‘I don’twantyou to be guilty, no matter what you think. I might not like you, but neither do I want you to hang. I just can’t assume you are innocent either.’ Helena leaned closer and for a reckless moment, Cynthia wondered if a woman’s lips were softer than a man’s.
If she was destined to lose everything, what harm might come from grabbing a live wire and letting the electricity run through her until she was nothing but light? Because whenever she touched Helena, that is how it felt. Like currents of power rushing through her, making her feel things she only ever imagined.
I bet she tastes of caramel and salt.
She certainly wouldn’t reek of cigars and gin as Hubert always had.
Cynthia remembered in a horrible rush that Helena could read thoughts. Which meant she knew everything Cynthia had just been thinking. Things she most certainly didn’t want to admit.
‘Damnation. Did you hear… That is, I wasn’t really thinking about…’ She huffed out a breath. ‘It’s quite cheeky to slip into people’s minds and steal their thoughts, you know.’
Helena quirked her brows, her lips pursing.
‘I don’t really think you taste of caramel and salt. I don’t want to taste you at any rate.’ Heat washed Cynthia’s cheeks, and she wondered if it was possible to die from embarrassment. It would save the House of Lords a lot of trouble. ‘It was just one of those errant thoughts. Like whether bees have friends in their hive.’
Helena’s copper brows rose as her grey eyes shifted to silver. It must be a trick of sunlight. ‘You wonder if bees have friends?’
The door opened. They both jerked apart. Helena grabbed for another letter as Cynthia buried her nose back in the ledger.
‘I chased the bastard for twenty blocks. He lost me in the Seven Dials. The streets there are like a bloody maze. The sneaky little shite!’ Superintendent MacDougal always looked slightly dishevelled, but this was an entirely new level of chaos. Dark-brown curls stuck out in every direction. His cheeks were a hectic crimson, and the bottom of his trousers dripped with mud. ‘You opened the safe?’ His sharp gaze flicked from Cynthia to Helena, then to the contents spilling from the safe.
‘It was my idea.’ Cynthia didn’t need to give Helena another reason to mistrust her. ‘Miss Blair wanted to wait until your return, but I thought there might be something in Hubert’s safe to absolve me, so I insisted.’ Cynthia stood awkwardly. Her left foot had fallen asleep.
Helena looked up from the paper in her hands then back again at the parchment. Her mouth opened in a silent inhalation.
‘Are ye well, lass?’
‘I think I found it.’
‘What?’ Cynthia and Superintendent MacDougal spoke together.
‘The evidence to exonerate Cynthia.’
It was the first time Helena used Cynthia’s name. Tingles washed over her skin before she processed the words that camebeforeher name.
‘Evidence?’ She reached for the paper and snatched it out of Helena’s hands.
‘Hey!’ Helena sputtered as she regained her feet. Hamlet wound between the two of them, his tail trailing over Cynthia’s skirt in a whisper as his head bumped into Helena’s thigh. But she barely noticed.
The script written on thick parchment was as bold and stark as the words.
The deadline has passed. Fulfil your bargain or pay your debt in full. Breaking a deal with the Devil carries profound consequences.
8
Cynthia’s fingers grew cold. ‘Who could have written this?’ She nearly dropped the parchment as she held it up for Superintendent MacDougal to see.
He shrank the space between them, snatching the letter from her, his brown eyes scanning the page. His expression hardened, turning the kind and loyal man into something fierce and frightening.
‘The Devil of Seven Dials. Damien Sinclair.’ He spat the words like poison. ‘Why was your husband mixed up with a criminal like Sinclair?’
‘A criminal?’ Cynthia’s belly flipped as she felt the prickle of alarm skating down her spine. The Devil of Seven Dials. DOSD. Was this the man to whom Hubert owed such large sums of money?
Helena took back the note. ‘Devil. That’s what the intruder thought before he jumped out of the window.’
Cynthia wasn’t sure she could get used to magic and witches. ‘You heard that man’s thoughts? Of course you did. Silly of me to forget. Again.’
Helena shrugged, her gaze slipping away like a fish in water. ‘He was frightened. Strong emotions can make it easier. “The Devil’s going to kill me for sure if I fail.” That’s what he thought before he escaped.’
