an impish grin as he set me on the bed. He seemed anything but disturbed by my exuberance as he returned the favor and relieved me of my corset. Tonight he didn’t bother with slowly pulling its strings; he practically ripped it apart.
I traced the outline of his tattoo first with my fingertips and then with my lips, never tiring of the way he gasped beneath my careful touch.
If I lived to be one thousand years old, it would never feel like enough time with him.
“I love you, Audrey Rose. More than all the stars in the universe.”
Thomas erased all space between us and gazed down at me as if I were the most perfect person in existence. When he kissed me again, it was so sweet I nearly forgot my own name. It was a good thing he kept whispering it across my skin.
I lightly trailed my nails down his spine and back up, marveling at the goose bumps that rose, the sensation seeming to drive him as wild as it drove me. He repeated my name like an incantation, his tone as reverent as those praising gods. He worshipped my mind and body until I, too, became a believer. Then he brought us both to another realm—one where we were nothing more than love in its purest physical form.
Hours later, after we’d professed our adoration—and while I lay cradled in the safety of Thomas’s arms—the devil stood waiting for me. Silent and watchful as always, as he welcomed me back to his dominion of darkness.
THIRTY-NINE
STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE
1220 WRIGHTWOOD AVENUE
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
15 FEBRUARY 1889
“Miss Wadsworth!” Minnie greeted me warmly at the door. “It’s so lovely of you to call on me. Tell me, have you heard from Mephistopheles? I haven’t been able to locate that scoundrel anywhere.”
It was quite an odd opening, but I handed my cloak to the maid and shook my head. “I’m afraid I haven’t spoken with him since I last saw him with you.” I studied her expression, the nibbling of her lower lip, the crease in her brow. “Is everything all right?”
“I’m sure it is. I just heard a rumor that my understudy hasn’t been seen for ages. It’s a bit strange, given how much she loved playing that role.” She brightened up again. “Come. Harry’s allowed me to decorate the parlor to my liking. Shall we take some tea and coffee there?”
I wished to return to the subject of yet another missing young woman, but something else caught my attention. “Harry?”
Minnie blinked slowly as if awakening from a dream. “Did I say Harry? Goodness me, Henry. My Henry is such a lovely man. Wait until you see this wallpaper. It’s from Paris!”
We situated ourselves in a lovely blue-and-white sitting room, the fabric as rich as any fine dessert. Gold thread shot through navy-and-cream stripes on our chairs. Little gold tassels tied back deep blue curtains that appeared to be made of velvet. A matching blue-and-white tea service was promptly brought out with a stack of freshly baked biscuits.
A proper household always boasted of polished silver, but Minnie took it even further. Crystals dripped off of shining candelabras and hothouse flowers bloomed fragrantly in vases nearly the size of a dog. It was quite a flashy show of excess.
“The flowers are lovely,” I said, motioning around the room. “Are they for a special occasion?”
“Henry is a man of fine refinement and taste.” Minnie poured me tea and herself coffee. “He enjoys beautiful things.”
Her smile seemed to freeze in place, like there was more she wasn’t saying aloud. I accepted my cup of tea, treading carefully. “Does that make you sad?”
“N-no, it’s not that.” She set her cup and saucer in her lap, staring down into the swirling cream. “It’s just… my sister said something rather unflattering the other day when I told her we’d married. I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind. I’m sure I’m simply being silly.” She glanced at the tea service again. “Sugar?”
“No, thank you.” I sipped my tea, enjoying the taste of vanilla and something richer. She added a few cubes to her coffee with silver tongs, seemingly lost in thought. “If you’d like to talk about what your sister said, I’m happy to listen.”
She gave me a grateful smile. “Sisters are wonderful, truly. No one in the world will hug you when you’re breaking and slap sense into you at the same moment.”
While I didn’t have a sister by blood, I thought of Liza and all of