a wide variety of flowers. A man grouped them by color and length before wrapping them in red paper. “Pardon me, I would like to purchase two pieces of this.” I touched the paper on the table which was wet with the moisture of fresh cut flowers. The man looked at me suspiciously. I pulled out

my coin purse. “I will pay you two shilling.” He eyed the coins on my palm, reached under the table into a basket, and retrieved two pieces of red paper.

We walked away leaving behind a very puzzled flower laborer.

“Most girls prefer the flowers,” Strider said.

“It is for my sister, Emily. She is an extraordinary artist.”

“Your sister? Where does she live? Is she older than you?”

“Emily is my twin, although she was born first so she considers herself to be older. She lives--” I paused, embarrassed to tell him, “---she lives at Bethlem Hospital…for now.”

“Bedlam? The lunatic asylum?”

“Emily is not a lunatic. She just does not care for living in society, and I’m sorry I told you.” I rushed on ahead of him.

He caught up and took hold of my arm. “Forgive me.”

I stopped and faced him. He needn’t have apologized with words. His incredible face made it impossible for me to stay angry at him. Part of me wanted to reveal the tragic end to my story. It would help explain Emily’s seclusion and reveal the seriousness of his situation. But standing next to him, I could feel sparks of energy radiating from him. His existence was miserable, yet none of the misery showed. There was no need for him to know at this moment.

“I ‘aven’t forgotten that you promised me some pears. I can see a cart filled with them over there.” He took hold of the bag from the apothecary. “I’ll carry that. You pick the fruit.”

“Mind you, I’ve plenty of money so don’t pick any fruit yourself.” I said.

“Yes, Sister Collins.”

“I’m beginning to think Sister Collins deserved sainthood for putting up with you, Nathaniel Strider.”

He smiled. “Sainthood? Only if they’re giving sainthood for being scurrilous.”

I busied myself picking the ripest pears I could find. My companion wandered off. I paid the man and searched for the black head of hair and found him moments later by a barrow of apples. He strolled toward me with a grin of guilt on his face. The fruit seller began yelling. Strider raced to me, grabbed my arm, and pulled me along. We did not stop until we were well out of view of the street stalls, by which point, I was sucking in breaths as if all the oxygen had been removed from the air.

“Blasted, Nathaniel, I told you I had money.”

“But you were over near the pears.” He plucked the apple from the apothecary’s bag, and we both stared wide eyed as the spring lancet came out as well, impaled into the side of the fruit. He pulled the lancet out and held it up for closer inspection. “Does this have something to do with me?”

My heart rate had finally slowed. I nodded.

He dropped both the lancet and the apple back into the bag.”Don’t really feel like apple anymore,” he said. He reached into his trouser and pulled out a branch of green grapes.

“Is there anything else hidden on you?’ I asked.

He held out his arms. “You can search me if you like.”

My cheeks warmed. “No, I’ll take your word for it. What does it matter now? They are painting my name on a chair in hell as we speak.”

We headed home eating grapes. “Hell won’t be so bad, you know. After all, I’ll be there to keep you company.”

“Splendid.” I pushed a grape into my mouth.

“But do you really think they’ll let us use chairs?”

We laughed the rest of the way home. And I wondered how I was going to keep my heart from being crushed.

Chapter 12

“Miss Camden sent some boiled rice pudding,” Dr. Bennett called from the lab as we stepped inside.

“Did she? How thoughtful of her.” I called back to him. “Miss Camden is a little lovelorn when it comes to Dr. Bennett,” I whispered to Strider.

“Then he doesn’t return the affection?”

I shrugged. “Maybe a little, but John Bennett has one true love and that is science. His books and theories are all he needs for happiness.”

“Books instead of girls? Poor deluded man. The bloke doesn’t know what he’s missing.”

I removed my shawl and hung it on the rack at the door, but Strider made no move to remove his coat. “Perhaps, if an expert like you were to write a book about lovemaking, he would read it and become inspired.”

“I don’t know which part of your idea held more sarcasm, the part about me being an expert on lovemaking or about me writing a book.”

“I believe I can claim an equal amount of mocking on both proclamations.”

He stepped face to face with me. The floral wallpaper of the entry seemed to be squeezing in on us, and the space grew smaller. The engaging thin lines around his mouth became more prominent. “I believe only one deserves derision. While I can write, I must declare that I would never be able to pen an entire book.” He leaned his face closer to mine, and his gaze drifted from my lips to my eyes and back to my lips. “But on the subject matter of the aforementioned book, I possess more than my share of expertise.” He leaned closer now, his own lips parting slightly.

I froze, trying ridiculously in my head to sort out my feelings, an unfortunate habit from growing up with a man of pure logic. The kiss would not be entirely unwanted, I knew, but surely, it would add more anxiety to an already bad situation. He leaned so close I could feel a feather light brush of his lips across mine. Then he lifted his face away, and I fell forward slightly from holding my body rigid with anticipation. Acute disappointment assured me I wanted it desperately. I was in deep trouble.

We moved to the sitting room. As I pushed open the door, Dutch flew out, snarling like a rabid animal and swiping at the air with his claws.

Strider pushed up flat against the wall as the cat took a few swats at the legs of his trousers before skittering off to its hiding place in the kitchen. He peeled himself off the wall. “That bloody animal is vicious.”

“Dutch doesn’t like anyone,” I lied.

The warm color of the marmalade room did nothing for the ambient temperature of the small space. Dr. Bennett rarely paid attention to the hearth, and the fire had died long ago. “I’ll start the coals,” I said.

Once heat trickled into the room, I left him there alone while I took the bag of supplies we’d purchased to the lab. Dr. Bennett was searching for something in the shelves. “Cami, did you see a bottle of carbolic acid? I was sure I had some. I will need to use it as a disinfectant.”

I joined in the hunt. There were dozens of dust covered bottles on the top shelf, most of which bore my father’s handwriting. I still found it difficult to look at his writing. Certain mementos brought more pain than others. His script, with its tight, concise lines brought me back to the days when I stood with him in his own lab washing slides and labeling concoctions.

“I found it.” Dr. Bennett lifted a small, blue bottle from the inside of a carton.

I sat on his stool. “I’m wondering if drawing blood from Nathaniel might be dangerous.”

“I’ll wear gloves.”

“Actually, I wasn’t thinking about that kind of danger. He is terribly strong when something has upset him. In the museum, he hurled two grown men across the room.” I thought about the incident with the shoe-black where it seemed even the slightest movement in the wrong direction would have sent the man with the shined boots to an early grave.

Dr. Bennett walked to the small cabinet near the door. “I’ve already thought of that, Camille.” He pulled out three, wide leather straps.” I found these when we went through your father’s things. They must have been from the hospital where he did research.”

“What on earth would he have needed with those?” Deep down I knew my father’s experiments had gotten out of control along with his obsession over transmutation. I stopped my imagination before it could start forming images.

“Strider will see those and think you’re going to torture him.”

Dr. Bennett laid the straps across the seat of the chair he’d carried into the lab. They were nothing more than strips of heavy animal hide, and yet, they brought forth dark visions of medieval dungeons and asylums. Dr. Bennett opened the bag from the apothecary.

“Be careful, John. The lancet sprung open while we walked. Although, I think it’s safely lodged inside an apple.”

Dr. Bennett cautiously lifted out the wounded fruit and glanced at me with a puzzled expression.

I smiled weakly. “Tis a dull story. I better check on our visitor.” I turned to leave.

“I’ll talk to the lad and explain what must be done and the precautions that must be taken,” Dr. Bennett said.

Strider was browsing through the collection of newspapers we kept stacked in the corner. We only saved the ones with significant headlines. He looked up as I entered, and his eyes told me something was wrong. “All of these front pages are about mysterious deaths and dog attacks.”

I stopped in the middle of the room not sure how to respond. The pallor of his face made it clear he had deduced what it all meant. “Nathaniel, I meant to tell you…”

“The last date was the morning after I was attacked in the cemetery. The fish cart man, he was the werewolf who bit me.”

I nodded and walked toward him, but he raised a hand to stop me. “And you and the doctor killed him?”

My hands were shaking. The warm air in the room suffocated me. “He would have killed others. You were one of the fortunate ones.”

An angry laughed escaped his lips. “Fortunate? Is that what you call it?”

Dr. Bennett appeared in the doorway. His pleasant smile slumped immediately to a frown as he spotted the newspapers surrounding Strider. “We don’t mean you harm, Mr. Strider. Our intentions are honest. We are trying to help you.”

I unlocked my knees and took two steps forward. His retreat was stopped by the wall behind him. “Please, Nathaniel, it’s our only chance.”

His eyes glossed with intensity. “Our only chance? You mean my only chance. If you cannot find a way to stop this, I’ll be the dead one. You two will continue with your queer life of microscopes, books, and hunts.”

Dr. Bennett stepped into the room. Strider’s gaze flew to the window as if he contemplated jumping.

I twisted around. “John, please let us have a moment alone.” Dr. Bennett hesitated. “Please, John.”

He left, but if I knew him at all, he remained nearby in the hall.

It seemed there was more hurt in Strider’s expression than fear. This time as I moved closer to him, he did not back away. The anguish in his eyes compelled me to touch him. I lifted my hand to his face. I prayed that he would not flinch and he didn’t. In fact, his response startled me as he pressed his cheek harder against my palm. “I haven’t lied to you. We are trying to help you.”

He shook his head, dislodging my hand before sliding past me to the pile of papers. They flew into the air and scattered over the rug and furniture. “You have lied. Nowhere in your promise did you mention death.”

It took all my will not to move closer to him again. “Hunting werewolves is a wretched occupation. Believe me, I would rather be anywhere than stuck in this cycle of horror. But that is why we so badly want to find a way to stop it.”

He faced me. “You’ll have to do so without me. I’ll not be poked and prodded like a pig going to market. No doubt my friends are wondering what happened to me. I think it best if I take my leave.”

He headed to the door.

“I never took you for a coward, Nathaniel Strider.”

I knew the words would have effect and they did. He stopped and twisted back around. “I’m no coward.”

“Yes, you are.”

He kicked the table onto its side sending several of the strewn papers into the flaming hearth.

“Camille?” Dr. Bennett called from the hallway.

“We’re fine, John.” The truth was my own courage was beginning to wane. Strider opened and closed his fists, a sure sign that rage simmered just below the surface. But this would be my only chance. “I had a completely different opinion of you until just a few moments ago.”

“And I of you,” he blurted. His chest heaved with deep breaths, and his eyes seemed to darken in color.

“Yes, now you know. I am not merely some pushy girl who hides under boy’s clothing and has no social life. I hunt dangerous beasts. I’ll bet none of your sweethearts on Buck’s Row have ever faced down a snarling werewolf, or worse, come across the shredded remains of a victim.” My bluntness seemed to be taking its toll on him … and on me. My throat ached but I was desperate.

“Pray, say no more.” His hands relaxed, and the blood seemed to drain from his face and lips. Strider walked to the chair and dropped into it, placing his elbows on his thighs and his face in his palms. “You’re right. I’m a bloody coward.”

I sat across from him and took hold of one of his wrists. I brought the palm of his hand to my mouth and kissed it. Never had I done anything like it before but it felt right with him. I released his hand. “I lied. You’re no coward. A two-bit thief and a cad, perhaps, but not a coward.”

He looked up at me. His eyes had softened. “Trousers or not, you’re still pushy.”

“I promise I won’t let anything happen to you, Nathaniel.” The words sprung from my heart, and my head was all too aware of how ridiculous they sounded.

His lip turned up in a half smile. “Tiny sprite like yourself? And how do you intend to do that?”

I tapped the side of my temple. “I’m only tiny on the outside. My brain outweighs the rest of me.” I sat up straight. “I’ve just had a brilliant thought. Chloral hydrate.”

He lifted his brow. “You are the strangest lass.”

“It’s a sleep inducer. I saw it on the shelf in the lab. You could take some, then Dr. Bennett can draw a blood sample while you sleep.”

“How much of that would it take to make me sleep and never wake?” He scrubbed his face with his hands and leaned back. His long lashes fluttered down as he closed his eyes. Good food and rest had not completely erased the hunger and sleeplessness of street life. But then he’d come to us for those comforts only to discover the sinister price behind it.

His face relaxed. Somehow I’d managed to convince him to stay. At least for now.

His brown eyes opened, and he twisted one of the brass buttons on his coat. “My brother used to tell me stories about humans who grew fangs and walked on all fours when the moon was full. But I always thought they were made up stories to scare the wits out of a younger brother.”

“I didn’t know you had a brother.”

“He’s gone now. He was a sailor. I’d planned on becoming a man of the sea like ‘im. When I was ten, I waited three days at the dock for his ship to come home. His ship came home, but Jacob wasn’t on it. He’d been washed overboard by a rogue wave. The captain handed me his coat, patted me on the head, and that was the end of it. The only person left in the world who cared about me was gone.”

My white strand of hair fell onto my face, and I tucked it behind my ear. “Now you have two people who care about you.”

He struggled to suppress a smile, but the lines around his mouth gave it away.

Dr. Bennett peered around the corner. “John, it’s all right. I had an idea, though. Couldn’t you give Nathaniel some chloral hydrate to sleep while you draw blood?” In my mind, all I could envision was Dr. Bennett pulling out those hideous leather straps. They would surely send Strider fleeing from the house forever.

Dr. Bennett looked at the upturned table, disarray of books, and scattered papers then turned back to me. “Indeed. I’ll calculate a harmless dosage, and he can wash it down with a bit of whiskey.”

Strider’s face brightened with the mention of whiskey. He seemed, now more than ever, to be paying attention as if his life depended upon it.

“I’ll get everything ready,” Dr. Bennett said as he left the room.

Heat that had suffocated me earlier felt comforting now as it radiated through the room. We waited in near silence for Dr. Bennett. The clinking of glass and other sounds from the laboratory caused Strider to fidget in the chair. One sudden move or one wrong word and, surely, he would shoot from the house like a bullet from a pistol. He stared at his palm, the one I’d kissed. I had shocked myself with my actions. I don’t know how I had the courage to do it, but I desperately wanted him to know that I cared about him and that our motives were true and honest. Now I felt embarrassed.

“It is not something I normally do,” I stammered.

“What’s that?”

“I don’t normally kiss boys on the hand.” I drew circles on the arm of my chair with my finger and watched my invisible drawing to avoid looking at him. Warmth smoldered from my neck to my ears.

“Tis a practice you might take up more often.”

He always knew exactly what to say to produce a dark pink blush on my face. I fanned my cheeks to cool them.

Strider stood abruptly, and I jumped up too, replaying in my head what I’d done and said in the last few moments that might have made him change his mind. The look on my face must have told him I was worried.

He forced a weak smile, walked to the table, and set it back on its legs. I helped him pick up the fallen books. When everything was back in place, he straightened and raked back his long hair with his fingers. “I’ll be back, Camille. I promise.”

My heart thumped in my chest, and I was sure he had to hear it. Speechless, I watched him walk to the door. This change of mind happened so quickly, I had nothing left in my idea pool to convince him to stay. He had promised to return, but he had every right not to. We had not been open with him from the beginning. Behind the polite offering of vegetable stew, hot baths, and warm beds, there always lay the ominous notion of the eventual hunt.

I held the back of the chair to keep from following him and to keep myself from doing something foolish, like throw myself at his feet and beg him not to go.

Strider stopped in the hall and looked back over his shoulder at me. His expression was meant to reassure me of his return, but I wasn’t convinced.

Dr. Bennett came rushing into the sitting room. “I thought I heard the front door.”

I walked to the window and watched as Strider disappeared down the street. “He promised to return,” I said quietly. The sky had become crowded with gray clouds. Short bursts of wind blew the trees back and forth like a line of dancers. “There’s a storm coming.”

Dr. Bennett lit a cigar and sat in the same chair Strider had been in moments ago. He rarely smoked inside, convinced that I should not be inhaling the fumes. “Then, I suppose, all we can do is wait.”

I knew after ten minutes, I had to find myself an occupation or go mad with worry. Maggie, who came in only twice a week, had forgone the task of dusting, and a greasy layer coated everything in the sitting room. “This place is not fit for a pack of rats,” I said as I stood to retrieve a cleaning rag from the kitchen.

Dr. Bennett looked up from the letter he’d received this morning. “That’s good, is it not? Now we won’t have to worry about a pack of rats moving in.”

If my nerves had not been twisted tightly, I might have laughed. I headed to the kitchen and returned with the cloth.

Not really paying attention to my chore, I kept an ear tuned to the front door hoping for footsteps or some sign of his return. Dr. Bennett drew together his graying eyebrows as he read the post. He folded the letter and dropped it in his lap. “Remarkable.”

“’Tis not the first time I’ve cleaned,” I protested.

“No, this letter.” He lifted it from his lap. “It is from a colleague of mine who is studying in Germany. It seems a scientist by the name of Miescher has been studying surgical wraps from infected wounds.”

“Please do not continue if the story gets more nauseating. My stomach is already bundled into a knot.”

“The rest is not gory. It seems this Meischer was able to separate the nuclei from the white blood cells he studied. And in the nuclei, he isolated a unique chemical substance made up mostly of the element phosphorus. He calls it nucein.”

“And what is the importance of this substance?”

He smiled. “Cami, science does not happen that quickly. He has isolated it. But its significance is still unknown. However, it’s an exciting discovery.”

The floorboards in the hallway creaked, and our attention shot to the doorway. My shoulders sank as Dutch strolled in, tail straight up behind as if the animal had convinced itself that the terrifying visitor had left because of its own snarling protests. My dust rag was full with fine black soot, and my task had grown wearisome. Dutch circled my legs, signaling that I’d forgotten the extremely important task of feeding him.

Two hours had passed since Strider left. I stepped out onto the front stoop and hugged myself tightly against the clammy cold. A heavy drizzle battered the smoke haze hovering above the street, dissolving it into rivulets of liquid ash. The glowing gas lamps added reflections of muted colors across the slick pavement. Workers and shoppers were bundled deep in their coats and hats as they scurried to the warmth of their homes. But there was no tall, black head amongst them.

Back inside, the kitchen stove was cold, and the room was dark, but I did not have the enthusiasm to start a kettle or light a lamp. Something crunched under the heel of my shoe as I climbed onto the stool. No doubt it was a splinter of porcelain from the broken cup. Loneliness crept into every bone in my body. It was an emotion I’d often fought to keep under control so it would not overwhelm me. Tonight it had caught me weak and defenseless, and I had no will to battle it. I placed my arm on the table and lowered my head to rest.

****

Wavering candlelight woke me from a dreamless sleep. I lifted my head and squinted toward the flickering flame. The sound of Dr. Bennett’s voice cleared the fog from my mind. “Ah, there you are, Camille. I wondered where you’d scuttled off to. We are in need of a quick supper.”

I yawned and stretched. “I’ll fix you something, but I’m not hungry.”

“Fine, but you and I are not the we I meant,” he said. His words confused me, and I didn’t know if I was still groggy or if Dr. Bennett needed rest of his own. He lowered the candle flame and lit the wick of the oil lamp. Warm, yellow light filled the kitchen.

Then I saw the tall figure standing behind him. Soaking hair and clothes did nothing to lessen the impact he had on a room and on me. The faint smile on his mouth softened the pained expression in his eyes. My mind argued with itself about whether to adhere to proper etiquette or whether to fling aside all modesty and throw my arms around him. My feet chose the latter before my mind had a chance to settle it. I flew off the stool and landed in his embrace. Freezing rainwater drenched his coat and shirt. His arms wrapped around me tighter, and there was nothing so right as being pressed against Nathaniel Strider.

Chapter 13

Waiting is such an interminable activity. I have spent a great deal of my short life waiting, but never, it seems, for splendid things like a new pony for Christmas, or a new party dress from the seamstress. Instead, I’ve waited in a deserted cemetery for a fanged beast, outside the mental ward of an asylum for a pensive sister, under the kitchen table for a beloved father turned monster.

The door to the lab finally opened. I raced to it. Dr. Bennett stepped out and, obviously weary, smacked into me. The impact toppled me backward onto my bottom.

“My God, Cami, I didn’t see you there in the dark.” He offered me his hand and pulled me to my feet. “If you ate more, you wouldn’t be so light and easy to knock over.”

“How is he?” I asked trying to control the angst in my voice.

“He’s sleeping soundly. Your idea worked well. Come inside the lab. I want to show you something.”

The only light was the small oil lamp which remained in the corner, far away from the flammable chemicals and next to the portable cot. Strider’s feet dangled off the end, and one of his arms hung limply to the ground. The shirt sleeve was rolled up and the arm had been wrapped with a clean bandage. I walked over, picked up his hand, and lifted it back onto the cot. The light from the lamp illuminated his face. He looked almost sweet lying there so quietly with long dark lashes shadowing his cheeks. I brushed a strand of hair off his face. He stirred a moment then slept quietly.

“Bring the light over here,” Dr. Bennett called from the back of the room. A chart of some sort was tacked to the wall where he stood. As I moved closer I recognized it as Mendeleev’s periodic table of elements. “I wanted to explain my plan. Sometimes it sounds better if I speak my ideas out loud to an educated ear.”

I smiled. I did have a good grip on scientific theories in general. How could I not? While other children listened to bedtime stories and nursery rhymes, my father would tell us theories on how the galaxy began and why plants died without sunlight.

“As you know, Mendeleev has organized the elements into groups and periods. We know that silver,” he pointed to Ag on the chart, “stops the cells from mutating. Unfortunately, it also kills the cells and the organism.” The animation in his voice was a common occurrence whenever he spoke of a new theory. “I mean to administer some elemental compounds to Mr. Strider’s blood cells to see what effects they have. I thought I would begin with some of the elements which fall in the same group and period as silver. Copper, zinc, even gold may be the answer. They all share some properties with silver, but they are atomically different.”

A small moan came from the corner, and we both turned our attention to the sleeping specimen. He looked anything but experimental. He was solid and genuine and breathtaking.

I had to admit I felt some disappointment in the route Dr. Bennett planned to pursue. In my mind, I’d hoped, no prayed, he had come up with something infinitely more profound. “I think it’s a wonderful idea,” I lied. “Although, I wonder if you should also try elements without the same properties as silver.” I pointed to the far end of the table. “Perhaps some of these from the opposite side of the chart. What about the nonmetals?”

“I’ve considered those but I feel this is the best way to begin. Besides, it is not easy to get some of these substances in elemental form or in any form for that matter.”

I nodded and tried not to show my disappointment. I knew science worked slowly, but in this case, we needed fast results. Plodding through the periodic table one element at a time made the whole thing rather hopeless.

I tiptoed over to the cot and pulled the wool blanket up further over Strider’s chest. He sighed in his sleep. I needed to start thinking of my own solution. I refused to accept a tragic ending.

****

The clouds parted like misty blue curtains on a stage, with the sole performer, a waning yellow moon returned for its endless encore. Each hour passed with heavy slowness. I’d loafed in the sitting room, crinkling my nose with every sip of the bitter tea I’d prepared and rereading every passage of the book I held. And still, I had no idea what I’d been reading. After my fourth inquiry to Dr. Bennett about whether or not he gave Strider the correct dose of chloral hydrate, he speared me with a quelling glare, slammed shut his own book, and marched off to bed.

The clock chimes in the entry announced midnight, lifting me from a state that hovered between conscious and unconscious. Tired as I was, my bed provided no comfort. I threw off the covers, pulled on a wrapper, and lit a candle. If Strider woke with a thirst, he would need a glass of water. Of course, I knew I was fooling myself. The glass of water was merely an excuse to check on him.

He’d slept all afternoon and evening and halfway through the night. It dawned on me that I missed talking to him. It seemed ridiculous. How could I miss someone I’d known for less than a fortnight? Yet not talking to him for the whole evening had left me feeling hollow.

On slipper covered toes, I crept into the lab. The water sloshed over the rim of the glass as I stepped methodically across the floor. The gaslights on the streets below sputtered uneven bits of light through the small window, but my own flame lit the way. Still tucked in the wool cover I’d thrown over him, Strider slept soundly. I lowered the glass to the small table and lingered for a moment watching him. It was an incredibly handsome face even in slumber. And even fast asleep as he was, he seemed full of spirit.

In leaving, I managed to tread on the loosest floor plank in the house. Strider bolted upright as the creaking sound interrupted the silence.

I lifted the candle. He scrubbed his face with his hands and squinted at me from the cot. “Tis you, Camille. I thought you were a bloody ghost in that long white gown.” He shut his eyes then opened them again. “Christ, it feels like someone’s taken a hammer to my ‘ead.”

“Shall I get you something for it? I think Dr. Bennett has some concoctions on the shelf that are remedies for head pain.”

He held up his hand. “No more of Dr. Bennett’s concoctions.” His arm dropped, and he glanced at the sterile cotton wrap encircling it. He lifted the bandage and looked at the cut in his arm. “I look and feel like I’ve been to battle.” His body swayed forward, and I dashed toward him. My hands clutched at his shoulders to keep him from falling.

“You’re still feeling the effects of the chloral hydrate. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

I sat next to him.

He scooted away, but before the bitter taste of hurt caught up with me, he laid his head on my lap. My fingers trembled as I lifted my hand to stroke his hair. Within moments, his steady breathing told me he was sleeping again.

Everything was as Dr. Bennett and I had hoped. We had Strider here and now there were plenty of blood cells for the experiments. A cure might be within our reach. The black curls of our specimen were soft under my palm. I sucked my bottom lip in between my teeth to keep it still and glanced at the rows of bottles lined up across the lab table. Somewhere amongst the acidic powders and alkali liquids there must be a cure for heartbreak.

****

Deep voices rolled down the hall, waking me. I’d slept through most of the morning. After an hour with Strider’s head resting in my lap, I’d grown cold and weary. Reluctantly, I’d slid off the cot and returned to my own bed. Dr. Bennett was already working in the lab, but it was Strider who was bent over the eyepiece of the microscope. He looked up and smiled at me. “I can see things now. Not sure what I’m looking at, but I can see it.”

“You’re feeling better, then?” I asked.

“Aye. My head still hurts, but at least it doesn’t feel like a blacksmith is forging horseshoes on it anymore.”

“Maggie’s downstairs. She already made us something to eat. Why don’t you go down and get something, Cami. You look pale,” Dr. Bennett said.

I nodded and turned to leave. Strider followed me into the hall. “Camille.”

I turned and looked up at his face. He stared at me, and his mouth moved as if he wanted to say something but nothing came out. With his face so close, there was nothing I wanted more right then than for him to kiss me. But it didn’t happen.

“I’m headed to the Strand this morning. I need to talk to a friend of mine.”

“You’re not a prisoner here. You may come and go as you please,” I said, reminding myself more than him.

“Actually, I was hoping you’d take the walk with me. Unless you’re too busy.”

“Well, of course, I’ll have to check my appointment book, but I imagine I can squeeze in time for a stroll.” The subdued smile I gave him belied the euphoria I was feeling.

My trousers begged to be worn. A downpour threatened and the air was dank, but I put on a blue dress and my warmest mantle.

Traffic was heavy as we strolled around Leicester Square. Some people sauntered through the park taking in the scenery, architecture, and wide array of statues. Others hurried along with purpose. Strider shrugged the naval coat higher on his shoulders and held his arm for me to take. For a coat that had surely seen better days, it looked perfect on him.

“Did you leave home when your brother did not return from sea?”

“Aye. There was nothing left for me to do but leave. My mum didn’t want me. She was too busy worrying about herself. I was only in the way.”

“And your father?’

“He died two years before my brother. Rotten liver from too much gin. I was happy to see him go. The only thing he left me was a hide full of scars from daily beatings.” There was no self-pity in his tone.

While my life had taken a hideous turn, my younger years had been filled with love and laughter. “How hard it must be to be young and live in constant fear.”

“My lucky day,” Strider said as he bent down to retrieve a coin from the sidewalk. He slid it into the pocket of his coat. “Fear quickly turns to hatred when you spend a great deal of time hiding. By six years old, I was plotting ways to kill the bastard. I’m only disappointed the gin beat me to it.”

My own horrid secret crept into my thoughts causing me to stumble. Strider held tightly to my arm to keep me from falling face first. “I am such a clumsy dolt.”

“I wouldn’t expect to see you in any of these theaters performing a dance, but I like the way you move. You’re rather like a feathery sprite with just enough swishing from side to side.”

Curse the involuntary blush that was impossible to hide. “I swish? Exactly what part of me swishes?” I’d brought up his family, but I was relieved we’d changed subjects. Even though this subject was making my cheeks burn.

He grinned down at me. “All the right parts.”

A man in a faded black bowler sat on a bench in the square surrounded by the few birds who had not yet taken flight to warmer grounds. A dry chunk of bread landed at our feet.

Strider bent to pick it up and held his palm face up with the food. Two gray pigeons landed directly on his forearm and pecked at the crumbs on his hand. “When I was younger, my brother used to walk me to Regent’s Park with a bag full of bread. I would sit for hours with birds of every shape and size on my arms and shoulders.” The bread gone, the birds flew off.

“Weren’t you afraid they might peck you? I like birds well enough, but in large numbers they’re rather intimidating.”

He shook his head. “I was never afraid of them.”

What a foolish question. He had grown up living in constant fear of being beaten by his drunken father, how could birds have frightened him. “I imagine there is little that scares you.”

Strider grew silent and stared at the ground as we left Leicester Square. “I’m scared, Camille.” The quiet words mingled with the surrounding clamor of hooves and wheels.

I wished I had not heard them at all. Everything was easier believing that this whole thing didn’t frighten him. He was always courage and calmness, while inside, I was coming apart cell by cell. But my own fear dealt only with how this all affected me. How selfish I’d become. I didn’t have to live with the prospect of transforming into something horrible and murderous. I didn’t have to live with the prospect of my own demise at the end of a silver bullet.

Sprinkles of rain went virtually unnoticed in the moisture laden air along the river. With no sun to outline their architectural greatness, the mansions of the Adelphi seemed less imposing. The weather had not slowed the daily activity on the water. Boats crisscrossed the choppy surface, dropping off pedestrians and plucking others up.

“Who are you looking for?” I peered up at the blackening sky. Thin drops pelted my cheeks.

“My friend, Goose. The lad you saw in the cemetery.” He looked pointedly at me. “The night you were following me.”

“If your vanity requires it, you may keep telling yourself that. Does Goose live nearby?”

“Of course.” Strider pointed a long finger at an elegant house that had its own carved gateway with steps leading up from the river. “He lives right there, and at night he steals jewelry from corpses to pay for it.”

“Vanity and sarcasm, what a charming combination.” The drizzle swelled to a mild rain. I wrapped my hand around his arm and leaned closer hoping his height would act as a barrier.

He tugged me against him, and suddenly, I didn’t care if the river rose up and flooded the banks around us, I wanted to stay pressed against his side.

“Goose has been chumming with some unsavory blokes on this side of town. I need to set ‘im straight before someone beats me to it.”

Puddles dotted our path and the soaked hem of my dress began to drag. “You need to set straight a boy who you dragged through a cemetery to steal from dead people?”

“And I’m the one suffering from sarcasm.”

I smiled. “I consider that to be irony not sarcasm.”

Strider released my arm. “Wait here.” He walked to the shore where an anchored, run-down barge bobbed in the water. A man emerged from below deck. The arms of his sweater were too short, and his black trousers were baggy enough for two his size.

Strider waved at the man and called to him. “Have you seen Goose out ‘ere? Jane told me he’d been hanging around.”

He’d seen Jane when he went out yesterday. My heart sank in my chest. I had no idea the impact jealousy could have. My arms and legs felt heavy. What a fool I’d been thinking someone like Nathaniel Strider would be interested someone like me. Especially when he had every buxom girl on the East Side waiting for him.

Strider headed back to me. His face was turned down to avoid the sharp spray of water that was now falling, but I could see worry in his expression.

“Did you find out anything?” I asked as he reached me. He took hold of my arm, and we continued further down the river. “Aye, it’s as Jane said. Goose is out here picking the pockets of passengers as they step off the boats.”

“So you’re afraid he’ll be caught?”

He nodded. “But not taken up by the police. There are far more troublesome people out ‘ere. People who have staked this part of the Strand as their own.”

Sheets of cold water fell from the sky. We hurried our pace and ran for cover beneath an awning over the door of an empty shop. Like fingers, the drops drummed loudly on the canvas overhead. Strider reached up with his thumb and wiped the water from my forehead. It was a gesture that nearly made me melt into the puddle collecting around my feet.

He smiled. “My sopping, little kitten, I’m sorry I brought you out into this weather.”

“I’m not sorry. I’m not made of sugar.”

He took hold of my hand. Our skin was icy yet warmth seeped between us. He lifted my fingers and pressed them against his lips. “No? You taste rather sweet to me.”

My mind triggered its own warning. He is a practiced cad who says things like this to every girl he meets. I pulled my fingers away and dismissed the hurt look in his eyes as part of his act. “So you saw Jane, the girl from the public house?”

“Aye.” He stared at the veil of water flowing off the edge of the awning then smiled back at me. “’Tis like standing under a waterfall, is it not?”

I shrugged, perturbed by his obvious attempt to change the subject. “I’ve never stood under a waterfall to know.”

“Nor I, but I would imagine it to be something like this.”

I turned my face away from his and pretended to find interest with something in the street. But really I stared at nothing. A purple cow could have ambled by and I wouldn’t have noticed.

“Camille,” his deep voice broke the rhythmic sound of the rain overhead, “I have been living in the streets for eight years. I have many acquaintances, people in the same insufferable circumstances as me. Without them survival is even harder.”

“If life on the streets is so contemptible, then why stay?” My tone was harsh, and the words flew out before I could stop them. The jealous ache in my head and stomach were to blame.

Strider’s face dropped. “It’s not that simple, Camille.” He combed his wet hair back with his fingers and lifted his eyes. “I tried to earn an honest wage, but it was far too easy to take advantage of a homeless lad with no skills.” Three young boys rushed past with their caps pulled low and their collars hunched about their ears. Strider squinted through the water at them for a moment and looked back at me. “Once I spent two weeks clearing a farmer’s field with a scythe that nearly outweighed me. He promised to pay me handsomely, but sent me on my way with a moldy loaf of bread and sour milk. When I returned to ask him for more, he threatened me off his land with the very scythe I’d used to clear it. The few pence I did earn were never enough to feed me and shelter me. I had to go without one or the other. It wasn’t long before I learned that thieving paid better wages. I’ve served several short terms in prison, and now that I’m old enough, my tainted record and lack of connections keeps me unemployed.”

A flicker of weariness in his gaze made me grab hold of the lapel of his coat. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

He looked down at my fingers wrapped around his coat then lifted his eyes to mine. “My tiny huntress, do you know what you’ve done to me?”

My fingers tightened around the worn fabric as I looked up at his face. A crack of thunder startled me from my trance. Reluctantly, I released my hold.

We stared out at the murky water that flowed beneath the Waterloo Bridge, and at the moment, I wanted badly to jump from it. Surely, my heavy sense of dread would sink me to the bottom. In the distance, a bolt of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the city beneath for a moment before the shadows returned.

“Goose!” Strider shot out from our dry refuge and grabbed the arm of a boy passing by. He dragged the agitated lad back to where I stood and gave him rough shake. “Goose, you fool. It’s me, Strider.”

Goose looked to be about ten years old. His face was clean and pink from the rain, a smattering of freckles crossed his turned up nose. Grime filled rivulets of water ran down from his cap to the shoulders of his coat.

He stared up at Strider with surprise that quickly turned to a frown. His small fist plowed into Strider’s chest. “Where the ‘ell have you been? Everyone thought you were dead.” He glanced at me. “And all this time you’ve been holed up with this wench.”

My mouth opened to protest but Strider held up a hand to stop me. “Never mind where I’ve been. What the hell are you doin’ here in Smithy’s territory?

“I’ve got a nice lit’l business going. Never seen so many fine handkerchiefs in my life.”

“Well, I hope your new business will afford you a nice coffin. No wait. You won’t need one since most of Smithy’s victims end up at the bottom of the Thames.”

The color in Goose’s face drained. “I’m keeping my nose clear of Smithy and his gang.” He wrenched away the arm Strider held. “Besides what do you care? You ‘aven’t been round.”

“I’m taking care of some things. I’ll be back soon, and you better keep your arse out of this neighborhood.”

Of course, Strider had every intention of returning to his life on the streets. How could I have thought differently? Why should I have hoped differently? My own selfishness shamed me. I should be happy if he gets the chance to return to his life after this. So many possible endings for him and all I cared about was that I may never see him again.

Goose plucked at the white shirt Strider wore beneath his coat. “Looks like you’ve got yourself a fancy lady this time. Buyin’ you all sorts of nice things.”

“Where’s Charlie at?”

Goose sneered at me once then shrugged. “Don’t know. Think he’s scraping dirty plates at the boarding house. They pay him with leftover food scraps. I’m not returning to that, Strider. I’m making enough out here to buy me a proper meal once a day.”

“If you stay out here, one of those meals is going to be your last.”

Goose lifted up on his toes and pushed his face closer to Strider’s. “At least I’ll die with a full stomach.” His words squeezed out through clenched teeth. He dropped back to his feet and tore off into the rain.

“Goose! Damn it, get back here!” Strider pounded the wall with side of his fist. The force of it vibrated the side of the building. He stared in the direction Goose had run.

“Is he really in that much danger?” I asked.

Strider nodded, dislodging the drops of water clinging to his black curls. “Smithy is ruthless when he thinks someone is poaching on his ground. He won’t kill him, but he’ll hurt him bad enough that Goose’ll wish he had.” Strider surveyed the shoreline as if he was looking for traces of the infamous Smithy. “This is my fault. Goose and Charlie counted on me to watch over ‘em.”

I went to touch his arm, but he turned brusquely out of my reach. My stomach felt as if someone had twisted it like a rope. The day had started out so well, but now I wanted to return to last night with his head in my lap, his hair under my palm. I swallowed hard and spoke. “You can’t be responsible for those two. You would pose more danger to them than any street thug, no matter how vicious.” His shoulders stiffened again and tension filled the small space but I continued. “You must see, Strider. It would be impossible to help them right now.”

His arms were straight down at his sides with tight fists. If I had pushed too far, it was too late now, trapped as I was between a locked door and his solid body. It felt like hours had passed, but in truth, it was only minutes. He stood silently, staring out at the rain. Then without looking back at me, he reached for and took hold of my hand and pulled me away from our shelter.

We headed back the way we came, my fingers firmly clutched inside his, without a word spoken between us.

After several blocks of being nearly dragged, my fingers had grown numb beneath his grasp and my soaked skirts weighed me down. I stumbled but Strider grabbed hold of my waist before my knees hit the ground. He held me against him, my back pressed against his chest long after I’d found my footing. With what seemed like reluctance, he released his hold on me.

His hand found mine again, and we trudged toward home. For several blocks we said nothing then Strider started laughing.

“We are soaked to the bone, and I can no longer feel my face because of the cold, and you are laughing.”

“I was just thinking about all this. After my last stint in prison, I told myself I’d never go back. So I started stealing from dead people figuring they weren’t much as witnesses. Now look where it has gotten me. My mum used to insist that trouble followed me. I guess she was right. I should have taken my chances with the gallows at Newgate.”

“So you’d rather swing from a rope than traipse through the pouring rain holding my hand?”

He squeezed my hand and smiled down at me. “It’s like my mum said, trouble follows me.”

I wrenched my hand free and crossed my arms. “Well, fine then.”

Strider stopped me and grabbed hold of my arm to turn me toward him. Water streamed over both our faces as we stared at each other. He pressed a finger against my bottom lip which was trembling more from the look he was giving me than the frigid air. “Of course, there’s bad trouble and good trouble.” He removed his finger and kissed my forehead. “And you definitely fall into the good category.” Strider turned back and wrapped my hand around his arm. “Let’s get home before we drown out here.”

Good trouble. I actually liked the sound of that.

Chapter 14

Maggie had left a bowl of clotted cream on the counter. I pulled a loaf of bread from the larder. Strider and I sat by the fire drying out and spooning the cream onto hunks of bread. Now, in front of the coals, which just began to glow with heat, we were silent. But it seemed a good silence. No anger or tension, just two people alone with their thoughts and glad to be in each other’s company. At least I was happy to have his. I hoped he felt the same.

Dr. Bennett was holed up in his lab and had been there all day. The scribbled notes he’d left on the table were now covered with our crumbs. I swiped the bread away, and we stared down at the handwriting.

Strider pointed to the name, Von Mohl. “Who is this Vonmoll? Is he someone you know?”

“Hardly. He’s a German botanist. He’s written a great deal about protoplasm.”

Strider raised a dark eyebrow.

“He hypothesized that cells, those things you see through the microscope, divide to make new cells. He also theorized that the walls around a cell allow growth…” I stopped when I realized he was staring straight at me but not hearing anything I said. “Forgive me. I’m rambling.”

“You are like no other girl I’ve met,” he said.

“I don’t know whether to consider that a compliment or an insult.”

“You have to analyze everything, Camille. It’s a compliment. You are peculiar but in a very agreeable way.” He popped a chunk of bread into his mouth and looked at me warmly.

I fidgeted with the notes on the table. “The rain has stopped,” I blurted louder than needed considering the only other person in the room was sitting a tabletop away.

Strider rose and walked to the window. “Looks like it will be a clear sky tonight. We should sit on the front stoop and watch the stars.”

“I’d like that.” A small noise came from the lab. Curiosity gnawed at me, but I knew never to disturb Dr. Bennett when the door was closed. I hoped and prayed that he was making progress with his study but pessimism kept sneaking its ugly head into my thoughts. I moved to the comfort of the settee, and Strider sat next to me. I rested my head against his hard shoulder and through the comfort of the fire and his nearness, I dozed off.

Strider’s prediction came true. The navy blue sky was like rich satin and as the last bits of the Sun’s energy drifted away, the stars appeared. Taking its usual place amongst the glittering balls of light was the crescent moon, weak and dim, unable to produce its own light, instead having to steal what it could from the Sun.

Dr. Bennett strode purposefully out of the lab, picked up a chunk of bread, balanced a cup of tea on a saucer, and shoved a handful of notes under his arm. Then he returned to his lab and shut the door behind him. But in his brief escape from work, I’d seen his face. It was stretched into a weary frown, a silent confirmation that things were not going well under the lens of his scope.

Our stomachs full with cream covered bread, Strider and I carried the wool throw from the sitting room out to the front stoop and sat down. We sat closely so the small cover could cross both our shoulders. A nervous laugh escaped my lips as we huddled.

“What’s so amusing?’ Strider asked as he scooted even closer to me for warmth. His leg pressed against mine.

“I’m not sure. It just popped out. ‘Tis not every day that I sit under a blanket with a boy.”

“Should I not sit so close?” He started to scoot away, but I grabbed his arm. It was thick and solid.

‘No, it’s too cold without you under here.” Heat constantly radiated off his skin. “You’re like a giant chunk of coal.”

“I’ve been called many things but never a piece of coal.”

“Perhaps I could have used a better description, but somehow, the air is less frigid around you.”

“In that case. . .” He inched even closer and our shoulders touched now too. His hand poked out from our wool tent. “Look, the North star.” He pointed. “There, at the tip of the bear’s tail.”

“A bear with a tail?”

“Aye, Ursa Minor. The little bear was placed there next to Ursa Major, his mother.” His finger swept across the sky. “Legend says that Zeus disguised himself and raped Callisto. She bore him a son, Arcas. The goddess, Artemis was so angry she turned Callisto into a bear. When Arcas was grown, he went hunting and nearly shot his own mother. Zeus turned his illegitimate son into a bear, as well, before placing them both in the sky.”

“Mythology is such nonsense.” I hugged my knees to my chest attempting to make myself smaller. Suddenly, I wanted to disappear under the blanket.

He looked down at me. “Tis romantic. If everything were explained by science and logic, what a dull world it would be.”

There was a terrible swelling in my throat and my mouth felt dry. “And if everything were explained by pure romance, what an ignorant world this would be.”

“Camille, what have I said to upset you? Forgive me if my story offended you. It was something my brother told me late at night to console me after one of my father’s tirades.”

I shook my head. “I’m being absurd. Your story didn’t offend me but part of it brought up a terrible memory.”

Blindly, he searched for my hand under the cover. When he found it, he wrapped his fingers around mine. “Your father?”

I bit my lip to keep from talking, but the words were too strong. They surged through. “I still remember the night as if it were this moment. My father had been pacing like a madman in the hallway. I’d chided him about wearing a groove in the floor.” Another inappropriate laugh escaped my lips, but it was not from the giddiness I’d felt earlier. It was from the near hysteria I felt knowing that I was about to narrate the memory in its entirety, something I had never done before. And not just to anyone but to Nathaniel Strider who was now tied to all this.

“Emily and I sat on the pink damask sofa of our drawing room. The rag doll my mother made me the Christmas before her death was tucked into my lap. Moonlight flooded through the window. Its unearthly glow made the roses on the wallpaper seem real enough to pick. My sister and I’d spent many evenings in that same room, snug and content. But that evening, though the hearth blazed, a chill filled the room. And all the time, my father’s heavy, anxious footsteps echoed through the house. Then he entered the drawing room, our comfortable family meeting place. He knelt in front of us. I will never forget the anguish in his face. His lips were tight and bloodless, and his cheek twitched convulsively.”

Momentarily my voice was lost behind a sob. Strider squeezed my hand. I swallowed hard to bring the words to the surface. “My sweets, my loves, he’d called us, still unable to control the spasm in his face. He drew out a small pistol and handed it to me. It was so cold and heavy. You’re the strong one, he assured me.” Another sob crept out. “I need you to hide somewhere in the house. If the beast finds you, use this gun, he’d said. The word beast kept charging through my mind. I remember a violent shaking starting at my shoulders and making its way to my hands. I had to grasp the pistol tightly to keep it from bouncing to the floor. Father leaned forward and kissed us both on the cheeks before rushing out of the room. Emily looked as if she had turned to a pillar of salt. One breath and I could have collapsed her into a shower of white grains over the plush cushions. I grabbed her hand and pulled her down the stairway into the deserted kitchen.”

Strider released my hand and lifted his thumb to wipe a tear from my cheek. He leaned over and kissed the wetness on my face then lowered his hand to find mine again.

“What a peculiar site I must have been with a floppy doll tucked under my arm and a pistol hanging from the fingers of that same arm. We ducked under the preparation table where the cook plucked feathers from geese and twisted flour and water into bread. My sister’s shallow breaths echoed through the blackness.” I stopped for a moment to slow my own breath. It left behind clouds of vapor in the cold night air. “The clock in the drawing room clanged, and we both shot up and bumped our heads on the solid wood above. Emily cried uncontrollably, and I squeezed my eyes shut hoping when I opened them I’d wake from the nightmare. But it was all too real. A noise came from my father’s room, a sound that made every inch of me shudder. I had to hold my breath to keep from retching.” I peered up at Strider.

He stared straight ahead now absorbing the details of my horrid story. But the worst was yet to come. He must have sensed my hesitation. “I want to hear all of it, Camille.” The words shot out as if there was uncertainty behind them. His hand tightened around my fingers and I gasped in pain. He released them instantly but didn’t say anything else.

Beneath the warm cover, I hugged myself tightly. “A hideous roar filled the stairwell, and a repellant odor oozed down the stairwell. Then I saw her, my doll, in the middle of the floor where I’d dropped her. I scooted out of our hiding spot, grabbing the doll just as a terrible clamor exploded through the kitchen. It was a sound that made thunder seem like a whisper. I froze with my doll and the pistol. Someone pulled the gun from my hand. There was a terrible pain in my arm followed by a blast that lit the room as if lightning had broken through the walls. An agonizing moan rolled through the darkness. Then silence. It did not take long to recognize that the silhouette on the floor was my father.”

Strider did not say a word. My head felt lighter as if I’d removed bricks of lead from it. Absently, I had moved even closer to him, so close I nearly sat on his thigh. His face was turned down as he seemed to contemplate our shoes poking out from the cover.

Then his voice floated up. “Bloody coward. Why did he not take his own life rather than endanger the lives of his daughters?”

His words were like a sharp slap. Never had I considered that as an option. Never had I thought of my father as being anything but splendid. Never had I considered him a coward. And yet, Strider’s reaction, his offered proposal of how things might have been handled differently rang painfully true. But I had to defend my father’s honor.

“My father was the smartest, bravest man I knew,” I said weakly. “And that night I discovered that I was not the strong one.”

Strider twisted around and faced me. His skin had paled. “You could have been killed. You and your sister. And he would have been completely to blame. You were not weak. You faced your own death rather than kill the father you loved.” His brown eyes looked nearly black, but there was more there than repulsion for my father’s actions. “I will not go like a coward.”

It was a statement that froze my heart. “Do not think like that, Nathaniel. We will figure this out before…” I peered up at the sky and the white crescent hanging overhead.

“Aye, before the next moon.” He sounded as convinced as I felt. “Wait. The pain in your arm. Had you been bitten as well?”

“There were four small punctures in my arm. The skin had been broken but there was only a small amount of blood. Since I never showed signs of transmutation, Dr. Bennett concluded there had not been an exchange of fluids and therefore no contamination. For once in my life, I’d been lucky.”

“For once? And what about the day you met me?” His long arm snaked around my shoulders, and he pulled me against him.

The clamor of a cab rolling down the street was drowned out by the beating of his heart against my ear. Suddenly, I wished for a Vesuvius style eruption, with lava and ash to cover us, his arm round my shoulder and my face pressed against him, frozen that way for eternity like the victims of Pompeii.

“Damn England for its lack of volcanoes,” I muttered.

He rubbed his chin on the top of my head. ‘You’re a very odd girl, Camille. Very odd indeed.”

Chapter 15

“Tell me, Cami, are you planning a visit to Emily soon?” They were the first words in an otherwise still house. Dr. Bennett spoke them from the small office he’d arranged for himself. It was really more of storage place for his endless collection of books and scientific papers. Most people would see the cluttered space and think only an eccentric, disorganized man would keep such an office. But if you asked for a certain volume or subject, Dr. Bennett could go immediately to the correct stack and pull the requested book.

He came to the door for my answer. His eyes were swollen from fatigue, and his hair looked as if he’d just stood on a windswept moor for hours.

“I have some red paper to bring her. I could go today, I suppose, if you’ll lend me a few French chocolates. Since it’s not a visitor day, I’ll need to bribe the girl at the desk.”

Dr. Bennett’s face showed no indication of how things were progressing. His lips turned down ever so slightly, which could have been interpreted in many ways. It was never easy to read a man of science. He bent down and retrieved a volume of Histoire Naturaelle from beneath a desk which had only three and a half legs but stood erect with the help of a stack of journals. It was the desk where he kept the pistol.

He lifted the book he held. “I need a refresher on morphological analysis of organic structures.” He lowered the book and his eyes. “I’m afraid it’s not going as well as I’d hoped. The elements closest to silver, while not as virulent, are still poisonous to the organism.”

“What did you need from Emily?” I asked, but I knew the answer.

“Your father’s journal.”

Strider stepped into the hallway with the gloss of sleep in his dark eyes and his tousled hair curled up on the collar of the borrowed white shirt. There was an almost little boy quality to the pillow messed hair, yet he was purely masculine standing there in his bare feet. “Forgive us, did we wake you?” I asked.

He placed his hand over his stomach. “No, twas my empty belly.”

“Breakfast is in the kitchen. But I must warn you, Dutch is down there.” I glanced at his feet. “You might want to put on your shoes.” The cat always managed to take several effective swipes at Strider’s calves and ankles. I motioned with my head. “Come, you’ll need fortification. You’re going to meet my sister.”

Stomachs full of over salted oatmeal and leftover ham, we trudged through the mob of people bustling through Whitehall. There were no heavy clouds overhead, but dampness made the late morning dreary. I tucked three wrapped chocolates and two sheets of red paper in my coat pocket. The weather urged me to wear my beloved trousers and hat. A breeze lifted the hat off my forehead, and Strider tamped it back down.

He laughed. “You remind me of my late Uncle Albert in that stretched out topper.”

I peered up at him from under the drooping brim. “That’s what a girl likes to be compared to, a dead uncle.”

“Mind you, I was quite fond of the man.”

“That’s comforting to know.”

“And you definitely smell better than him.”

“Again, comforting to know.”

Bethlem hospital loomed in the distance crowned by the pasty leftover storm clouds. The steps to the hospital were close to deserted since this was not officially a visiting day.

“Somehow I expected more people milling about the place,” Strider said.

I shook my head. “Only on visitor days. Sadly, I think most people avoid the place when given the excuse and opportunity. The chocolate is our ticket into the ward. They are Sarah’s favorite.”

“Don’t you mean chocolates? You brought three pieces, did you not?”

“Nothing escapes you.” I pulled one of the confections from my coat. It had softened in the heat of my pocket. “Only one is for Sarah. Emily has a sweet tooth as well.” I unwrapped the candy, broke it in half, and handed Strider his portion before pushing the creamy treat into my mouth.

“More fortification?” he asked.

“Indeed. I must warn you that Emily’s mood can change drastically from day to day. Some days she’s cheery, and other days, she’s plagued with a melancholy that keeps her in bed.”

Strider did not seem to know how to react to what I’d told him. He nodded and opened the front door before issuing me inside.

“Now, Miss Camille, you know it’s not visiting …” Sarah’s reminder was cut short by the shiny wrapped confection on the palm of my hand. She plucked it off and was about to unwrap it when my companion caught her attention more than the chocolate. “Who’s this? We can’t allow no lads in the female ward. Maybe he should stay out here with me.”

I glanced sideways at Strider. He was using his greatest weapon, his smile, on the defenseless girl. “That’s quite a sacrifice, Sarah,” I said. “But this is our cousin, Nathaniel. He has not seen Emily for five years.”

She continued gawking at him. He didn’t have to say a word. The heart-stopping grin plastered across his face spoke for him.

“I suppose this one time would be fine,” Sarah said not taking her eyes off Strider.

I pulled his arm and headed to Emily’s ward before Sarah changed her mind or worse, proposed marriage to him. Fortunately, most of the other patients were outside in the wake of yesterday’s storm, and the workers had finished their morning routines.

My knock was answered hesitantly, and Emily’s voice sounded weak. Not a good sign but we went inside. Every bone in Emily’s backbone jutted prominently through the thin material of her linen day dress and blue shawl. Shoulders hunched, her long pale hair lay in a tangled mess down her back. She continued to stare out the closed window, even after we entered. Her population of fairies and forest creatures dangled lifelessly on their strings, only stirring as we shut the door.

“Emmie, I have your red paper,” I said quietly, “and I’ve brought a visitor.” Now I regretted having come at all. Her mood would give me little chance to ask for father’ journal. And now, I‘d brought a stranger into her room on top of it all. Admittedly, I felt ashamed of my sister in this detached state of mind.

A few moments of silence followed before Emily turned her face away from the courtyard to look at us. Her eyes focused on Strider. Even with her face drawn in sadness, her beauty softened the stark, white walls of the room. Strider walked forward and bowed politely.

“Nathaniel Strider. Pleased to meet you, Miss.”

My sister rubbed the scar beneath her sleeve. Her dark gold lashes blinked several times as she surveyed her visitor. Then she looked past him to me.

“This would explain your mood on your last visit.” She returned her gaze to the window. “I will not forgive John for his recklessness.” Emily’s words were quiet but sharp. Strider did not seem to understand her cryptic comment, and I was glad. She stood and walked toward the side table near her bed. “Forgive me.” She poured some tea. “I should offer my guests some refreshment.”

Strider shook his head. “No, thank you.” She handed the cup to me and I accepted, not because I wanted it, but because in this mood, she became easily irritated. Emily lowered the teapot and continued rubbing her scar, the movement and intensity growing with each passing moment.

Strider walked to the paper sculptures and inspected them closely. “These are unbelievable. How can this be done with mere paper?” He winked at Emily. “Only someone with the magic of a fairy could do this.”

Emily smiled. Delicate dimples creased her cheeks. He’d done it. Winning Emily’s favor was difficult and few had done it quickly, but Strider with his own magical powers of knowing precisely what to say, had won her over, even in her black mood.

“I nearly forgot.” I handed her the sheets of paper and the chocolate.

“No letter from John?” I was surprised she’d asked when normally his letters seemed to hold no interest for her.

“No letter today. The idea to visit you was unplanned.”

Emily folded the red sheets and slid them into a drawer along with the candy. “So I was an afterthought.” Bravo. With one comment I’d undone what Strider had accomplished. Her mood darkened again, and my hopes of seeing father’s journal fell with it.

“Why don’t you open the window so Nathaniel can see them awake?”

For a moment, it seemed she might take my suggestion. She walked to the window but sat down in the chair and continued with her infernal scratching. “Not today.”

“Perhaps, they can bring you something for your arm,” Strider suggested. “It seems to irritate you terribly.”

Emily peered up at me, a faint, wicked smile on her lips. She looked at him. “’Tis only an old scar. It will stop soon,” she said.

Suddenly, my own irritation grew. I did not want to stay any longer watching the theatrics of my sister. Strider shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably.

I flew to my sister’s feet, kneeled in front of her, and grabbed her hand before she scratched herself raw. It felt icy cold. I rubbed it between my own hands. “Emily, the journal, we must have the journal.” Face to face, we exchanged a look that could only be transferred between two sisters with many bonds between them. Emily’s eyes were a glassy blue. “Please,” I mouthed to her.

She placed her free, equally chilled hand on my cheek. Her expression was pure pity, and I pulled my face away.

“Do not look at me like that. You’ve given up on life but I haven’t. Give me the damn journal, Emily. He was my father too.”

A slightly hysterical sound escaped her lips. “There is nothing in there that will help you. I’ve read the entire book.”

I shot to my feet. “You know nothing of science. You can’t possibly understand what it says.”

A knock at the door startled us all. “Go away, Virginia. I want no more of your wretched tonics.” It was the loudest I’d heard my sister speak in years.

The door opened anyway. Emily stood with closed fists. Dr. Bennett stepped inside and removed his hat.

“John, what on earth brought you here?” I asked.

Nervously running his fingers around the brim of his gray top hat, he nodded to Strider and to me then looked at Emily. “Hello, Emily.”

Emily did not say a word but sat back down and faced out the window.

“Don’t be so impolite, Emily. You forget, John is your guardian.” She had never angered me so much as this morning. Still, it was an extremely unexpected visit. Dr. Bennett had not visited Emily in over a year.

“Camille, please do not fret about it. I’d like to talk to Emily privately. Why don’t you say your farewells and head home.”

The visit had started badly and beside the one bright moment when Strider had made Emily smile, it deteriorated quickly. I walked over and kissed Emily on the cheek. She did not acknowledge me. Strider and I left the room and the hospital and nearly sprinted to the bridge.

“John never visits Emily. They’ve barely spoken in three years.”

Strider took hold of my arm to slow my frenetic pace. “Your sister didn’t look pleased to see him. Were they close at one time?”

“We were a family. The night my father died, Emily and I clung to each other in the dark for several hours, my father’s lifeless body blocking the stairs from the kitchen. The front door burst open, and we could hear Dr. Bennett shouting my father’s name as he raced through the house. We heard others with him. We were too frightened to scream. A young policeman with a lantern found my father’s body and the two terrified girls huddled under the table with a pistol.”

I stopped for a moment and stared down the cloudy stretch of water that snaked through the city. Heavy boat traffic and yesterday’s rain storm swirled the silt from the bottom to the turbulent surface.

“Dr. Bennett knew what had happened. My father had written him that morning pleading for him to come. But he’d been lecturing all day and had not read the message until it was too late. The authorities would never have believed the truth. So John concocted a story about the years of abuse we’d suffered at the hand of my father, and how, in the end, we’d had to defend ourselves with a gun. Emily and I had no choice but to go along with the tale.”

We continued over the bridge to home. “We would not have survived without Dr. Bennett. Then without explanation, Emily pulled away from us, both John and me. It was not long after that that she moved into Bethlem.” I’d never told anyone even a part of the story, but now Strider had heard it all. I’d known him such a short while, and we were from such different worlds. Yet, I felt a connection with him that was so solid that once broken, I would surely break with it. “I hope I have not bored you with all the tawdry details of my life.”

“Not at all.” He picked up my hand and secured it around his arm. I tightened my fingers. “Do you think Dr. Bennett went to your sister for the journal?”

“I suppose but if Emily won’t give it up to me, she certainly won’t give it to him.” I stopped. “But we’ll move on without it. There’s time.” How ridiculous that phrase was starting to sound knowing how quickly the month raced by.

The walk and the strange morning had tired me, and I was pleased to reach the front steps of the townhouse.

“My stomach is as empty as a church in the middle of Sodom.” Strider held the door for me, and I swept past him.

I laughed. “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard that saying before.”

“I’m sure you ‘aven’t since I just invented it.”

I removed my coat and hung it on the hook. He removed his, something he always did reluctantly as if removing the garment might wash away any memories he had of his brother.

“To the kitchen, then. I think there is some bread and cheese in the larder.”

I read a paper on smallpox inoculations Dr. Bennett had left on the sitting room table while Strider tore off chunks of bread and cheese and ate. For the first several days, he’d eaten slowly, like a small child with a small stomach. But now he was hungry all the time. A quiet surrounded us but it was a comfortable, satisfied silence.

“It says here that in ancient times to make people immune to smallpox, they would powder up smallpox scabs and blow them up people’s noses.”

Strider cleared his throat loudly. I peered up from the paper. He held up a piece of the cheese.

“Forgive me. I forgot you were still eating.” I returned to the paper. “In India they took the actual infectious material from the lesions and inoculated people.” A large piece of bread landed on the paper.

I picked it up and plopped it into my mouth. “I think I will have a piece of that cheese, after all.”

A piece of cheese followed the same arc though the air and onto the paper in front of me. It was saltier than I liked. “Now, I’ll have to make tea to wash the taste from my mouth.”

The front door closed. “John’s home. He’ll want some as well.” I stood. Dr. Bennett met me in the doorway. His face was pale, and his eyes were flat with anguish. “My God, John, are you not well? Come in and sit.” I reached for his hand and saw what he held. Father’s journal.

“Camille, I need to speak with you.” Tiny hairs stood up on the back of my neck as he spoke, and my mind raced to the journal. What could he have found inside? Was there no hope for a cure?

Dr. Bennett glanced politely at Strider who took the hint and left the room. Deep down I wanted him to stay. My gaze followed him out the door.

“Sit, Camille.” Dr. Bennett pulled out a chair for me. His mouth was stretched tightly, and it seemed he might retch right there on the table in front of us.

I leaned forward. “John, what is it? Is it Emily? The journal?” My mind was racing with the dreadful possibilities of what he might tell me, but never did I see what was coming.

Chapter 16

Dr. Bennett’s long, white fingers drummed the textured brown leather cover of Father’s journal as he placed it on the table and laid his hand atop it. The book looked as new as the day Father bought it. Emily and I had sucked on the hard sugar candies he’d given us and watched as he’d removed it from the brown paper. Even though it had been six years, it looked as sleek as it did on that day when he’d placed it in Emily’s care and the pistol in mine.

My hand covered Dr. Bennett’s. It was trembling. “Please, John, tell me, what is the matter?”

He nodded. “I’m trying to decide where to begin.” His other hand came up and sandwiched mine between his. “Camille, you know that I love you as I would a daughter.”

“Of course. Emily, as well.”

“Yes, Emily too.” He reached up and pulled the collar away from his neck as though it had grown too tight. His forehead shined with small beads of sweat. “Cami, what I’m about to tell you, I pray that it will not change our relationship too drastically.”

“John, you’ve been nothing but good to me. You cannot possibly have anything to say that would change the way I feel about you.”

He squeezed my hand and lowered his face. For a moment I thought he might sob. He let go of my fingers, stood abruptly, and walked to the window. “Do you remember when you and Emily were nine and you’d eaten some strawberries? Emily became very ill.”

“Of course, how could I forget? Father was so worried he called the doctor. And you came too as I recall. It was the first time we’d seen you in two years.”

“There was a reason your father broke his silence and summoned me to come. The doctor needed to know some family history. He wanted to know if I’d had the same reaction to strawberries.” Dr. Bennett wiped his fingers along the dust on the window ledge then rubbed them together. He looked at me. “As a boy, I’d eaten strawberries and had become violently ill with a rash.”

My mind raced with confusion. “I don’t understand. Why are you talking about rashes and strawberries? What does all this have to do with the journal?”

He returned to his chair. “Emily’s reaction to the berries was not a coincidence. It was inherited. I am Emily’s father.”

I sat stunned until the ridiculousness of his statement set in and I laughed. “Very amusing, John, but Emily and I came from the same womb. I daresay she was the bossy one even then, which would explain why I was so much smaller at birth.”

His face remained solid and grim. “It does not happen often,” he continued. “But I assure you, it is possible. Twins such as Emily and you developed from two distinctly different eggs. You and your sister share very few of the same attributes. Surely, you’ve noticed this.”

“John, this is beyond absurd,” I protested, but my mind searched for the reasons he would have to conjure up such nonsense.

“Your father saw such an alarming difference between you girls, his suspicions grew.” He reached up and touched his beard. “Beneath this facial hair, I’ve hidden dimples that I’ve always considered to feminine for a man’s face. You know Emily has some too. Neither of your parents had them. She inherited them from me.” His words came out quickly now as if he thought their impact would be less brutal if they flowed freely.

My body shrank back against the chair. Memories darted through my head and suddenly came together as pieces of a giant puzzle, the explosive end to a friendship, the tension on my father’s face when John spoke French with my mother, the endless differences between twin sisters. “You and my mother…” I could not finish. I expected tears to come, but my eyes were dry. “How could you?”

“I cannot make excuses for my actions except to say that there was a time early in your parent’s marriage, before you were born, when your mother was unhappy. She turned to me for solace.”

I stared at the man in front of me. “I don’t even know who you are.” I stood but my body felt like lead. My legs collapsed, and I fell back onto the chair. Dr. Bennett stared down at his lap.

“And Emily has known this all along?” I asked.

He shook his head but still didn’t look up at me.

“Damn it, John, at least have the courage to face me!”

His eyes lifted and now, and I saw it. They were Emily’s blue eyes. “Your father and I had agreed not to tell either of you… ever. It didn’t seem necessary.” He looked at the journal. “But he had written it all down. And in his crazed state, he’d forgotten and given the journal to your sister to guard. Or maybe he had wanted her to know after all. We’ll never know his motives. When Emily began to withdraw from us and from regular society, I figured the journal must have held the secret. She came to me to tell me she knew everything.”

Now rage at their deceit gave me the strength to stand, but as I raced by, he reached out and grabbed hold of my arm. “There is more, Camille.”

My feet faltered. I fell forward, but he steadied me. A whimper flew from my mouth. “What else could there be, John? Was my real father the Marquis de Sade? What other sordid details do you wish to impart about my ridiculously fictional life?”

“The journal may help Strider. There are some notes, some theories yet untested, which your father describes in detail. But it holds more than scientific notations. He wrote everything in it as if he wrote his own memoirs.”

I tried to shake loose from his grasp. “I don’t want to hear more.”

“I’ve begun this and now, you must hear it all.”

I wrenched free and stumbled sideways, slamming my knee on the coal scuttle. “Damn it,” I cursed and kicked it, injuring my toes and sending a black spray of residue over the rug.

I hobbled to the door.

“Your father was not accidentally contaminated.”

I stopped in the doorway without looking back. Momentarily, I wondered where Strider had gone to. Had he heard Dr. Bennett’s confession? Then John’s latest declaration popped back into my pounding head.

“It’s all in his journal. It’s the other reason Emily kept the journal from you, from us.” I heard the creak of the chair, and I knew he stood behind me now. “I’ve left it for you to read.”

He skirted past me, but I didn’t move. After a long moment, I looked back over my shoulder. The book lay open, its pages fluttering lightly with the energy produced by the hearth. The fire looked suddenly inviting. I could toss the entire thing into the flames to be rid of its scarring entries for good. But I knew it held possible hope for Strider, so it stayed there in the center of the table until I willed myself across the floor and into the chair, where once seated, I lifted it onto my lap and read. A blue ribbon held a place in the pages. I opened to the page. My father’s all too familiar script stared back at me.

A soul disintegrated by betrayal combined with an insatiable curiosity has brought me to this lamentable end. Science with a thoughtful purpose now driven by hatred and desire for power. My two sweet loves own my heart completely, but do not fill the void left behind. A chasm which began my unraveling, a chasm never repaired. The strength, the rage I witnessed from the beast I hunted held mystical appeal. I wanted it. I needed it. I took it. And as its blood coursed through my veins and invincibility filled my thoughts, the same question plagued my mind. Who would look after the angels with their glowing pink complexions and lyrical giggles? Destroying him would leave no one. Only one scenario remained. Bennett would have to live, and my own death must be by his hands.

The words played through my mind over and over sounding worse with each repetition. It had been intentional. No accidental contamination but a plan devised in the mind of a broken man. The walls of the marmalade room seemed to thicken with a suffocating heat, and I struggled to take a decent breath. My skin was icy, yet my body temperature seemed to rise. I jumped up quickly, upturning the table. The journal slapped the floor, creasing the corners of several pages as it landed.

The hallway and entry were a blur as I raced out. My palms stung from smacking the front door open as I flew down the steps and headed for any place that wsan’t home. The air chilled the sweat on my skin, and oxygen finally flowed freely into my lungs. I ran until a pulse beat in my ears, and my heels stung from blisters.

Under a copse of half naked trees, I found a bench. I sat there completely still and long enough for birds, convinced I was a heat bearing statue, to huddle around me. In my mind, I catalogued the day’s revelations in an orderly fashion finding them easier to deal with neatly arranged. The man I depended on and trusted more than anyone in the world, the man I had undying respect for had had an illicit affair with my mother. A mother, who I’d adored so much I’d held tightly onto a rag doll she’d made long after it was appropriate for me to carry a doll, had betrayed her wedding vows and broken my father’s heart. A sister, who I considered the second half of my soul, even after she abandoned me, was only my half sister. And a father, who I thought the bravest, smartest and most wonderful man to walk the Earth, had purposely contaminated his own blood with that of a murderous beast’s, just to experience the power of being a werewolf. The list repeated itself in my mind several times. What started as a nearly silent giggle erupted into full laughter. My feathered visitors fluttered away to a new resting spot.

The bout of laughter subsided and surprisingly, I felt better. But not well enough to return home and face Dr. Bennett. I sensed someone standing behind me and knew it was Strider before I turned around. Seeing him standing there, tall and broad shouldered beneath the shadows of the tree branches, I had an incredible urge to throw myself into his arms. But I stayed on the bench.

“How did you find me?” I asked then realized it was a pointless question. His senses, no doubt, grew keener each day.

He sat down next to me and motioned back with his head. “I overheard a group of pigeons talking about an odd little sprite in trousers taking up space on their bench.”

I smiled. “Fine friends they are. One minute they are hovering around me to keep warm, next they are speaking badly about me behind my back. Obviously birds are another species not to be trusted.”

“Aye. Trust. It’s something I gave up on long ago. Although lately, a bit of it is coming back.”

“Really? Tell me how that’s done. I don’t see mine returning anytime soon.”

He picked up my hand which felt numb from cold but instantly heated beneath his fingers. He pressed my palm to his lips for a moment before tucking my cold hand beneath his arm for warmth. “Tis a simple remedy really. Find the right person to trust.”

A blush warmed my face. He trusted me. There was no guarantee that this would all work out well for him, but he trusted me. And I could do nothing for Strider without Dr. Bennett. Besides, my options were limited. I had no place to go except the place I’d called home for the past five years.

“Prim and proper rules of society were more than absent in my house growing up. It seems they were abhorred and broken at every turn. I knew my parents were extraordinarily different than most, but never had I expected this.” The calmness I felt was not from denial as I first thought, but rather from acceptance.

Strider pulled a chunk of bread from his coat pocket and tossed some crumbs near our feet. We were instantly surrounded by birds. “My father believed he was the picture of gentility and good breeding, but in truth he was a gin-soaked blighter. My mother was like a preening peacock when others were around, all smiles, beauty and charm, but underneath she was a heartless, selfish ogre.”

“But my mother . . .and John. I don’t understand how he could have betrayed my father.”

“Perhaps he loved your mother more.”

“But why would Emily not have told me? Why would she keep this to herself?”

“For the reason you are sitting here now. She knew it would hurt you. Or, perhaps, she thought you would feel differently about her if you knew.”

I turned my face and looked up at him. A hint of a smile curled the side of his mouth as he watched the birds at his feet. “You have an explanation for everything.” I slouched against the hard back of the bench. “Still, I shan’t be able to trust anyone ever again. Except possibly you,” I added quietly.

Strider laughed. “Me? You should never trust a scurrilous bloke like me.”

“That’s bloody grand, then I have no one.” I jumped off the bench and walked away.

“Wait, Camille,” Strider called from behind me. Suddenly his fingers were around my arm and he spun me around to face him. His brown eyes stared at my face and then his gaze lowered to my lips. “You can trust me,” he said softly and lowered his face to kiss me.

It did not last long, but it did not disappoint. I was glad he held on to me because I was sure that the solid ground beneath my feet had moved. We’d caught the attention of people passing by. Their wide-eyed stares made us both laugh.

Strider glanced down at my attire. “I suppose I should have waited to kiss you when you weren’t dressed in trousers.”

I shook my head. “I think your timing could not have been more perfect.”

Chapter 17

Cold rain fell for two days washing coal smoke from the air and leaving behind a clammy, uninviting atmosphere. Dr. Bennett and I spoke only when necessary, and Strider seemed restless. The experiments were not going well. This I knew not from words but from the lines in Dr. Bennett’s forehead, which grew more pronounced each day.

A dreary mood hung over the room as we sat silently round the fire. “Will you be visiting your sister when the rain lifts?” Dr. Bennett’s question shattered the quiet.

“You mean my half sister, don’t you?” My posture straightened. “I don’t know when I’ll have time to go to Bethlem in the near future.”

Dr. Bennett didn’t reply to my curt words but returned to his book with an expression that could not be described as anything but anguish. My gaze shot across the room to the settee where Strider passed the time folding sheets of newspaper into boats. How different his life would have been if his brother had returned and he’d gone on to a life at sea. How different my life would be if he’d gone to sea instead of the streets. Dr. Bennett and I would be sitting here in our orange room, sipping tepid tea and browsing books waiting for our next hunt. The blasted journal would still be locked in Emily’s nightstand. And my heart would not be totally lost to Nathaniel Strider.

“John, I’ve been thinking,” I said.

Dr. Bennett’s face lifted and a bit of the sadness disappeared.

“They use trace doses of smallpox to induce immunity to the disease. Could we not try something like that?”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand, Cami.” It was the first time he’d used my nickname in two days.

“What if the blood of the man who bit Nathaniel could work in the same way as the smallpox inoculation?”

He shook his head. “We are dealing with a mutation not a disease. I don’t see a connection.”

“Well, I believe it’s time to try something else. We’ve less than a fortnight and your theories are proving worthless.” I couldn’t seem to stop myself from being hurtful, and the look on his face assured me I’d been exactly that.

“I know every grave digger in London,” Strider said. We both looked at him. “If you can find out the cemetery where the man is buried, I can get you into his grave.” He lifted a two sailed paper boat in the air and admired his handiwork.

A long silence followed as we contemplated the grotesque deed of robbing a corpse of its bodily fluids. “Do you think it possible, John? Or has too much time passed?”

Dr. Bennett took the book from his lap, placed it on the table, and sat back. “The weather is cold and the ground damp enough to have slowed decomposition considerably. The corpse would still have flesh and fluids. But I don’t know, Camille. It seems wrong to go into the man’s grave.”

I sat forward. “Why the bloody hell would that bother your conscience? You sent the man there!” My anger was coming out in all the wrong ways. Dr. Bennett rose from his chair and plodded out of the room.

Tears burned in my eyes as I stared at the flames jumping in the hearth.

“Well done,” Strider said before leaving the room as well.

Curled into a ball, I’d cried myself asleep in the upholstered chair. I slept soundly until the gloom of the cloudy day had descended into the gloom of a stormy, black night. A few red coals sat atop a nest of gray ash in the hearth as I stretched up and rubbed the cramp from my neck and shoulder.

The wavering light of a candle grew brighter as footsteps traipsed through the hallway to the sitting room. Dr. Bennett’s silhouette filled the doorway. “You’re awake. I was afraid you might sleep there all night, and we’d have to free you from that twisted position.”

I glanced at the mantle clock. The light was dim but I could see I’d slept for hours. A flash of lightning lit the room. A clap of thunder followed, and although it was expected, the loud cracking sound startled me. “Where’s Nathaniel?”

“He left several hours ago.”

I sat forward and realized both my feet were numb with sleep. I stomped them hard on the floor. “Left? On a night like this? Where did he go?”

“I imagine he’ll be back shortly. He went to see a few friends about a grave.”

“Do you think my suggestion plausible then?” A part of me wanted to apologize for the harsh words I’d spoken earlier, but I still could not convince myself to do so.

He stepped into the room with Father’s journal tucked beneath his arm. His blue eyes were bloodshot and framed in dark circles. “At this point, we must try anything. Time is running out.” He sat at the table. “Camille, I see the way you look at the boy. I know you’re in love.”

I turned away and stared at the window pane watching the sheets of rain sliding down. All this time, I’d thought him too logical, too scientific to know about love and passion. All this time, I’d thought he was married to his books and science. All this time, I hadn’t known the man at all.

My face turned back to him. “We’ll not hunt this one down. I don’t care if he terrorizes and murders Londoners for the next hundred moons, I’ll not let you harm him.”

Before Dr. Bennett could respond the front door opened and closed. I jumped up from the chair and ran to the entry. There was always something about seeing him dripping wet, drenched through to the skin that made him extra appealing. His long black hair was plastered to his face and neck and his faded coat looked more dashing soaked with water. There was a puddle beneath his feet. “You must be hungry. Get changed and I’ll fix you a bite.”

The three of us leaned over the tall kitchen table eating soft cooked eggs and cold ham in the candle light. A wind raged outside rattling the doors and windows in the house. “The storm should let up by morning. I promised them a bottle of gin and a pound note for one hour at the grave site. We’ll need shovels and a lantern.”

“And something to draw and collect blood,” Dr. Bennett added. I dropped my spoon, and it clattered on the wood table. “How else do you expect me to collect a fluid sample? Although after several weeks, most of the fluids will have collected on the bottom.” Now Strider’s spoon fell to his plate. “Oh really? With the carnage you’ve witnessed, Camille,” he turned to Strider, “and as I recall, the first time we saw you, you were slicing the finger off a dead woman.” He lifted his own spoon and slipped a dripping piece of egg into his mouth.

Two lanterns provided us with the only light. Earlier that day, a brisk breeze had blown through moving the herd of stubborn clouds out to sea and leaving behind a clear, black sky with a thick slice of moon. The graveyard on the northeast end of town held far fewer adornments than the last cemetery. The markers were rough stone with no distinction between them aside from the names carved there. Strider had made payment to the two men watching over the cemetery, and they’d pointed us in the direction of the grave.

Dr. Bennett held the lantern up over the stone. “Samuel Chase,” he read quietly. It would be the first time he saw one of his victims deceased. There was a certain hesitation in his movements. Strider placed his own lantern on the ground and plowed the shovel into the wet ground.

“With the grave still fresh and yesterday’s downpour, this shouldn’t take long,” Strider said between blows into the soaked earth. Dr. Bennett joined in with his own shovel, and I stood watch.

The only other signs of life besides the three people desecrating a man’s grave were the vermin who inhabited the cemetery grounds. The lantern light weakened, and I stepped closer to where they dug. A pile of dirt flew onto my shoe and I shook it off. Anxiously, I glanced around the deserted yard. The outline of tombstones began to resemble an audience standing watch over the whole scene. I shivered and peered down into the hole. “Do hurry.”

Dr. Bennett glanced up with a raised brow. Dark smudges stained his forehead and chin. He didn’t say a word, but I clamped my mouth shut.

“I think this is good,” Strider’s voice floated up from the pit. I looked over the side again. The top half of the coffin had been exposed. Like a man who’d done this many times before, Strider covered his nose and mouth with his black neckcloth and used the end of his shovel to pry open the wooden lid. Swollen with moisture, a chunk of the wood splintered off. He lifted it a crack then looked up at me. “You might want to cover your nose and back up. Death is not pleasant smelling.” His voice was muffled by his cloth. My hand flew to my face, and I backed away.

For a moment the tops of their head disappeared completely. My eyes darted around the graveyard, my ears pounding with the horrible silence that filled the air. How lonely and dull death must be, I mused.

A few minutes later Strider ascended with shovels and a small bottle of fluid. He turned and reached a hand down for Dr. Bennett. They went immediately to work covering the coffin. White puffs of air spurted in front of their faces as piles of wet soil flew into the pit. This idea had to work. I was long overdue for having something turn out right.

****

A large dose of sunlight summoned Strider and I out of doors and onto an omnibus headed toward Marylebone Rd and Regent’s Park. Dr. Bennett had given enough hints that his work went better without anyone in the house, and with the inviting weather, we were more than pleased to oblige. We’d picked up the omnibus at Charing Cross with only two other occupants inside, a mousy woman with tawny hair and her sour-faced companion who wore a great deal of perfume. By the time we passed Piccadilly and were rumbling over Regent Street, the inside of the buss was packed so tightly, we would’ve stayed put in our seats even if the vehicle had overturned. However, being crushed in close quarters with Nathaniel Strider was not altogether unpleasant.

The two original passengers departed at Cavendish Square, although they hardly looked fashionable enough to belong there. Three others exited at Devonshire Terrace, leaving plenty of space for the remaining few blocks to Regent’s Park. But Strider’s thigh and shoulder stayed pressed against me. Or, it was possible that, I stayed pressed against him.

Most visitors prefer the rich pinks and yellows springtime in the park affords, but I looked forward to the rusty reds and burnt ambers brought out by fall’s shrinking daylight. Regent’s was the best of architecture, landscaping, and sculpture brought together in one huge parcel of land. Without a plan, we found ourselves meandering along the edge of the lake. Three black swans floated past as we stopped to stare at the water.

“Those are lucky birds.” Strider picked up a stone to skip across the water. “Living in a place like this, people throwing food at you, and no worries.” He threw the rock and the three black birds lifted their huge wings and fluttered over the water, landing a good distance away.

“Except all the worries a bird might have.” The carpet of fallen leaves littering the grass tempted me into a leaf crunching dance. A small breeze made it necessary to give chase to some of the leaves before I could stomp them, and I burst out laughing. Strider joined me and with much bigger feet, he was far more successful at mutilating the fallen foliage.

“Your petite feet are not really made for this.” He dropped onto a clear section of grass, which sloped down toward the broadest section of the water. “You look pretty, by the way, in your blue dress.”

I sat next to him, aware that my blue dress would be stained by the grass, but not caring as long as I was near him. “You like the dress better than my trousers and hat then?”

He motioned his head to one side. “You wear those trousers well, too. But the blue looks lovely against your skin.” His compliment warmed my face. “Especially when you blush pink.”

Behind us on the road which encircled the park, a man trotted by on an enormous black horse. The animal snorted and a puff of steam came from its muzzle. “That’s a fine mount,” Strider said. “I miss riding.”

“You had a horse?’

“Actually, it belonged to my father, but my brother and I used to take it right out there.” He motioned to the same road with his head. “We lived not far from here off Hampstead Road. My brother taught me to ride when I was seven. He used to tell me I was a great equestrian, but I needed a healthy dose of fear.” Strider plucked out several blades of grass and tossed them in the water. “I took the horse over a high fence one day, and I’d never jumped before. Landed on my shoulder. I heard it crack as I landed. My mother refused to call the physician. She said I deserved it for being so reckless.”

“And your father?”

“My father was only concerned that his horse was still sound. He forbid me to ride his horse again and thumped me hard on the same shoulder for good measure.”

I shivered not from the cold but from his story. “Your parents were wretched people. How in God’s name did they produce such a child when they had no charm or qualities of their own?’

He smiled at me and the suddenness made the breath catch in my chest.

“So you think I’m charming, then?’

“Well, in a surly, scoundrel sort of way.”

He laughed. Music drifted to us from behind St. John’s Lodge. Strider jumped up and offered me his hand. “Let’s go. I haven’t heard good fiddle music since….”

I knew how the sentence ended, but it was not a day to bring it up. He pulled me along, following the lively notes, around the inner garden and over a huge expanse of slightly browned grass to a circle of chestnut trees. Two men, one with a bushy moustache, a ruddy complexion, and a fiddle tucked under his chin and one with a wooden leg strapped to his knee and a harmonica at his mouth, sat side by side on a bench. They played well together, as if they’d sat there for years producing music.

Strider smiled at me. “May I have this dance?”

I stepped back. “I don’t know how to dance.”

“Neither do I, but I’ve never let that stop me.” He grabbed both my hands. We spun around until the scenery blurred into a rush of color. Dizzy from it all, I fell against Strider’s chest. He held me against him. It was brief, but it was a moment I would not soon forget.

He lifted up my hand high in the air and twirled me around. For someone who claimed not to be a dancer, he moved in perfect rhythm to the music.

Strider smiled down at me. “I think you dance very well.”

“You’re being kind. I’m as ungainly as a newborn foal.” I stumbled and he caught me.

“At least you haven’t stepped on my toes yet.”

I laughed. “Give me a chance. I’m sure I can stomp them at least once.” Suddenly a loud chorus of honking geese drowned out the music. Some of the water fowl floating on the lake sprang from the water and flew to the north end of the park where a vast array of exotic animals was housed.

“I ‘aven’t seen the animals since I was a boy.” Strider motioned with his head. “Shall we?”

“Definitely.” He grabbed my hand, nodded to the musicians, and pulled me along the path to the Zoological Society grounds.

It had been several years since I’d seen the animals as well. Had it been a Sunday, there would have been a long queue at the pay hut, but we passed only two horsemen on the road. The two men, dressed smartly in long coats, smiled and tipped there top hats in my direction as they trotted past. Strider squeezed my hand a little too hard.

“My fingers!” I pulled them from his grip and rubbed them. I glanced up at him and there was a glint of fierceness in his eyes reminding me that aside from the lovely day at the park, a horrible change was happening to my companion.

Strider shook his head. “Forgive me, Camille.” His face stiffened, and a tense silence fell between us.

“Let’s walk back to the bears. There used to be the sweetest black bear that would hang at the top of its pole cleaning its paws.” I spoke in a lively tone to return us to the wonderful day we were having before the bleak reminder.

Strider did not reply, but he picked up his pace as we walked the path to the bear building.

“There he is. I see him.” I raced ahead. Strider caught up and stood behind me. The black ball of fuzz stared down at us from the top of his pole. “I would love to touch him,” I turned back, “wouldn’t you?”

“Touch a bear?” His gaze drifted over me. “I can think of better things to touch.”

I ignored the rather lascivious comment. He was, after all, the lad I’d seen seducing a girl in a dark alley. And while the image of his wild side always stayed in my mind, it was sharply contrasted by the Nathaniel Strider who’d been staying with us these past days. I faced the bear again. “His fur must feel like expensive velvet. It looks so soft.”

“Soft as velvet,” he said in a near whisper. Fingers lightly brushed the side of my neck and I jumped. The moment of anger on the road had darkened his mood and along with it came a boldness which made me uneasy and dizzy at the same time. I stepped forward out of his reach.

Loud screeches came from the next building. “That must be the monkeys.” I headed in the direction of the primates. The monkeys, like the bears, had poles to climb, but there were boxes at the top for the animals to take shelter. “Most people find the monkeys entertaining; I’ve always found them a bit unsettling with their human-like facial expressions and hands.” I blathered on now just to fill the silence.

“Nothing more unsettling, I suppose, than an animal that seems half human,” he said darkly.

Realizing too late, the ignorance of my comment, I sealed my lips and walked toward the circular aviary housing several large birds with menacing talons and beaks. One of the birds, a brown hawk perched high on a limb, eyed a dead mouse on the floor of the enclosure. We said nothing as we stared at the tiny, still creature and the predator waiting to devour it.

Suddenly, the visit to the animals seemed a terrible idea. The gardens and the music had been perfect. Why had we traveled to this end of the park? I turned to find that Strider had started off down a path leading to the animal dens. The tension in his broad shoulders made me wring my hands together. I had to get him out of the animal park immediately.

By the time I’d caught up to him, he stood stock still in front of a walled yard. There was a cave like building at the end of the yard. A carcass lay in front of the shelter, but I could see no animal. Strider stood in a near trance staring at the opening. There was an information sign hanging on the wall, but I didn’t need to read it. I knew what lived inside.

A growl rolled out of the blackness. It was a sound I knew too well, only this noise was less painful, more natural sounding than the one I knew. Two sets of glowing eyes appeared and two gray wolves lumbered out into the yard, their eyes squinting at the daylight. At first their long snouts wriggled in the direction of the raw meat, but then their attention focused on something else, the human spectator outside their yard. The two animals came closer to where we stood and began pacing the end wall. Strider pumped his hands open and shut as he watched them grow more and more agitated. I grabbed his arm, but he yanked it away.

“Please, Strider, let’s go.” The pleading in my voice did not persuade him. I had to draw him away. My mind raced as quickly as my heart. Desperation combined with passion made me step directly in front of him putting a barrier between him and the pacing wolves. I stood high on my tiptoes and stared into his eyes. They were glittering brown with a fierceness I’d never seen. My hands were shaking as I reached up and smoothed several black curls from his forehead. He did not flinch at my touch which gave me the confidence to kiss him on the lips. I dropped back to my feet. He stared down at me now through a curtain of long lashes.

“Let’s go,” I repeated.

He turned down the path to the exit and I followed, my legs wobbly and my stomach in knots. This thing was taking hold of him, and we had no idea how to stop it. Then an idea occurred to me, and I glanced back to the walls around the animal dens, walls built to keep visitors safe from being attacked by a leopard or wolf. “A barricade,” I whispered to myself. Strider, still in a semi-hypnotic state had not heard me, and I had not meant him to hear. I tucked the idea into my mind for safe keeping.

It was a long walk back home, but we opted out of a crowded ride on an omnibus. With Strider’s mood, it would have been like squeezing an untamed animal into a box. The trek seemed to soften the tension in Strider’s shoulders and face. But that same tension returned as we neared Dr. Bennett’s townhouse. My feet ached, and I felt every piece of gravel through the bottom of my shoes, but I had to nearly run to keep up with Strider’s pace.

“Tis Charlie,” he said as the front stoop came into view. A young boy, the other boy from the cemetery, sat on the top step with his arms wrapped tightly around himself. He heard us coming and stood. His trousers were a mosaic of old patches, and his coat was so threadbare I could see shadows through it when he lifted his arm to wave at Strider. Tears had left streaks of clean skin on his otherwise filthy face. He jumped off the steps onto the pavement directly in front of us and grabbed hold of Strider’s arm.

“It’s Goose,” the boy choked on his words. “He’s real bad, Strider. You’ve got to come.”

Strider turned to me. “Camille, go inside. I’ll be in later.’

There was a chill in his words, and I wasn’t convinced he’d return. “Nathaniel…”

“Camille, please!” he snapped. My eyes watered as I raced up the steps and slammed the front door behind me. I walked to the front window and lifted the curtain. They dashed off in the direction of the Strand. Something deep inside me felt hollow. I knew he would not return.

Chapter 18

In the quiet of my bedroom, I flopped stomach first onto my bed. The emotional turmoil I’d endured since that night when I first saw Nathaniel Strider was unbearable. Happiness, love, heartache, terror were not emotions to be swirled together within the course of a day. But I seemed to be dealing with all of them at once and not just one day but every day. And the new details of my life were the cream on the top of the insanity.

No doubt, the gang Strider had warned Goose about had taken their revenge on the boy, an act of brutality the thieves would soon come to regret. A sickening feeling swept through me, and a bitter taste rose in my throat. I closed my eyes to shut out everything.

I fell asleep for hours and was woken by a light knocking at the door. “Strider!” I flew to the door and opened it. Dr. Bennett stood in the hallway with a candle stick.

“Strider has not returned, but I wanted you to see something in the lab.”

The gas lamp glowed, painting the colorless walls with the geometric shadows of bottles, jars and equipment. He placed the candle stick directly behind the microscope and sat down to make some adjustments on the device. “Come see,” he said not looking away from the eyepiece.

I pressed my eye to the brass tube. They looked like normal blood cells. I pulled my face away. “I don’t understand.”

“They are Strider’s cells. I mixed some of the dead man’s blood cells in with Strider’s and they began reverting back to normal.” He put his hand on my arm. “Your idea, Cami, it may save the boy’s life.”

A whimper flew from my mouth. “How long until we know for sure that it has worked?”

“We must give it some time to see if there are any adverse effects.” His blue eyes glittered in the candlelight. “But the results are amazing thus far. Where is Strider anyhow?”

The excitement which raced through me hit a cold wall. My shoulders drooped and I sat down hard on the stool.

“Camille, what is it? Is he in some trouble?’

“Goose, his young companion from the cemetery, has been hurt. Strider went to help him.”

“That doesn’t sound so terrible. I’m sure he’ll return soon.”

“He is changing quickly. Sometimes I see this feral rage inside his eyes, and I fear he has no control over it. He left very angry.”

Dr. Bennett lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “I see. My own worries are proven then. I figured an impetuous lad like Strider would prove a formidable beast.”

****

Three full days had passed with no sign of Strider. My heart ached for his smile. A soot filled fog had choked the entire city. The dampness seemed to penetrate the walls of the townhouse, and no amount of coal in the hearth could warm me. My mind blotted out the terrible possibilities of what may have happened when Strider left here.

Dr. Bennett still slept. His cheer from the possibility of success in the lab was obliterated by the disappearance of his specimen and the ever present tension between us. Only the cat took joy in the new circumstances.

Dutch circled my legs purring loudly. I placed a saucer of cream on the floor of the kitchen and squatted down. The cat’s bald tail stood straight as an arrow as he lapped it up. I contemplated putting the animal in a cage and heading towards Strider’s neighborhood, but I feared what I might find.

Dr. Bennett’s footsteps sounded on the kitchen stairs, and I rose up from my crouch. I swayed slightly as the blood returned to my head. Though morning had broken, the fog did not allow any sunlight, and I’d lit several candles near the stove. There was pure sadness in Dr. Bennett’s expression as he placed the box of French chocolates on the table.

“The day you went to Regent’s Park, I went to see your sister.”

“You mean your daughter.”

“No, Camille, I went to see your sister! Your sister, Emily.” His voice echoed off the solid walls.

Dutch finished his cream and returned to my legs. I lifted the cat into my arms. “How was she?’

He smoothed his hair back with his hand. When had it turned so gray, I wondered? “I don’t know. She refused to see me.” He shot me a pleading look. It was a look of desperation that sent a stab of remorse through me. The truth was, I missed my sister, and at times like this when my life seemed profoundly dark, there was no one I needed more.

I opened the box of chocolates and removed two. “I’ll go.” I headed toward the stairs then turned back to him. “But I do not go for you. I’m going for myself.” I still could not stop myself from spouting hurtful words at the man. It was not in my nature to stay angry for long, but the feelings of betrayal were still fresh.

Dr. Bennett nodded and walked with heavy steps to his favorite stool and sat down.

The door to the lab was ajar. I stepped inside. Only the faintest light came through the window. Father’s journal sat open on the cot, but I didn’t go near it. I’d seen enough of the book. A slide was still mounted on the microscope, but there was not enough light to see through it. Here we finally came upon a possible cure, something that could save Strider’s life, and he was gone.

The cot where Strider had slept just days before still had the imprint of his long body. I walked over to it and sat down. The adjacent table held several thin vials of blood, Strider’s blood. Where was he right at this moment, I wondered. Had he found Smithy? What if he had killed him? What if he’d been arrested? Wouldn’t the guards at Newgate be shocked in a few weeks time when they discovered what they’d caught? I stood and headed out of the room. If Strider did not return soon, I would go out and find him.

There was no parcel of paper for Emily, no interesting books, no letter, only a chocolate to get me to her door. My trousers and topper fit my mood and the grim weather.

Dr. Bennett met me at the door with a bright red and white scarf. “This is for visibility in that pea soup out there,” he said and draped it around my shoulders. I held my arms straight down to my side and clenched my hands in fists to fight the overwhelming urge I had to hug him. The strain between us was unbearable even though it came mostly from my end. But I was not ready to forgive yet.

The walk seemed especially long and especially miserable in the foul weather. Although I could not see ten meters in any directions, I kept out a constant eye for Strider.

My sister’s pale blonde hair flowed out over the dark blue shawl covering her frail body. She sat on a bench in the hallway reading a book, but looked up the instant I stepped into the hallway. The twin connection was still strong.

“I knew you would come today,” she said. She lifted a tiny paper fairy out from under the shawl. It had sheer blue wings and long dark hair with a white streak. “I’m sure you can guess what I’ve named her.”

I took the fairy from her fingers and watched the sculpture twirl in the air. “Can you make me some wings like these? I would like to fly away and find some mystical forest to live in.”

“But your heart would be here. With that boy.” She was only a half sister, yet she knew my every thought. How could we be anything but whole together?

“Aye. That boy.” I sighed and searched for Emily’s other hand beneath her shawl. It was cold even underneath the knitted wool. “He’s gone, Em. I don’t know what will happen to him. To us.”

She let go of my hand and brought me beneath her shawl. “Love can be a wretched thing, little sister.”

“I had no idea I could feel this way about someone. Everything about him, those thin lines around his mouth, the way he scrubs his face with his hands when he’s frustrated,” I laughed, “the way he wears that smelly old coat. Just saying his name makes me dizzy.” I stood and walked to the window. The hospital grounds were barely visible. “Nothing can happen to him. Even if he leaves me forever and goes back to his old life for good, I have to know that he’s alive and well.”

“Then find him, Cami.”

I plopped back down next to her. “Is life supposed to be this difficult, or did we just happen to fall into a particularly rotten one?’

Emily smiled. “Rotten. I could not have said it better myself.”

I handed her the second chocolate. “Chocolate does make it more bearable though,” she said and quickly removed the wrapper.

“Emily, why did you not tell me about John?”

“You are my sister, my twin sister, and I didn’t want you to think differently of me.”

Strider had been right. “Tis John I cannot seem to forgive,” I said.

“He was a man in love. People do and say anything when they’re in love. Surely, you have discovered that yourself.”

“But he was Father’s best friend.”

“I’m not saying what he did was right, but try to think of it from the point of view of someone completely and hopelessly in love.”

“Completely and hopelessly. I could not have said it better myself,” I said with a sigh.

“And what has become of your friendship here at the hospital?”

“Like the moon, it waxes and wanes,” she said. “Let’s take a turn around the hall. I’m feeling quite energetic today, and the weather does not permit for a stroll around the yards.

“You should get outside more, Emily. You are dreadfully pale.”

“Perhaps I should pinch my cheeks like mother used to do.” She stopped to nod hello to several other patients who lingered in the hallway chatting. “You know, Father never treated me differently. After he found out, he could have turned me out in the street or sent me to John’s. But he always treated me like his own.”

“He was a good father,” I said. We reached the end of the passage and turned to make the return trip to Emily’s room. I laughed. “This is certainly invigorating, Em. Nothing like that simple walk I must endure to visit you.”

She squeezed my arm. “I’m glad I could encourage you to get some much needed exercise. It’s very good for the mind. Or so they say.”

“Actually, I believe it is. And when I finally drag you from this morgue, you’re going to take long daily strolls that involve walking on cobblestone not rose patterned rugs.” The corridor where we walked was dotted with trailing pots of heart shaped leaves and ivory urns filled with ferns. It was astonishingly quiet and comforting, and for a moment, I could see why Emily preferred this place to the outside world.

“Someday, Camille. Someday soon. But for the time being, you have enough to worry about. Was there anything significant in the journal?”

“Do you mean besides Father’s confession that he purposely contaminated his own blood?”

“He was a man of extraordinary curiosity. I mean one can hardly blame him.”

“You’re very forgiving. He longed to satisfy his own curiosity more than he longed to raise his daughters.”

“True. I guess since I’ve known longer, I’ve had more time to forgive him. It will come for you too, Cami. With time.”

And elderly woman shuffled toward us barely moving her feet with each step as if they’d been tied together. The woman’s shoulders sloped down from a large hump on her back, and her thin hair barely covered her scalp. “Lovely day for a stroll, is it not, Mary?”

The woman did not return the greeting but continued past at a snail’s pace.

I leaned closer to my sister. “Why does she walk like that?” I whispered.

“Mary has been here for decades. She walked these halls with chains round her ankles for years. She still thinks she’s chained.”

I glanced back at the woman who had hardly covered any ground since she’d passed us.

Emily gave my arm a tug, and I faced forward again. “Now back to my original question. Are there some theories inside that will help?”

“John is still reading through it. Right now he is trying something I came up with after reading about immunity to Smallpox.” I lowered my voice, but it was not really a place where people bothered to listen in on conversations. “We stole a blood sample from a corpse, our last victim.”

“It isn’t as if he would miss it. And the results?”

“It seems to be working. Nathaniel’s blood cells have stopped mutating and are returning to normal.”

Emily made a sudden turn toward a tall window, and we stopped to gaze outside. The fog had not lifted, and the only thing visible was the faint outline of the large tree in the center of the yard. “You need to find Nathaniel.”

“He could be anywhere. Even in jail, I suppose, or worse.”

Emily stopped and turned to me. She kissed me on the forehead, and I realized we hadn’t missed one heartbeat of sisterhood even with the news that we had different fathers. “Start back at the beginning and follow your heart, Camille. You’ll find him.”

Chapter 19

“Is it still working, then?” I asked from the doorway of the lab.

Dr. Bennett’s face popped up from the microscope. “Camille, I didn’t hear you come in.” He glanced at the scope and back at me. “Yes, everything appears to be working. Still, I’m worried about the trace amounts of silver from the man’s blood. Even small amounts could eventually prove lethal. But time will tell.” He reached for another slide and slid it under the lens. “How’s your sister?” He asked trying to sound nonchalant and doing a miserable job of it.

“She’s very well, actually. We strolled through the hallway, and she was in good spirits.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

I stepped into the room. “We need to remove her from that place. She needs to come home.”

His blue eyes lifted. They were Emily’s eyes except cloudier from age and surrounded by tiny wrinkles. “I couldn’t agree more.”

I moved to the microscope and bent over the eyepiece. Blood cells, his blood cells, looking as they should, shifted under the lens. I straightened. “But for now, I need to find Nathaniel. Tomorrow morning, I’ll start off to Buck’s Row.”

Dr. Bennett’s face whitened. “I’ll come with you.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll dress like a boy. I think I should talk to him alone.”

He stood and walked to the cot. The day’s paper was spread out on it. He wrung his hands together before reaching for a paper. The expression on his face when he faced me again was grim. “There was an incident on the Strand, Camille.” He handed the paper to me. “Several boys who’ve aligned themselves with some lout called Smithy were attacked and beaten severely. One of the boys clings to life in a hospital ward.”

I crumpled up the paper without reading it and threw it against the wall. “Pray, don’t tell me anymore.” Dr. Bennett placed a hand on my arm, but I yanked it away. “They deserved it.”

“Camille, the boy is extremely dangerous. He took on four and left them in a crumpled heap. The police mentioned that the attacker had the strength of ten men, but the victims insisted they saw only one man.” He stepped in front of me as if he intended to keep me from going after Strider.

I could not look at him and stared down at my feet instead. “Rage can make anyone dangerous.”

He moved closer and his tone softened. “There is a difference between human rage and the rage of a beast.”

My face shot up. “He’s not a beast! We’ve not even reached a full moon yet. And we’ll cure him before anything more happens. You’ll not stop me, John.”

His shoulders relaxed. He nodded before stepping aside. “Then go to Buck’s Row, Cami, and find him. I know the boy cares for you a great deal and wouldn’t harm you while still in human form.” The wrinkles on his face seemed more pronounced as he looked at me. “There are only a few days left and reading about the incident by the river, I fear if we do not stop the transmutation now, we may never be able to stop him.”

I was absurdly happy to hear him say that. It meant that one way or another, Strider would survive, and that was all I cared about, no matter what the cost.

****

On the west side of town there was constant change. Behind a shop window, a plush cashmere muff for winter replaced an intricately painted fan for summer heat, the facade of a coffee house changed from rich red to glossy blue, and the fur trim and embroidered lace of cooler days stood in for the yellows and pinstripes of fair weather. But the lower East End never changed. Oil stained skirts and trousers that have seen more than one owner until so ragged they are close to being returned to the wool factories for shredding, the same dilapidated shop fronts with the paint nearly gone and the foundation rotted by rain, the same barefoot, bone thin children holding out a frozen palm waiting for a halfpenny to be added to it. Nothing changed except the weather on the East End. After walking through every alley and by every public house, disappointment set in. There was no sign of him. It was entirely possible that he was in hiding from retribution or from the police. Although they were unlikely to spend much time chasing down an attacker whose only victims were street thugs.

Every corner began to look the same and fearing I might be lost forever in the maze of filth and despair, I headed toward the sound of carriage traffic hoping to end up on a main road. I pushed the sleeve of my coat higher and rubbed the crescent-shaped scar on my arm. It had never given me trouble before, but for the last several minutes, it had tingled oddly.

A pair of worn shoes jutted out from behind a stack of empty barrels, and my heart raced as I drew closer. They were Strider’s shoes. Not surprisingly, a flurry of feminine giggles erupted from behind the barrels and I froze. Could I stand to see him with another girl? Would he pretend not to know me?

Then I heard his voice, and my knees nearly collapsed beneath me. I pushed forward on shaky legs and peered around the wall of wooden containers. It was the other Strider, the lad I’d followed after the night in the cemetery. There was an empty bottle of gin between him and the girl at his side, a girl I’d never seen before. The red head , Lucy, knelt behind him with her arms around his neck. It felt as though someone had thrown a lead cannon ball hard at my stomach. I stepped into Strider’s line of vision, and he lifted eyes that were glazed with drunkenness. He stared at me as if I were a hallucination but said nothing.

Both girls looked at me in my trousers and hat and threw back their heads with laughter. The girl I’d never seen jumped up and flicked off my hat. I didn’t move. “Ain’t you bonny in your trousers and coat.” She laughed again and sat back down next to Strider. He had not taken his eyes off me.

Lucy swung around the back of him and landed in his lap. Strider dumped her onto the pavement. She shot up and lifted a hand to slap his face, but he caught her wrist. Her hand dropped, and she scooted onto the step next to him. She lifted the bottle of gin to her mouth and threw back her head to get the last drops.

“What are you doing ‘ere?” His voice sounded low and hoarse.

“I got lost on my way to the palace.”

The girl I’d never seen before wrapped her arms around his. “Strider, is this girl a witch? Only a witch would have a streak of white in her hair.”

Strider pulled his arm from her grasp and scooted back to rest against the wall behind him. His lids drifted shut for a moment, then he opened his eyes again. “Aye, she might be a witch at that. She definitely knows how to cast a spell,” his gaze did not leave my face as he spoke.

“It’s time to go, Nathaniel. Days are running short.”

He smiled. “She’s a witch and a huntress. And I’m her prey.” The two girls looked completely befuddled by his comment. They both eyed me suspiciously. Lucy attempted to get to her feet. “I’ll get rid of ‘er for you,” she barked.

He grabbed her arm and yanked her down next to him.

“Go home, Camille. I’m where I belong.”

“So you’re giving up now? You nearly killed those boys.”

My statement sobered him some. He looked sideways at the girls. “You lasses go on ahead. I’ll meet you at Tom’s later.” They moved hesitantly. Lucy managed to clash shoulders with me nearly pitching me sideways before she walked away.

“How’s Goose?” I asked rubbing my shoulder.

Strider flicked the empty gin bottle onto its side with his thumb and forefinger before nudging it with the toe of his shoe. The bottle clamored down the pavement and cracked against the first building to land in its path. “Goose is dead. They said his brain swelled and pressed against his skull.”

‘I’m truly sorry, Nathaniel. The boys you beat—will Smithy come looking for you now?”

He shrugged. “Don’t think they’ll have the nerve.” He stared down at his hands as he opened and closed his fists. Then he stared back up at me. “Your father was on to something. Invincibility feels good. I’m not so sure I want to give it up.” He stretched his arms up and laced his hands behind his head before leaning back. “Could come in handy ‘ere on the streets.”

“Invincible! Ha! Is that what you think? It would only take one silver tipped bullet and you’d be in the ground next to the fish cart man.”

“Not if you don’t shoot me.”

“You don’t understand, do you? You’ll have no control over your actions when this takes over. We will find you.”

“Even if you were to find me,” he stared at me with those brown eyes that could convince me of anything, “I don’t think you could kill me.”

I kicked the bottom of his shoes. “You’re a pigheaded fool. I can’t believe I fell in love…”

He dropped his hands and sat forward. That cocky half-smile turned up one side of his lips. “So you love me, Camille?”

“No. The Strider I loved was an image I conjured up in my imagination.” I turned to leave, stopped, and twisted back to him. I blinked to hold back tears. I had no intentions of crying in front of him. I scanned the area with a crinkled nose. “You’re right, Nathaniel. This is where you belong.” His face tightened at my hurtful words. “I don’t know where I ever got the notion that you didn’t.” I turned and my throat tightened around my breath. Walk away. It is done. But I knew I was leaving my heart and soul back on that filthy stoop.

Dizzy with heartbreak, I walked away. A yell came from the end of the street. A cab with two startled horses careened wildly in my direction. The panicked driver screamed at people to get out of the way. Pedestrians jumped out of the road like foxes darting out of the path of hunting dogs. It was during that moment of chaos that an idea flew into my head, it was an idea that if it ended the way I hoped, all would be well again, and if it failed, I would be dead. There was no time to analyze or talk myself out of it. The runaway cab neared. I could only hope that it would all be over quickly.

Snorts and hooves were the last things I heard and saw as I closed my eyes and stepped into the path of the frightened animals. I waited to feel the pain of a horrible bone shattering death, but instead, a body slammed against mine, and I was carried out of the road. The horses clattered by, and I opened my eyes to make sure I was still alive.

Strider grabbed my arms and held me at arm’s length. The cloudiness in his eyes had vanished. “What were you thinking?”

I smiled up at him. “I was thinking I wonder if his reactions will be slowed by the gin.”

He pressed me against his chest. I could hear his heart pounding. “Believe me, Camille, I’m more sober now than I was at birth.”

I could hear a crowd of people gathering around us. “Is she alright? Did you see the lad move? Never seen anything like it.”

Strider grabbed my hand and pulled me around the corner out of the view of the onlookers. He pressed me up against the wall and held my arms as if he was afraid that I might try something ridiculous again. But I had no intentions of pulling away from him.

“Christ, Camille, you could have died.”

I shook my head. “No, I trusted you to save me.”

He squeezed me harder. “You’re such a peculiar girl. If you wanted my attention, why didn’t you just kiss me? It would have been far less dangerous.”

I peered up at him. “Believe me; your kisses have plenty of danger behind them.”

“Yes, but certain dangers are better than others.” He leaned his face down to mine and kissed me so hard I had to hold on to his shirt to keep from falling.

“John,” I called from the entry. The cat raced by us yowling and swiping its claws through the air. Strider stepped behind me out of Dutch’s reach. “I’m home and I’ve brought a visitor.”

Dr. Bennett came around the corner with a less than enthusiastic expression on his face.

“What is it?” I asked reaching behind for Strider’s hand. He grasped my fingers tightly.

“I’m afraid it’s as I expected. There was still enough silver in the man’s blood to be poisonous. The cells reverted back to normal then collapsed.” Strider’s hand squeezed down harder on my fingers and I winced.

“Are you sure it was the silver? Perhaps another variable contaminated the sample.”

“I was very careful, I assure you. I’m afraid it won’t work.”

I turned to Strider. Three days on the streets had taken their toll. He looked tired and hungry. “Not to worry. I have another plan,” I said and pulled him in the direction of the kitchen. “You need food and sleep, and I’ll tell you both about it later.”

****

I picked up a quill from the desk in the lab and knelt next to the cot where Strider slept. Purposely, I brushed the end of the feather across the tip of his nose. With eyes still closed, he crinkled his nose and swiped at it with his hand. I brushed his nose once more. He moaned and turned on his side. Dr. Bennett walked in.

“Cami, let the lad sleep.”

“He’s been sleeping for six hours,” I complained. “I’ll have to feed him again when he wakes.” I touched the curl of hair turned up on the collar of his shirt.

“Tis the transmutation, I’m afraid. I remember the summer of my fifteenth year. I grew three inches in three weeks. All I wanted to do was sleep. His body is going through some massive changes as it prepares.” Dr. Bennett offered me his hand. I accepted reluctantly and followed him to the marmalade room.

My father’s journal lay open on the table. He quickly shut it and slid it under his arm as he sat. “I’m afraid none of this has worked out the way I’d hoped.”

I sat across from him, plunked my elbows on the table, and rested my chin on my palms. “It seems to me this has turned out exactly as I had predicted.”

He nodded. “We face a dreadful situation, and I take the blame completely.”

“I agree you are completely to blame, but it will not be dreadful because we will not destroy Nathaniel.”

“Camille,” his voice cracked, “there is nothing else to be done.”

“I must always hear you out, John, and now you’ll listen to me.” A momentary flash of anger crossed his expression. I lifted my head from my hands. “When Strider and I visited the animals in Regent’s Park an idea popped into my head. Containment. We will contain him somewhere safe, where he can cause no harm to others. Just like the wolves in the park.”

“Strider will be much stronger than a mere wolf or lion. It would take a place much more secure than a cage or locked door.”

“I know of such a place, and I’ll take him there when the time comes.”

“It’s too dangerous, Camille. I will not allow it.”

“Whether you allow it or not, I’ll take him.”

He slouched back, something he rarely did. There was profound sadness his expression.

I stood and circled behind him and put my hand on his shoulder. He reached up and covered my hand with his. “John, you can’t imagine what it’s like to love someone so completely and face losing them.”

He dropped his hand and his shoulders drooped even further. “You’re wrong, Cami. I do know how it feels.”

I walked to the settee and sat down next to Dutch who slept there curled in a tight ball. The cat lifted its head before tucking it back beneath its tail. “Father’s heart was broken. Not yours.” My voice wavered.

He paused for a long moment before speaking. “I met and fell in love with your mother long before your father knew her. I had studied in France for several years. Her father, your late grandfather, was my mentor. She followed me back to England. Just as she arrived, I’d received an invitation to study in Africa for a year. It was the chance of a lifetime.” He slid the journal onto the table, walked to the settee, and sat down. “It was my fault really. I left without any commitment of marriage. I did not think it right. A year was such a long time, and Africa had many dangers.”

I stared at the side of his face and wondered if my mother had always loved him more. How strange it must have been to love and be loved by two men at the same time.

“After ten months, your father wrote to tell me they were to be married in a month’s time.” His throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed hard. “So you see, Camille, I do know something of heartache.”

“But you were never faced with killing the one you loved.”

He rested his elbow on the arm of the settee and lowered his face to his hand. “My God, Cami. What have I done?’

“It’ll be fine,” I said and pushed up from the seat. “I’m going to see if he’s awake.” My mood was growing darker by the moment, and, suddenly, I realized the only thing that would save me from a terrible melancholy was Nathaniel Strider.

I knocked lightly on the door to the lab.

“Aye, come in.” His voice was hoarse from sleep.

The door creaked open and I peered around it. He sat up slowly, wearing only trousers. Several pale scars crossed his smooth broad chest. He scrubbed his hair with his hand. “My ‘ead feels ready to pop off.”

“Some warm food’ll bring you around.” I stepped back to leave.

“Camille, wait. Sit ‘ere with me for awhile.” His tone was somber.

I hesitated before treading lightly across the floor and lowering my bottom onto the cot. He smelled faintly of gin, and warmth, and heaven. He leaned his back against the wall and I followed. His hand covered mine.

“You are the craziest chit I’ve ever met. Why did you step in front of that carriage, Camille? You might have died.”

I shook my head. “I was trying to prove something.”

“Prove what? That you truly are crazy or that dying isn’t that bad?”

I turned my hand around and laced my fingers through his. He squeezed them tightly.

I leaned my head on his solid shoulder. “I needed to prove to myself that you cared for me just a little.”

He rubbed his chin on the top of my head. “How could you not already know that?”

I squirmed out from under his chin, released my hand, and stood in front of him. “How? Let me think. The moment you had the chance you ran back to your former haunt, to your former life, to your former acquaintances.”

He stared at me for a long time then dropped his gaze to his lap. “Tis not so easy to leave it all behind, Camille. That former life is all I’ve known for the last eight years.” His black lashes fluttered up and he swallowed before looking at me. “Then I saw you, frail and perfect, standing in front of that carriage and everything around me blurred. All I could see was you.” His voice cracked and I had to hold myself together.

“I’ll fix you something to eat.” My words were barely audible. He had said all the things I wanted to hear, but now my limbs, my head, my heart felt leaden.

I turned to leave and suddenly he stood in front of me. His speed and reflexes were incredible, not human. His chest heaved as his hands grabbed my waist and pulled me against him. His mouth covered mine. The kiss was rough and bittersweet. I didn’t want it to end.

Chapter 20

The stillness in the house made my feather-light steps in the hall sound like elephant stomps. After a meal of potatoes and beef and several games of cards, Strider had gone back to bed, this time in the guest room. Dr. Bennett had been asleep for several hours, and I knew that once the man slept, it took a great deal to wake him. He had slept very little these past weeks, and I was confident his fatigue would send him into a deep slumber.

Dutch rubbed between my legs. I stumbled forward but managed to keep the candle in my hand upright. “Blasted cat.” I opened the door to the lab and walked inside. Dr. Bennett’s notes were stacked in a disheveled pile under the shelf of prepared slides. I shuffled through them squinting in the dim light deciphering his scrawls. Most of the letters and numbers were meaningless to me, but I knew what the formula for chloral hydrate looked like.

“What are you up to girl?” A deep voice penetrated the quiet and I jumped up, this time knocking over the candle. Astonishingly, it stayed lit.

“Nathaniel, you about scared me witless. I thought you were sleeping.”

In the shadows I could see him, dressed only in trousers, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Are you not well?” I asked.

“Aye. Well enough. Everything hurts though.” He came closer. I gripped the edge of the counter to keep myself from running my fingers over the scarred skin on his chest. “I suppose it’s to be expected,” he said quietly. Sadness seemed to radiate from every inch of him.

To hell with propriety, I released my grip on the counter and pressed my palms against his chest. His heart pounded beneath his warm skin. I ran my fingertip along the ridge of a scar. “I wish I knew you then. Back when you had to live through all this.” My finger traced another scar and his breathing grew louder. “I would’ve taken care of you to make sure it didn’t hurt too much.” I pressed my lips against the scar and he sucked in a breath.

He placed his hand on my cheek. “Camille, I’m scared.”

I threw my arms around his neck and pressed my face to his shoulder. “Don’t be. I have a plan.” My words sounded less than reassuring punctuated as they were with my sobs.

His arms curled around my back, and he squeezed me tightly. “I won’t put you in danger, and I won’t go like a coward,” he whispered against my hair.

“You are not going anywhere, Nathaniel Strider. Not without me.” I released my hold on him, wiped the tears from my face, and returned to the notes. Bleary eyes made the task more difficult.

He peered over my shoulder. “What are you searching for?”

“Remember the day Dr. Bennett took blood from your arm?” I continued to shuffle through the pile.

“Actually, no. I slept through it as I recall.”

“Precisely. Ah ha! I found it.” I waved the crumpled paper in the air. “That day, John gave you some chloral hydrate to make you sleep. I needed to find his calculations showing the amount he gave you. Too much could be harmful, too little ineffective.”

He shook his head. “You don’t actually think I’ll be able to sleep through this?”

“It’s not for you. It’s for John.”

****

“Have you had your coffee, John?” I peered in from the doorway.

He looked up from his books. “I thought you’d sleep all morning. Strider is not awake yet.”

“I didn’t sleep well,” I said. “I’ll make breakfast.”

“Camille, I need to talk to you first.” He closed the book in front of him. It was Father’s journal. “Please, sit here with me.”

Hesitantly, I walked over and sat down. My mind was completely occupied with saving Strider, and I was in no mood to discuss his indiscretions. “John, couldn’t this wait until after…” I had no idea how to finish my statement. There were too many possible scenarios.

“Actually, this concerns the lad. I found something in the journal that caught my interest. It runs along the same theoretical line as your immunity idea.”

“But my idea failed.” I slumped back in the chair. “Along with every other idea.”

He leaned forward and he had that look in his eyes that made me always think of a clock with the gears grinding away behind the face. “Camille, I know you don’t like to dredge up the memory of that dreadful night of your father’s death, but I need you to recount some of the details.”

I stared at him in shock. He knew well that I’d rather speak about anything than that night. “Truly, John, I don’t think I can bear talking about it with you at this time.” I kept my tone calm extinguishing the sparks of anger before they surfaced.

“But it may help us find our next path,” he insisted.

“There are only two days left. How can it possibly help now?”

“I realize time is short for Strider, but for the next time…”

“Time is not short for Strider! He—we will get through this, then you may start your theorizing again.”

He reached for my hand, but I snapped it away quickly. The anguish of my small motion dragged on his face. “That night,” he forged ahead unimpeded by my rudeness, “your arm was injured. I was sure you’d been bit, yet nothing ever came of it.” He leaned his face closer to mine. “Camille, I know it is difficult but think back to that moment. Did the beast leave the marks on your arm?”

“The beast? You mean my father?” That was the whole problem with this situation. Somehow we’d managed to convince ourselves that beneath the monstrous exterior there existed only murderous evil. And while believing that had certainly made our hunts easier to swallow, it wasn’t true. I stared at him. “We’re hunting human prey. No matter what form, there is still a human soul within.”

Dr. Bennett stood abruptly, his face coloring red. “And what of the human lives they devour?” He leaned far over the table and grabbed my hand too quickly for me to snatch it away. “Camille,” he pierced me with his gaze, “you’ve seen what is left of the innocent people who were unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place under a full moon. Strider was very nearly one of them.”

He released my hand, and I pulled it back into my lap. A phantom pain shot through my arm as the memory surfaced. “The darkness that night suffocated my senses, but I remember sitting in the center of the kitchen floor with my doll clutched against me. The gun had frozen to my fingers. An odor seeped down the stairs, making my eyes water. A horrid roar slammed against the walls of the room, but I couldn’t move. Father had lied. I was not the strong one.”

Dr. Bennett sat back down. “Were you bitten?”

I brought my feet up onto the chair and hugged my knees to my chest in an attempt to hold myself together. “I was in his jaws, my father’s jaws, when the pistol exploded.”

His eyes widened with interest rather than shock. There was nothing shocking anymore in our bizarre life it seemed. “And, afterward,” he blurted, “what happened between you and your sister while you waited? When did Emily cut your arm?”

I closed my eyes and rested my forehead on the tops of my knees. Footsteps prompted me to lift my head. Strider stood in the room, and I wanted to run to him. I looked at him for a long time before returning my gaze to Dr. Bennett. “Emily had just shot our father. She didn’t know what she was doing. She reached for a knife on the table and carved a crescent shape into her forearm. She told me she wanted the moon to be a permanent sliver, never to be full again. Then she grabbed the wrist of my uninjured arm and carved a crescent on my arm.” I pushed up my sleeve and touched the puckered scar. “I was so numb, I didn’t even feel it.”

“Did you exchange blood with your sister?” Dr. Bennett asked.

I nodded. “We pressed our arms together to seal away the horrible secret we shared.” I released the hold I had on my legs and dropped my feet to the ground. A laugh spurted from my lips. “Although, it’s hardly a secret anymore. It’s been peeled open like all the other layers of my life.”

Strider pulled a chair up to the table and smiled at me as he sat. It was a simple gesture, yet it was all the fortification I required to make it through another day.

“It can’t be possible,” Dr. Bennett mumbled, “and yet it must be so.”

I watched him for a minute. Deep thoughts were flashing across his face as he obviously tried to reason something out. “John, will you be having this conversation with yourself for long, or will we be involved soon?”

“Soon,” he said and stood to leave. “You will both be involved very soon.”

“What was that about?” Strider asked as he came to sit near me.

“I’m not quite sure, but it has something to do with the night of my father’s death and Emily’s crazy desire to carve our skin that night.” I lifted my sleeve, and he winced at the scar.

“Emily did that to you?”

“Yes, ‘tis a quarter moon. I’m afraid she’s more talented with folding paper than cutting skin. She has a matching one. Remember when she scratched her arm on our visit?”

“It was like she had a spider crawling under her sleeve.”

“Not a spider. Just a scar that becomes irritated every time…” My words fell off. “Emily’s blood! Why did I not see it? The natural immunity pulses through her veins. All this time searching for a cure when my dear, sweet, beautiful sister held the answer.”

Strider looked at me. “So you think your sister’s blood should be mixed with mine?” His face paled at the idea. “Do you think it might work?”

“It worked for me. I had been bitten just as you have. Yet I never showed signs of transmutation.”

“Maybe it’s because you’re a girl.” Flirtatiously, he traced his fingers along my arm.

I lifted my brow and stared at him. “We are the same species, Nathaniel. Aside from the obvious differences, males and females share most traits.”

“Aye, it is those obvious differences that make the girls so appealing.” He smiled.

“Does your mind ever wander past the subjects of girls and food?”

“I’m sorry, what did you say? I could not actually hear you over the din of my empty stomach.”

I jumped up and threw my arms around Strider’s neck. “Let’s go feed that cavernous hollow you call a stomach.”

Dr. Bennett hired a cab, and the three of us climbed in for the trip to Bethlem Hospital. As was always the case, we had no idea in what state of mind we would find Emily. With all three of us descending upon her at once, her reaction could go in many directions, so it was decided Strider would stay in the lobby, making Sarah’s day and keeping my sister from scratching a self-made hole in her arm. Dr. Bennett had a lancet for that. Momentarily, I‘d thought of leaving Strider home, but I worried he might leave.

We’d barely turned onto Lambeth Road, and the small hairs on my arms stood at attention. I leaned forward to look out the small window. The hospital stood in its usual state of elegant composure. There was nothing untoward occurring out front, yet I sensed something was terribly wrong.

Dr. Bennett scooted forward on his seat. “Camille, what is wrong?”

“I don’t know,” I said more to myself than to him.

We climbed the stairs and stepped inside. Sarah was not at her station. In fact it was eerily quiet until two hospital workers raced past us from the men’s ward to the garden exit.

“What’s happening?” Dr. Bennett rushed to ask them as they flew past, but they waved us off.

By the time the door shut behind them, my insides were churning. I ran down the corridor to Emily’s room. The door was ajar. I pushed it open just as Dr. Bennett and Strider pulled up behind me. A gasp caught in my throat. The wires which normally held Emily’s forest of paper creatures lined the walls in utilitarian fashion. The kingdom of sprites was gone, along with its creator.

“Oh my God,” Dr. Bennett muttered. “Where could she be?”

“There’s a group of people staring out the window at the end of the hall,” Strider said.

We ran to the window. I stood on my tiptoes to get a view over the heads of the onlookers. Before I could catch a glimpse, Strider grabbed my waist and lifted me. “There, in the tree,” he said.

In the center of the courtyard stood the majestic plane tree nearly devoid of all leaves but thick with spiraling branches, and perched on the end of one of those branches was my fair-haired twin with a basket of paper fairies clutched in her arms. Dr. Bennett was already halfway to the exit before my feet were back on the floor. Strider grabbed my hand, and we raced after him.

A crowd of onlookers circled the tall tree. Hospital staff shuffled beneath Emily’s branch anxiously calling to her to hold on tightly. Several patients seemed completely amused at the entertaining break in their otherwise monotonous existence, and several others looked on in horror, shaking their heads and wringing their hands. Samuel, the man Emily had befriended, stood directly below her staring up with his large arms outstretched.

I spotted my sister’s nurse in the crowd and grabbed her arm. “Virginia, how did this happen? Did she take her tonic this morning?” Dr. Bennett stood behind me now. Virginia’s face paled as she looked at him.

The nurse fished in her apron pocket for a bottle. “Aye, she took her tonic.” She pulled out a blue glass bottle. “I have it right here. She was in fine spirits all morning. Even ate two biscuits for breakfast.”

Dr. Bennett’s long arm reached past my face, and he seized the bottle from her hand. He pried out the cork and covered his pinky with the liquid before tasting it. “This is laudanum.”

Virginia’s face blanched further. “That can’t be.” She grabbed the bottle back and ran her finger around the top before putting the contents on her bottom lip. Amazingly, her face blanched even whiter until all the ruddiness on her round cheeks faded to pink cream. “Tis not my fault.”

I grabbed Dr. Bennett’s arm. “It’s of no matter now, John. Besides, I’m glad her irrational behavior was caused by laudanum and not her own mind.” Before he could respond, I ran to where Samuel stood and turned my face up. Emily’s petite feet, clad only in bedroom slippers, dangled over the branch like that of a small child in a high chair.

“Em, what are you doing up there?”

Her small face peered over the edge of the branch, and my head spun as if I were the one staring down from the height. “Hello down there, baby sister. You’ve come to watch them go free.” The delight in her voice was something I’d not heard in years.

“Who are you setting free, Emily?”

Emily leaned back and the branch bobbed slightly, shifting her weight dangerously to one side. Dead leaves rained down drowning out the simultaneous gasps from the onlookers. My sister, completely undeterred by the fact that she dangled a good four meters in the air on what appeared to be a rather rotted branch, lithely righted herself on her narrow perch. Emily’s slight build had always allowed her to be agile and light on her feet. My father would often insist that her feet never touched the ground when she ran across the room. He would tease her, telling her only a fairy changeling could fly across a wood floor without touching it. His needling was surely what prompted her to fall in love with fairies.

“You know, Emily, I think they would much prefer to stay with you. You know they don’t all get along. Without you, they are sure to get into trouble.”

Emily dug her hand into the basket and came up with a palm full of paper sprites. “Nonsense, they have promised me they’d behave. They’re so bored stuck on their wires.” Emily threw her head back and giggled. Samuel’s arm rose up anticipating her fall. But she did not. Her long blonde hair flowed in the breeze like gold silk. If she had her own wings, she might have resembled a forest creature herself.

I glanced back at Dr. Bennett. He stood right behind me with an expression that seemed to shift between terror and helplessness. Movement behind the wide trunk of the tree caught my eye. It was Strider. Without a sound, he climbed the tree and maneuvered to the branch where my sister sat humming and smiling down at the crowd.

My heart raced. If she spotted him, it might frighten her off the branch. Samuel looked strong enough to catch her, but it was a long drop and even though she weighed little, the impact might injure her.

All eyes focused on the lad in the tree. I stepped back next to Dr. Bennett. “Do you think the branch looks strong enough to hold him?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Especially not a tree limb that has been dried out by cold and wind.”

Strider scooted onto the branch, but the movement was slight enough to not cause a stir or catch Emily’s attention. Strider seemed to be assessing the situation himself. He moved a tiny bit, and the tree emitted a small creaking sound.

I ran closer. “Be careful, Nathaniel!”

Emily looked back over her shoulder. “Hello. You’re that fine-looking boy my sister loves.”

My cheeks burned. I turned to Dr. Bennett. “She’s fortunate that she is out of my reach.”

Strider scooted a bit closer and smiled. That was all he needed to do. He stretched a strong arm to her. “Why don’t you take my hand, Emily, and I’ll carry you down on my back.”

Emily glanced at the basket balanced in front of her. “First, I need to set them free.” He stretched his hand to her again. “May I help?”

“Of course!” Emily looked down at me and winked before returning her attention to Strider. “But first you must promise that you will never, never, never break my dear sister’s heart.”

Strider’s brown gaze drifted my direction for a moment. I shyly looked down at my feet deciding that when Emily was safely down from the tree, I would strangle her.

“I promise,” he nearly whispered it, but I heard every syllable. I looked back up at the branch. He was staring at me, and I wanted to kiss him.

Suddenly a loud crack ripped through the air. Strider’s eyes widened as the branch beneath him started to give way. He lunged for Emily and pulled her against his chest. The breaking branch jarred them and the basket flew from my sister’s hands, the papery contents floated in all directions, like a rainbow of fluttering butterflies. Or in this case, fairies.

Emily smiled at them and laughed as Strider lowered her closer to Samuel’s arms and then dropped her. Samuel dashed out from under the branch with Emily still giggling in his arms as it snapped clean off. The spectators drew in a collective breath as Strider fell to the ground with it. But the gasp was cut short and silence befell the group as he landed on his feet without incident. He shot me a look of worry. I glanced around the faces. While they seemed astonished at what they’d witnessed, they seemed to easily dismiss it as youthful agility and strength. They applauded his bravery. The lad had, after all, climbed the tree and saved Emily without incident.

Dr. Bennett raced over to Emily while I hurried to pick up the scattered pieces of her paper collection. I knew my sister well enough to deduce that once free of her laudanum stupor, she would be distraught about the loss of her fairies. Strider crouched down next to me to with the basket to help.

“Thank you,” I said without looking at him. Energy seemed to pulse around him.

“Tis an easy enough task.” He dropped two fairies into the basket.

“Not this. I mean, Thank you for getting Emily down safely.”

He held up a paper sculpture. Its wings were smashed. “This one didn’t make the jump.” I grabbed it from him and shoved it my pocket. “Elgar was always weak.”

Strider’s fingers brushed the back of my hand. “The strength I feel,” he said, “I never imagined it would be like this. If only there were a way--“

“To tame it? There isn’t.” I grabbed his arm. It was solid like rock under my grasp. “When this—this transformation takes hold you will not be able to contain it. It will drive you to murder anything in your path.” I released my hold on him and I could feel the muscle in his arm relax. “Even me.”

He dropped a handful of fairies in the basket, stood, and walked away. I glanced up to see Samuel carrying Emily into the hospital, Dr. Bennett close at his heels. I finished sweeping the rest of the forest creatures into the basket and headed inside. With the state my sister was in, I calculated I had an hour or two to return them to their wires before she noticed anything was amiss.

Chapter 21

Dr. Bennett handed me the fairies one at a time as I stood on a chair to hang them. Occasionally, I would steal a glance out the window to the yard below. Strider was leaning against the tree he’d just climbed smoking a cigar, a reward from Dr. Bennett.

“Your sister has been through much today. I don’t think it right to draw blood from her in this state.”

“We must.” I waved my arm around the room nearly toppling off the edge of the chair with my theatrics. “She lives in a bloody asylum. I hardly think having her blood drawn is a unique event.” I jumped off the chair and stood in front of him. “I think your theory is a good one. Let’s test it.”

“I agree.” He glanced at my sister who slept like an angel under her heavy blankets. “But I’ll draw your blood instead.”

“Mine?” A seed of jealousy sprouted in my chest. Was he trying to protect Emily because she belonged to him? After all I was no relation.

He grabbed both my hands. I tugged them out of his grasp and stared up at him.

“Cami, don’t you see? Where is your scientist’s logic? If you showed no signs of infection after being bit, then you must have immunity. Whether it came from your sister’s blood or not, you were the one who fought off the transformation. Your blood will be our surest bet.”

I looked out the window. Less than a month ago, he was merely a specimen. Now just having a pane of glass and an expanse of yard between us made me miss him. I would risk anything to save him. Suddenly, how right it seemed that my blood be used for the task. I picked up the basket and stepped onto the chair. “Let me hang the rest of these before you bore holes in me.”

****

“That is all? That’s all you intend to take?” I stomped after Dr. Bennett pressing a bandage against the slit in my arm.

He stopped and twisted around so abruptly I smacked in to his chest. The traitorous dimples appeared beneath his beard as he smiled down at me. “You and your sister exchanged only a small amount of blood that night, and it was enough to save your life.”

He turned and walked away and I continued my march behind him. “But we had days before the next full moon. There was plenty of time. Now time is short. Surely, you know enough people at the hospital that you can borrow an instrument for transfusion.”

He stopped again, but this time I was ready for it. When he turned there was no smile. His blue eyes darkened. “It’s too risky. Besides, I know nothing of the technique. I will not experiment on you.”

Dr. Bennett lit a lamp in the dark kitchen. “Let’s put some water on to boil. I could use some hot tea. It’s been a long day.”

“But you were willing to experiment on him.” I pointed up the stairs.

Dr. Bennett’s gaze shot to the stairwell. “Cami, lower your voice. He’ll hear you.”

“I believe it’s too late for that. Nathaniel knows he’s your specimen.” I leaned closer now because the rest I truly didn’t want Strider to hear. “You could care less about him. In your mind, he’s already your prey.” His face blanched in the wavering light. “Well, do not bother to shine your silver bullets, John Bennett, because this hunt is over. Boil your own water.” I headed to the stairs. I was sure he’d call after me but only silence followed me up the stairs.

Strider was sitting upon the work table browsing through an anatomy book when I returned to the lab. The tension in my shoulders eased as he glanced up at me with those extraordinary brown eyes.

“Why are you sitting up there?” I asked.

Strider motioned toward the cot with his head. My gaze followed. In the shadow of the rickety bed, Dutch crouched with fur standing up so straight, the stripes had vanished. Apparently, the cat had decided to take the matter into its own hands, or in this case paws. Normally, the animal never ventured into the lab. I walked over to the cot and gave it a shake. Dutch skittered past snarling and slicing the air with his claws before dashing from the room.

“You’d better get down from there. If Dr. Bennett sees you on his table, you’ll wish you’d taken your chances with the cat.”

He hopped down and scratched the skin surrounding the incision. “Now I know what your sister must go through.”

I grabbed his hand and held it out to get a better look at his forearm. The skin was red and swollen. “It couldn’t be infection this soon. Besides, Dr. Bennett took every precaution to avoid it.” I could not organize the thoughts flashing through my mind. Was my blood already producing immunity in his system, or was he having a terrible reaction to it? Perhaps we were wholly incompatible. “I’ll get Dr. Bennett.”

I turned to leaved, but he held fast to my hand. I faced him again. He stepped closer. Strider picked up my hand and laced his large fingers through mine. My gaze lifted to his face. His incredibly handsome features seemed more vivid than before, and the air around him seemed to pulsate. Any girl with a clear thought in her head would have been terrified, but my thoughts had not been clear since the moment I’d first met Nathaniel Strider.

Strider leaned his face toward mine and kissed me lightly. I could sense that he was holding back what might have been a much more ravishing kiss. Energy radiated from every inch of him. “I suppose we’re connected for life now.” His mouth was so close, I could feel his breath on my face as he spoke.

I moved closer this time and pressed the side of my face against his chest and listened to his frenzied heartbeat. “I think we’ve always been connected. Even before we knew each other. That is why my life has been so bizarre, Nathaniel Strider. It was fate. It brought you to me.”

He kissed the top of my head. “Aye, only it brought you to me.”

We stood like that for a long moment, in each other’s embrace, pretending that we would live happily ever after until the sound of a throat clearing in the doorway broke us from our imagined fairy tale ending.

Dr. Bennett stepped into the room. His lips were pulled tightly, and he did not look at either of us as he made his way to the stack of notes on his work table. He rummaged through them and marched out with stiff shoulders.

Strider stepped back. “He is angry at me for touching you.”

“No, he is angry at me. We had some heated words a few moments ago in the kitchen.”

Now Strider would not look at me either. “I’ve been thinking,” his gaze remained fixed on the floor, “perhaps I should leave for now. Until this whole thing is over.”

“Over? If only it were all that simple.” I walked back to the shelves to continue the mission I’d begun when I’d first walked into the lab. The chloral hydrate bottle sat at the front edge of the rows of bottles. “Now, time is short,” I said confidently, “and you have an assignment.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What are you up to, girl?”

“Can you get us access to a family crypt in one of the cemeteries tomorrow night?”

“Just name the graveyard, and I’ll get us in.”

“The graveyard is no matter, Highgate, Brookwood, one of the others. But we must have entrance to a mausoleum. And not one made of bricks and mortar. It must be solid stone.”

His eyes widened with interest. “Aye, those are the expensive ones. Lots of rich people buried inside. But there’s usually not much loot inside.”

I wrapped the chloral hydrate in a cloth so Dr. Bennett would not see me carrying it out. “No matter. You will not be stealing from the corpses anyhow.” I walked up to him, rose up to my toes, and kissed his cheek. “You’ll be spending the night with them.”

****

My mind flashed from fear to rage and back to fear again as I searched frantically for the pistol and bullets. The unsteady desk wobbled as I rummaged through the drawer contents one last time. A musty smell lingered in the air of the small office as I glanced around hoping he had left it lying amongst the piles of articles and books. It was gone. Dr. Bennett, apparently worried that things would go bad quickly, had taken the weapon. At first, I’d intended to confront him about his cowardice, but I refrained. The chloral hydrate was my only defense now, and I would use it.

Footsteps sounded on the wood planks of the floor behind me. I twisted around and pushed the drawer shut with my bottom. It was Strider. He looked weary from lack of sleep. I’d heard him pacing the guest bedroom most of the night. His arm was still wrapped with the linen we’d used to keep him from scratching his skin raw.

“How is your arm?” I asked stepping away from the desk and masking the worry in my expression.

“Feels like I have an army of ants crawling through my veins.” He raised the arm, and I took hold of his hand. His skin was hot as if a fever raced through him. I touched his warm forehead, and he pressed it hard against the palm of my hand.

“’Tis no fever,” he said quietly, “not in the usual sense anyhow.” I lowered my hand and my eyes. The intensity of his gaze was too much for me. By now he could sense that something magnificent, something horrific, something unimaginable was taking hold of him and nothing could stop it. “I’ve talked to my friend, Hale, at Brookwood Cemetery. Everything is set for tonight.” His hands reached for my waist but dropped as Dr. Bennett stepped into the room.

“What are you two doing in here?” Although the question was directed at both of us, he looked straight at me.

“I had not seen Dutch this morning, and I worried that he might have wandered into your book study. Nathaniel was helping me look for the cat.”

“Naturally, what better person to help you look for the cat.” He walked to the far corner of the dark room and yanked a blue book from the center of a stack, disturbing only the coating of dust. He paused in the doorway and looked back at us in a manner that made it clear he wanted us out of his office. We obliged.

A steady drizzle fell outside on what seemed to be an interminably long day. Dr. Bennett and I exchanged harsh and accusatory glances all day. He seemed to pop up wherever Strider and I tried to steal a moment alone.

Strider was like a small boy in church waiting for a tedious sermon to end. He could not sit still for a moment. I was uneasy as well, but my mind was too heavy with plotting to give in to the restlessness. By the time the dreary shadows of late afternoon had vanished, I had a complete plan.

I knocked lightly at the guest bedroom even though the door was not shut. No answer prompted me to peek inside. The room was dark except for the white of Strider’s shirt. His hands were on either side of the window as he looked down at the street below. His broad shoulders spanned the pane. I walked to him, pressed my cheek against his back, and wrapped my arms around his waist. He did not stir but continued to stare out the window.

“How will this all end, Camille?” I clung to him, yet his voice sounded distant.

My arms squeezed him harder. “I’ve found my prince. I shan’t accept anything but a fairy tale ending.”

He dropped his hands from the sides of the window and twisted around to face me. He lifted me closer to him. “In fairy tales there is usually some type of magic to fix things.”

“No need for any witch’s spell.” I lifted my hand and tapped my temple. “Just a little ingenuity.” I reached up and buttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and patted his chest. “Now, I need you to leave quietly while John is reading at the fire.”

Hurt washed over his expression. “You want me to leave, then?” He released his hold on me.

His coat was draped over the end of his bed. I walked over, picked it up, and handed it to him. “Wait for me on the bench in the park where you found me the other night. I’ll meet you there soon.”

His shoulders relaxed as if he’d been holding his breath. “You’re coming with me tonight? Aren’t you frightened?”

“Of what?” I amazed myself at how cavalier I could sound at a moment’s notice. In reality, my insides were churning like the sea in a heavy storm. I’d never done anything like this without Dr. Bennett by my side. But tonight I would be without him. Tonight I didn’t want him anywhere near the prey.

Strider shrugged in to his seaman’s coat. He looked so handsome; I popped up to my toes and kissed him. It caught him by surprise. He stared at me for a long moment, and I felt my heartbeat move up to my throat.

“Camille, I should go alone.”

“Nathaniel Strider, you sit at that bench and wait for me, or I’ll never speak to you again.”

He grabbed both my arms and pulled me to him. “But you didn’t say you’ll never kiss me again.”

“A girl can’t be expected to give up everything she fancies.”

His mouth covered mine, and I was glad he held on to my arms for, surely, I would have sunk to the floor in a heap.

I pushed away from him. “You must hurry, Nathaniel. And be stone silent as you leave here.”

He straightened his shoulders and saluted me.

“Off with you. I have something to take care of here, then I’ll join you.” I poked my head into the hall. “Go.” I waved him past. Practiced thief that he was, he had no trouble exiting the front door without any disturbance. I watched him leave then pressed my eyes closed for a moment. Please just one fairy tale ending.

A man of science was generally also a man of routine, and even on this night where the tension in the house was thick enough to slice with an ax, Dr. Bennett settled into his chair by the fire for his evening read. Even though I knew a pistol weighed heavy in his pocket, waiting to destroy the boy I loved, there was nothing sinister or different about his demeanor as he stared down through his eyeglasses at the book in his lap.

The glass clinked against the plate of tea cakes as I lowered a tray to the table. “I thought you might enjoy a glass of port with the cakes Maggie left.”

His blue eyes peered up over the rim of his glasses.

“I’m sorry for the way I spoke to you earlier.” I’d practiced the apology several times in the kitchen to be sure it sounded earnest.

He leaned forward and picked up the glass of wine. “It has been a long month, Camille, for all of us. Where’s Nathaniel?”

It was a question I’d expected, and I was ready with my answer. “He fell asleep hours ago.”

He sipped his wine, and silently, I prayed that the flavor of the port was strong enough to mask the bitter taste of the chloral hydrate. I offered him a cake just to be sure the aftertaste would not be noticed either. He waved it aside.

He took another sip then looked at me. A fake smile froze on my face. I was unsure of what he was about to say. I knew this part of my plan would be the most difficult. “Camille, I want you to take a cab to Bethlem tonight. Stay with your sister.

I opened my mouth to protest, but he put up his hand to stop me.

“Do not fight me on this, Cami. I insist you go. I’ve arranged everything, and they’re expecting you. After the accident with the laudanum, the hospital employees are more than happy to oblige me with any request. You’ll be safe with Emily.” He took a longer sip of wine, and I wondered when the chemical would take hold of him.

“And just like that, I’m to forget Nathaniel and let you murder him in his sleep.”

My eyes followed the glass as he placed it on the table. He’d consumed only a third of it. I had no idea if it would be enough. He leaned back against the chair as if he were growing weary. “It will not be like that, Camille. I intend to let him have a running start.”

“Very sporting of you, John.” At this moment, standing in the warm orange room where we’d had so many lighthearted conversations and deep intellectual debates, I hated the man. I knew deep down everything he did was to protect me, but his cold heartedness toward my feelings angered me.

I clamped my jaw shut tightly as he picked up the glass again. His eyelids grew heavy as each moment passed. My plan was working. He would be fast asleep soon.

“I’m going to dress for my trip to Bethlem,” I said with a feigned tone of resignation as if I was going along fully with his suggestion.

His eyes popped open then shut again. I grabbed the glass before it fell from his grasp and returned it to the table. How badly I would have liked to finish it, so I could just sleep through the next twelve hours. But I had to go and save my prince, not from a silver bullet but from himself.

Chapter 22

The heavy mantle of rain clouds thinned as we climbed into a cab for the ride to the cemetery. Moisture in the atmosphere seemed to color the moon crimson, and the angry glow showered down on us from the clearing sky. The unnatural warmth radiating from my carriage mate should have terrified me, but I could not feel anything but comfort in being pressed against Strider’s side.

Earlier rain had produced its share of crevices in the road, and the lightweight cab managed to strike all of them. I wrapped my arms around Strider’s to keep from being tossed out. But he did not touch me. His hands were clamped tightly between his knees as if he attempted to restrain himself. I peered up from under my hood and watched the side of his face. The muscle in his jaw twitched wildly as he stared straight ahead. I opened my mouth to say something reassuring but stopped. It would sound ridiculous coming from someone who had never experienced what he was now feeling. But then my curious nature took hold, and I realized I had the opportunity to talk intimately with a human who was going through the transformation. The question of what it felt like always plagued me just as it had apparently plagued my father.

“How does it feel, Nathaniel?”

Strider closed his eyes and turned his face up to the sky. Moonlight illuminated his extraordinary profile. He sat like that for a long moment before lowering his chin and opening his eyes. “Nothing can stop me. I could stand on the tracks facing a hurtling train and it would merely bounce off my chest and splinter into a million pieces.” He pulled his hands from between his legs and grabbed the edges of the seat. The muscle of his arm hardened beneath my grasp. His chest rose and fell with solid breaths. “And my thoughts, my thoughts have receded to a black corner in my mind as if I was six years old crouched behind my mother’s dressing mirror, the skin on my back still aflame with the sting of my father’s whip, planning my father’s demise.” He glanced up at the driver’s back. “I could tear that man limb from limb with one hand.” His fingers whitened as he gripped the seat edge harder, cracking the wood frame beneath the leather.

Curiosity brought my father to his grave, and mine would surely be the end of me too, but I had to know. I had to know if there was any chance that love could be stronger than this thing taking hold of him. It was not for my father, but the attachment I felt for Strider was sharper.

“And me? Do you want to tear me limb from limb as well?”

The right wheel dropped into a deep rut and the cab lurched sideways, nearly pitching me out. Strider’s arms were around me instantly. The vehicle righted, and he released me as quickly as he had grabbed me. He stared out at the road again. “I feel that I want to, no, need to hold you against me hard and permanently, so hard that I would no doubt squeeze the life from you. And that thought is more agonizing than anything. I want you, every inch of you so badly, I would not be able to control myself.”

I reached for his hand, but he pulled it away. He leaned forward. “Stop the cab!”

“But we have several blocks to go.” I’d pushed him too far.

The driver halted the horses and swiveled on the seat to look at us. “Take her the rest of the way.” Strider looked down at the floor of the cab. He wouldn’t look at me. I must get out of here, Camille. I’ll go the rest of the way on foot.”

“But. . .”

“I will meet you there. Please, Camille.”

I slumped back against the seat and watched as he climbed out. He did not look back at me once. The driver flicked his whip, and the cab rolled forward. When we reached the cemetery entrance, the driver seemed pleased to be rid of me. With his grayish skin tone, deep set eyes and oversized nose, he resembled a stone raven as he stuck out a gloved hand for payment. I placed two pound notes on his palm, and his beady eyes widened.

“Could you please stay and wait for me. I shan’t be but an hour.”

His fist closed around the money and nodded. I jumped down from the carriage. Once I’d seen that Strider was safely ensconced in the tomb, I would head home and wait. If my plan was successful, only the inside of the marble mausoleum and the remains of the people buried there would see damage with his rampage. Then he could return to his human form, and I would have him released in the morning. Another pound note should suffice for that to be done without a word to authorities. That was my plan, and I was convinced I’d seen to every detail, except I had not foreseen Strider’s grim mood.

I started up the path when my plan took another unexpected turn. The wheels on the cab creaked. The driver had turned the vehicle, and it now clamored back the way it came. “And with the bloody pound notes,” I muttered as I watched the cab get smaller and then disappear.

Hours of steady drizzle had left the path leading up to the cemetery gate soft as butter. My boots left an imprint with every step. But mine were the only track marks leading to the entrance. I convinced myself not to worry. After all, he had gone on foot and even though the cab moved like a lame horse over the uneven, soaked ground, it could have easily outpaced someone on foot. Even someone with the strength of a wild animal.

Strider’s mood had blackened quickly during the trip, and his words haunted me. As I stood there smothered in the silent atmosphere that only an abandoned cemetery can provide, my own thoughts darkened. Why was I never allowed happiness? Only I could manage to find true love with a sinister twist attached to it. For other girls, it’s a glimpse across the room under glittering candle light, a chaste dance across the floor, and a polite but intimate hand up into the family carriage. I wrapped my arms around myself to guard against the cold and the fright and a laugh escaped me. What a mundane existence those other girls lived. I really didn’t envy their prudent lifestyle as peaceful and harmless as it sounded. Truly passionate love was impossible under those constraints, and I would not have traded the unfettered flirting and kisses for anything. Except maybe a happy ending right now, tonight, beneath the solid moon.

I glanced around at my surroundings but didn’t dare wander from the path. The site was surrounded by thick foliage as if the entire cemetery were encased in a tomb of trees. My heart sped its pace not from fear of what was out there, but from fear that I’d lost him. He’d trusted me this far, but his restlessness in the cab was palpable.

Remnants of the storm clouds drifted in front of the moon dousing the light it provided. Coldness surrounded me, but it was dread that chilled the blood in my veins. He was out there somewhere, my love, the boy who owned my heart, and in hours he would murder anything in his path. And the one person in that path, alone and unprotected, was me. Yet that thought was not as horrifying as the thought of never seeing or being kissed by Nathaniel Strider again.

At least twenty minutes passed as I stood rigid like the gravestones behind me, waiting for a sound or sign of him. I could hear my own breathing and nothing else. There did not seem to be creatures of any kind lurking in the surrounding forest, as if the animals had sensed danger nearby and now hid in their burrows and tree stumps. I willed my feet to move closer to the trees where surely, if I wandered too far, I’d be lost.

“Strider,” I called quietly into the maze of branches. There was no reply. I don’t know when I started crying, but I swiped tears off my cheeks at a furious rate. And I had no idea what to do now. My plan had worked smoothly right up the point when Strider had left the cab. Now nothing was going as I’d hoped.

Now fear mixed with heartbreak and I couldn’t move. The atmosphere reeked of death, and I had never felt so alone in my life. I crouched down into a tight ball, unsure how it would help my situation, but somehow it made feel safer. The clouds drifted and moonlight returned. I stared up at the sky and wished I was still under the blanket with him staring up at the stars.

“Strider, please,” I whispered.

A branch snapped behind me. I jumped to my feet and twisted around.

His seaman’s coat hung open, and his chest heaved beneath the white shirt as if he’d been running for hours. He stared at me with that gaze that made every inch of me tremble. “Call me Nathaniel.”

“Nathaniel… my love.”

He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. His breathing slowed, and he was in front of me before I took my next breath. But as much as I wished for his arms to wrap around me, they did not. “Hale will leave the tomb open for two hours.”

I looked up into his face. The long sweep of his lashes gave him a boyish quality contradicting the rest of his expression which was hardened and serious.

“We best get inside then.”

“Let me go alone.” Strider glanced around. “Why did you not pay the driver to wait for you?”

I shrugged weakly. “I did.”

“Now you’re completely alone.”

“I’m never alone when you’re near.”

His hand lifted slowly, and he wrapped the white streak in my hair around his fingers. He stared at it and then at my face as if he was trying to memorize it.

“I’ll stay with you—“

“No—“

I put up my hand to cut short his protest. “Just for awhile. ‘Tis early still.”

“You are truly a stubborn girl.” He dropped the strand of hair and started walking. I followed.

I took extra long steps to keep up with his. The last thing I wanted was to lose him again and be alone in the crop of headstones and grim faced statues. The ground beneath our feet fluctuated between sticky mud and slippery moss. “Do you know where you’re going?” I asked as I struggled to keep pace with him.

“Aye,” he answered and looked back over his shoulder at me. “I know the place pretty well.” His disarming half smile had returned. I’d missed it terribly. He continued on toward the mausoleum.

My foot slipped sideways on a small slope, and I smacked my thigh on a jutting headstone. “Blasted grave marker. There sure are a bloody lot of them. They’ve got some nerve burying all these damn dead people here.” I rubbed my leg but continued to limp behind him.He laughed but continued on, as did I, but with much less confidence in my stride. At one point, I fell to my knees after tripping over a small stone pacer. “That’s it. Just get a shovel and bury me right here in the middle of this wretched graveyard.”

Strider spun around and rested his hands on his thighs as he bent forward to peer down at me. His face was close to mine. “Why don’t you climb on my back, my little ballerina, before you lose an eye or something.” He smiled again, and I decided it was worth the sharp pain in my knees to see it.

“Will it be alright, do you think? I really am having a time of it on this wet ground.”

He nodded. “I won’t be able to see that angel face of yours if you are on my back. I think it will be fine. Besides, the exercise and chill air has cooled some of my senses… for now.”

Strider turned and stooped down. I put my arms around his neck, and he swept up my legs with his arms. Heat rose in my cheeks as my legs wrapped around his waist.

“I suppose ‘tis lucky that I’m wearing trousers tonight,” I said shyly.

“I was just thinking the exact opposite.”

“Shame on you, Nathaniel Strider.” I pressed my face against the back of his neck. His hair tickled my nose, and I rubbed my face against him before peering up over his shoulder again. “Do you really think I have an angel face?”

“Aye.”

I rested my chin on his shoulder.

“But you talk like a bloody sailor.”

“You sound like Dr. Bennett.” For a moment, I wondered if John still slept where I’d left him in the marmalade room.

“It’s what I like best about you.” His heavy steps never faltered even with a burden on his back and the unsteady ground below.

“What’s that? The angel face or sounding like a bloody sailor?”

“Both.”

The creamy pink marble exterior of the Hampton family mausoleum resembled a small gothic mansion. It stood on its own small hill surrounded by a spear topped iron fence and several statues with sullen expressions. Strider dropped me to my feet in front of it. We stared at the building for a moment.

“Ironic, is it not? These people are dead, and they are housed in a miniature marble palace where half of the people in London live their lives on empty stairwells and one room lodging houses.” Strider picked up a stone and pitched it at the marble façade. It ricocheted off and clinked against the angel statue which had tears carved in its lifeless face.

“These statues are terribly depressing. When I die, I want someone to carve a laughing angel for my headstone.”

He smiled for a moment, then his shoulders dropped, and he stared at the ground. And I wanted to kick myself for bringing up death. I could only blame my sudden giddiness on standing in a deserted cemetery under a full moon with him.

Strider pushed open the small gate and walked into the tiny yard. The heavy door to the tomb stood ajar. It was exactly what I’d hoped for, layered in the same stone as the walls and reinforced with a black iron embellishment. He stopped. I stood close at his back both for warmth and for that same comfort I felt whenever I was near him.

“I’ve never spent the night in a burial vault. Somehow it seems less than inviting.” He peered through the opening into the chamber.

“I suppose that’s why they only put dead people inside. No complaints from the tenants.”

Suddenly he reached back and seized my hand. “Will you stay with me for a short while, Camille?”

“Of course.” I pulled my hand from his and retrieved two candles and matches from my pocket. The other pocket held a chunk of bread and cheese wrapped in a handkerchief. I held it up to him. “I know how hungry you get.”

He took the candles and bread from me and sidled past the open door and into the tomb. I was close at his heels.

We stood in the frigid darkness for a moment. The air smelled as if all the oxygen molecules had been removed and replaced with the pungent dust of decay. The shadows of monuments and graves lay in neat order throughout the cavernous vault.

I reached for Strider’s arm. “It’s so quiet in here.” My soft words echoed off the marble interior.

Strider pulled me next to him. “Tis a good thing, is it not? After all they are all supposed to be dead.”

“I suppose you’re right.” An involuntary shiver raced up my back. “Light the candles. This infernal darkness makes me want to jump from my skin.”

Normally, candlelight added a warm glow to any room, but in a burial vault, the flames had difficulty enough staying lit let alone providing any comfort. But the light did allow a better view of the tomb. Blue and white tiled arches adorned the entrance to several smaller chambers jutting off the main room where we stood. In the center, lay a white marble sculpture of a bearded man laying prostate across the top of an ornate sarcophagus.

“The family patriarch, no doubt,” I said.

“They are a rich family to be sure. Shipbuilding, I think.”

One of the many recesses in the thick walls contained a stone bench. We sat down on it, and Strider pulled my hand into his. Mine was like ice and his like hot coals.

“Do not stay long, Camille.” He stared down at our entwined fingers. “I just need you here a few more minutes, to breathe in the scent of you one last…”

“Don’t say last time, Nathaniel. This will be over in the morning. My plan will work.”

He squeezed my fingers and I winced. He released them immediately and stood, scrubbing his fingers through his long hair. The he pounded his fist on the wall of the tomb. The resulting thud did not echo across the chamber but was absorbed instead by the thickness of the wall. Then I heard a cracking sound like ice thawing between rocks.

Strider stared at the wall and then his fist. He opened and closed his hand as though it pained him, but not from the thwack he’d given the wall, from something much deeper.

My hand shook along with my knees as I lifted the candle near to the wall. A thin crack had snaked its way across the smooth marble.

“It will not hold me.” Strider returned to the bench and rested his forearms on his thighs.

“Tis a hairline crack nothing more.” My voice wavered along with the flame as I resumed my seat next to him.

He raised a fist in the air. “Twas only my fist, nothing more. Camille, it will not hold me.” Strider jumped to his feet. “You must go now. Before it’s too late.” He glanced at the sliver of an opening. “Blast that damn cab driver to hell.” Now his gaze returned to me, and my heart began to break into a thousand splinters. “Go now, Camille, run from this place as fast as you can.”

I bit my lip to keep from erupting into shoulder wracking sobs. My legs wobbled beneath me, and I wondered how I would be able to run at all. I lowered the candle to the bench and opened my mouth to speak, but he held up his hand. “No more words. Just the sound of your voice makes my chest ache in agony.”

The tears came like a river. I stared down at my mud caked boots and shuffled toward the door. I was near enough to the opening that I could smell the bitter moss on the trees outside when he grabbed my arm and spun me around and against him. His arms held me like a vice, and I wondered if he would crush the life from me, and it occurred to me that I didn’t care as long as I died in his arms. Just when I thought my ribs might collapse under the pressure, he released me and lowered his fists to his side. His lips covered mine, and my fingers clutched at his shirt to keep from falling backward.

The kiss ended and I felt as if he had dragged all the breath from my lungs. Strider stared down at me with glittering eyes. “Go.”

Chapter 23

A viscous mist seeped up from the grounds as I slid into the night air. A faint metallic clicking sound was the only noise. Wavering lantern light swung back and forth in the distance. No doubt, Hale, was coming to lock up the tomb. I stopped outside the tomb, my mind scrambling to figure out what was wrong. All was going as planned. The tomb would soon be locked. I would run toward the nearest main road and hide out in a stairwell for the night. In the morning-- a pistol! The incongruent sound I’d heard as I stepped from the chamber was familiar and completely right in the setting, but not tonight. Then Strider’s words crept out of my memory. I will not go like a coward. I shot back into the vault, my pulse pounding in my throat.

Strider had the pistol pressed firmly beneath his chin. I lunged for it and a shot rang out. The twanging sound of a bullet glancing off a wall and returning struck my ears before the stinging pain hit my side. I screamed, grabbed my side, and doubled over. Warm liquid seeped from my skin. A horrible roar filled the stone room then stopped. Strider lifted me in his arms and carried me to the bench.

“It only grazed me,” I assured him. “The bullet didn’t enter.”

Having to see for himself, he gently removed my hand and lifted my shirt. His finger lightly brushed the skin around the wound. I shivered under his touch. He removed his black neck scarf and pressed it against the wound.

“You crazy girl. Why did you stop me?”

I pressed my palm against his cheek. The black stubble felt good against my hand. “You said you did not want to go a coward.”

He dragged his face down. “That’s why I took the pistol.”

“You’re not getting off that easily, Nathaniel Strider. You are going to see this through to the end. And in the morning, you’re going to walk out of this place and kiss me like you have never done before.”

He sat back on the bench, leaned back against the smooth wall, and closed his eyes reminding me of the first night I’d seen him in the public house. It seemed such a long time ago. So much had passed between us in thirty days, it felt as if I’d known him forever.

I lifted my hand from my flesh wound. The bleeding had subsided, a result of the cold air, no doubt. I sat forward holding my side. “Where’s the gun?” I asked realizing that in the chaos, I’d lost track of it.

Without opening his eyes or sitting forward, Strider lifted the hand farthest from me. The pistol dangled from his finger. I reached for it, but he lifted it higher.

“Hand me it, Nathaniel.”

“I’d rather not.”

I shrank back like a cat and jumped for it, but his reflexes were too fast. I felt a warm rush of blood beneath my shirt. I pressed my hand against my side. “Now look what you’ve done. I’m bleeding again.”

He did not move his head, but his heavy dark lashes fluttered open a moment as he peered down at my hand. He closed his eyes again. “You shouldn’t have pounced off the bench like that.” A long sigh flowed from his lips. “God, Camille, we’re a sorry lot, aren’t we?”

I sank back against the wall next to him. The stone was shockingly cold.

His hand moved to cover mine. We sat there slouched against the wall of the chamber, lost in our own thoughts. What a scrambled haze my mind was in tonight I thought as I leapt from the bench clutching my side. “Your friend, Hale, he was headed this way earlier!”

Strider shot up from the bench as well. His tall figure flashed past me, and he was at the door first. He began pounding on it. The door creaked and shuddered as if it might splinter beneath the force of his fist, but it did not budge. He yelled to Hale, and I hollered with him, but there was no reply.

After several minutes of Strider pounding and kicking the door, he turned and stared down at me. His expression fell somewhere between now what and bloody hell.

“I believe I was right.” I smiled up at him. “It will hold you . . . and me as well.” My voice sounded amazingly light considering I was frightened out of my wits.

Strider scrubbed his face hard with his hands and began pacing wildly. “Tis hot as Hades inside here.” He yanked off his beloved sailor’s coat and tossed it on the floor.

I watched him pace and inched toward the gun he’d left lying on the bench. His anguish made him forget the pistol. I was able to grab it and tuck it beneath my cloak. As if he’d sensed my actions, he spun around quickly.

His breath heaved beneath his white shirt, and tiny beads of sweat rolled down his neck and across the hollow at the base of his throat. “Camille, give me the pistol.” He stepped closer, and I gasped at the amount of heat radiating around him.

If the candle had blown out I was sure I’d see the air surrounding him glowing red. My feet took two tiny steps backward. The back of my knees hit the bench.

“You know I can take if from you, Camille.”

I shook my head. “Not without hurting me.” I peered up at him. “And I know you won’t do that, Nathaniel.” For a moment it looked as though he might wrestle it from me. His hands opened and closed, and it seemed as if I could hear the blood pulsing through his veins.

“You must kill me, Camille. If I come at you, promise me, you’ll kill me.”

His words slammed against me. I nodded. I had no idea if I would be able to do it, but at this point, I needed to assure him of it. He turned, walked to the adjacent wall, and pulled his shirt off over his head. He pressed his skin against the cold marble and closed his eyes. “Tis as if someone has placed hot coals beneath me skin.”

He was exquisitely beautiful from head to toe and I could not take my eyes from him. There was no mistaking why he’d become the heartbreak of the East End and now of the West End. Every inch of him was magnificent. And for a moment I’d forgotten what he was about to become. I glanced around for a hiding place knowing full well that it would be impossible to hide from his acute senses.

Still leaning against the cooling marble, Strider seemed to slip into his own world and hardly noticed my presence. The transformation was taking hold of him. I scurried to the far end of the vault and into the furthest recess, where according to the monument, a Marybeth Hampton lay at rest. Her sarcophagus had been delicately adorned by an endless vine of roses and frail doves. The inscribed dates showed that she was twenty, only four years older than me, when she died, and I momentarily wondered how she’d died. No doubt, it was something far less dreadful than what I faced now.

I reached under my cloak for the pistol and crouched between the stone sarcophagus and the solid wall of the chamber and realized with a violent shudder that it was all happening again. Only this time I didn’t have the comfort of my sister nearby. This time I was completely alone, and if no one in the Hampton family succumbed to any disease or accident in the near future, it was entirely possible that I would die at the hands of the boy I loved, and my corpse would rot right here amongst the stone monuments, never to be discovered again.

There was no sound coming from the other end of the mausoleum. The love of my life was somewhere in the main chamber transforming into a murderous beast, and thanks to my brilliant planning, I was his only prey. The pistol felt heavy in my shaky hand. I knew little about the weapon and could only assume that a bullet remained in the chamber. It mattered little anyhow. I could not shoot my own father. If it hadn’t been for Emily, I would have been torn to shreds by him. I had little faith that I would be able to shoot Strider.

An agonizing roar filled the chamber and the gun slipped from my hand and smacked the floor with a clang. I grabbed for it. Then the only sound in the chamber was my own frenetic breathing. I tucked myself into a tiny ball. The surrounding atmosphere was dense with silence and a frigid cold. With the torment I faced, astonishingly, I found myself growing sleepy from the icy air. I’d read somewhere that people lost in snow fell into a deadly slumber from the cold, and I had no doubt as my feet, hands and face grew numb, that this could happen. In fact, the drowsiness I now felt beckoned me. It comforted me and seemed to dull my senses. My eyelids grew too heavy to hold. Then the sound I knew too well shook me from my dreamlike state.

My eyes shot open when an earsplitting sound echoed through the chamber. It was stone splintering against stone. I hugged my knees to my chest and gripped the gun in my hand. A shadow loomed across the entrance to the small alcove. Dizziness swept over me, and I rocked unsteadily on my feet bracing myself against the stone box to keep from falling over.

Heavy breathing, his breathing, radiated throughout the room. But the odor did not follow. The usual scent that preceded the beast was not there. I convinced myself it was the frigid temperatures that kept the odor from penetrating the air.

The shadow disappeared and another explosion of shattering stone jarred me from my thoughts. Several agonizing cries followed the crash of stone. I squeezed my eyes shut as if somehow that would block out the sound. Then I don’t know whether I’d been squeezing myself too hard or the dangerously low temperatures had slowed my pulse, but the sleepiness took hold of me again, and I had no will to stop it. As I drifted into unconsciousness, I wondered if I would be fortunate enough to sleep through my own murder.

****

I turned over in my sleep and smacked my head on something hard. It was not my bed post. My eyes searched in the darkness. Solid white stone. I sat up remembering where I was. I looked down at myself. Aside from a stinging pain in my side, I seemed to be completely intact. Still numb with cold, I used Marybeth’s sarcophagus to stand. Morning light seeped beneath the opening in the door to the vault. There were chunks of marble everywhere, and the carving of the family patriarch was gone. And lying there amongst the rubble, half naked and trembling uncontrollably was the boy I loved. I raced to him, stumbling through the debris, and sat down hard on the floor next to him. He lifted his head and laid it in my lap. My hand smoothed his black hair.

I took off my cloak and threw it over his bare shoulders. “What happened, Nathaniel?”

“It tried to take hold, but my body wouldn’t allow it. Your blood must have stopped it.” His voice trailed off, and he drifted in and out of sleep. I glanced around at our rather inhospitable surroundings.

“Nathaniel?”

“Hmm?”

“How often do these mausoleums get opened?”

“Far as I know, only when someone in the family dies.”

“Well then, let’s hope that someone in the Hampton family is on their death bed.”

“Bloody hell,” Strider muttered.

When Strider had regained his strength, we strolled briskly around the chamber trying to warm ourselves before deciding that we were probably burning up to much oxygen during our trek. We sat down against a wall and huddled together beneath his coat for warmth. The face from the sculpture lay at our feet. Except for a severed ear, it was completely whole. I pushed it away with my foot. “He has a terrible scowl. I’ll bet he wasn’t a nice man.”

Strider’s arm went around my shoulder. “Rich men are generally not nice men. You have to step on a lot of people to make money. Me, all I need is enough food to eat, a warm place to sleep, and a sweet angel to kiss.” He leaned over and kissed my forehead.

“If we get out of here, Nathaniel--“

“What do you mean if? I’ll figure a way out of here even if I have to dig through the marble by gnawing it with my teeth.”

I laughed. “That would be a sight to see. Well then after you chew our way out of here, I think you should stay with us permanently.”

He dropped his arm. “I don’t know. After all I’ve got a lot of ladies waiting for me on the east side of town.”

I pushed away from him. “You bloody bastard!” I smacked his chest with the palm of my hand.

He smiled and grabbed my wrist and kissed the same palm. “I guess those girls will just have to live without me.”

I yanked my hand from his grasp. “Never mind. They can have you. I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to search for an altogether more appealing boy to court me.” I waved my hand. “Why don’t you start over there. The walls look thinner on the far side.”

He pulled me into his lap and held me against his chest. His stubble-cevered chin rubbed the top of my head. “First of all, you will not find any boy more appealing than Nathaniel Strider. And secondly, I would have to kill any boy who tried to come near you. You are mine and only mine.”

He held me for a long time, then voices outside the mausoleum door made us jump to our feet. “Thank heavens! Somebody died!”

As the door creaked open and more light filled the chamber, the havoc Strider had wreaked on the sacred monuments became more evident. How would this destruction be explained? We squinted into the harsh morning light at the figure in the doorway. But it was not a member of the Hamptom family. It was Dr. Bennett.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stepped into the vault. “Thank God, you are both alive.”

I ran to him and threw my arms around him. He returned the hug as if he never intended to release me.

The cemetery worker who’d opened the vault stepped inside. His mouth dropped open, and he scratched his head. “What happened here?”

Dr. Bennett turned to him. “Isn’t it obvious? Earth tremors.”

The man did not look completely convinced of the explanation. “Well, let’s get out of ‘ere before they come again.”

“Grand idea,” I said.

I had not realized how much I missed fresh air until we stepped out into it. A cab waited outside the cemetery gates. We crawled inside and onto the warm soft seats.

I pressed back against the seat. “When I die, please make sure I’m surrounded by cushioned fabric and not cold marble.”

Strider smiled. “And don’t forget the laughing angel.”

“Precisely.” I glanced over at Dr. Bennett. His face was nearly washed of all color, and he looked wearier than I’d ever seen him before. “I am sorry, John, about the chloral hydrate, but I had to.”

He put up his hand. “We’ll talk about that later. My head is throbbing, and I don’t have the energy to discuss it right now.”

I shrank back against the cushion realizing now that he was plenty angry with me. “How did you know where we were?”

“I’d overheard you in my office. We had to open several mausoleums until we found the right one.” He shook his head. “I never would have expected you to do something so foolhardy, Camille.”

“The important thing, John, is that the experiment worked. My blood does contain immunity.”

Dr. Bennett stared out the window. “So it seems,” he said, “so it seems.”

I tucked myself next to Strider’s side. It always felt so right being next to him.

We rode in silence for a long while, then Dr. Bennett turned to me. “Camille, I’ve had a letter from the continent, from a minister in a church in the city of Transylvania. There have been a number of attacks there these past few months. We set sail in a fortnight.”

“We?” I sat forward and Strider followed.

“Yes, we. I cannot go without my partner.” He looked at Strider. “And I’ve gotten you a position on board the ship.”

“A job on board a ship?” Strider could not contain the excitement in his voice.

“It’s a local vessel, so you’ll be in port a great deal of the time. But I know it’s what you wanted. And Camille will not have my head for sending you far away.”

Strider reached forward and shook his hand. “Aye, thank you, sir.”

We pulled up in front of the townhouse, and Dr. Bennett paid the driver. He gave me a hand out of the cab and held it for a moment. “When we return from our trip, Camille, we will bring you sister home.”

I smiled up at him. “Absolutely.”

Dr. Bennett climbed the steps, but Strider and I stayed outside. He turned me toward him. “Now I seem to remember something about a kiss like it’s never been done before.” And he kissed me long and hard.

###

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23