Vow of Deception (The Ministry of Curiosities #9)(15)

"You won't switch allegiance to Sir Ignatius Swinburn's pack?" I asked, genuinely curious. Harriet was a countess who'd led a very sheltered life. She seemed more suited to Swinburn's shifters than Gawler's, and yet she'd not shown signs of wanting to run with people more like herself.

"Of course not. One does not merely change one's allegiance as one would an outfit. I belong to Gawler's pack and that is that. I have no intention of following Sir Ignatius, particularly after he and his friends showed their true colors. I don't associate with murderers."

I wondered how much of her allegiance stemmed from her dislike of those with humble beginnings who'd risen high thanks to their money. She could be quite the snob when she wanted to be.

"Did you see anyone from your pack yesterday?" Lincoln asked.

She shook her head. "Surely you don't think one of them attacked the victim. Come now, Lincoln, you're not being fair. The last attack was orchestrated by Lord Ballantine, a member of Sir Ignatius's pack. You must look there for a murderer, not to Mr. Gawler. They have a history of doing that sort of thing; we do not."

"This attack occurred in the East End."

She bristled. "So?"

"So Gawler's pack runs in the East End, and Swinburn's pack contains itself to the West End. That's the agreement they came to themselves."

"That doesn't mean Sir Ignatius would keep his word and stay out of the East End. He's a slippery upstart. I don't trust him, and you shouldn't either."

"If you could find out what you can from your pack mates, I would appreciate it."

"I will, but I can already assure you they're innocent. Gawler isn't a killer, and his pack do as he asks."

"And yet he's weak," Lincoln pressed. "He inherited the pack because King died, not because he won the leadership. Doesn't that make you question his worth? Surely there is talk of overthrowing him."

"Certainly not. No one mentions such a thing. We are quite happy with his leadership, thank you, and kindly do not imply otherwise. We're loyal to Mr. Gawler."

"Even you?"

"Yes!"

"A countess loyal to an itinerant laborer?"

Why was he challenging her like this? She was our friend, for goodness’ sakes. I tried glaring at him but he did not look my way. I doubted he would have stopped even if he had seen.

"Rank and fortune do not have a bearing on one's position within a pack," she said stiffly. "Only strength does."

"And yet Gawler is not strong. He lost the leadership to King. Perhaps he'll lose it again to another challenger."

"That's the point, Lincoln. There are no challengers. None of us are strong enough to defeat him."

"Swinburn is."

She blinked owlishly at him. Her lips parted to speak then she closed them again.

"And strength does not always imply physical capability," Lincoln went on. "There are other kinds of strength, such as courage, fortitude and an ability to understand and lead people."

"That's where Swinburn fails," Harriet said. "He does not understand good people, only wickedness. Take his affection for Julia. What a horrid pair! I suppose that makes them quite suited to one another. I do see your point, but I must reassure you that Mr. Gawler's pack won't make the same mistake they did with King. He risked their lives and the very existence of the pack itself. They won't let that happen again, particularly not with me there to remind them." She gave us both a smug look.

"You have influence with them?" I asked.

"I do now that I've settled in. At least, I like to think so."

She offered us tea but we refused and bid her good day. She walked us to the front door, her hand resting on her belly. I couldn't help saying something, and I only hoped she wouldn't take it the wrong way.

"When are you due?" I asked.

"December."

"Are you sure?" Lincoln asked, saving me from posing the question. "You look further along."

Her spine stiffened. "Quite sure. Gilly and I were not…" Her face reddened and she looked away. "We only became reacquainted with one another this spring."

"You mistake me," Lincoln said with an apologetic lift of his hand. "I believe you when you say you are only three months along. I'm questioning the fact that you are one third of the way through the pregnancy."

Harriet and I gave him blank looks. "You're not making sense," I told him.

"The gestation period for a wolf is less than three months."

Harriet glanced at the footman, standing by the front door. "But I am not a wolf," she whispered. "Not really."

"You are not human either but something else entirely. It stands to reason that your pregnancy will not follow the pattern of a human woman's."

"Oh. I must ask my pack mates. They'll know." She rubbed her belly and smiled. "I do hope it will come soon. I can't wait to tell Gilly the good news. He'll be quite shocked at first, but he'll grow used to the idea of a little wolf prowling around the house soon enough."

She had more faith in Lord Gillingham than I.

We left the Gillinghams' residence and traveled to New Scotland Yard to speak with Lincoln's police informant. The corrupt detective owed his job to Lincoln and proved to be a good source of information on occasion. It was easier going to him than attempting to sneak into the secure building. Lincoln ordered me to remain in the coach, however. I acquiesced on this occasion so that I could save my battles for more interesting and important occasions.