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Chapter One

Once upon a ti, feared by all and loved by none His na Lockedheart…

—fro Lockedheart

LONDON

FEBRUARY 1737

A woht was either very foolish or very desperate Or, as in her own case, Temperance Dews reflected wryly, a combination of both

“’Tis said the Ghost of St Giles haunts on nights like this,” Nell Jones, Temperance’s maidservant, said chattily as she skirted a noxious puddle in the narrow alley

Telanced dubiously at her Nell had spent three years in a traveling company of actors and sometimes had a tendency toward melodrama

“There’s no ghost haunting St Giles,” Te enough without the addition of specters

“Oh, indeed, there is” Nell hoisted the sleeping babe in her arher “He wears a black mask and a harlequin’s motley and carries a wicked sword”

Temperance frowned “A harlequin’s hostlike”

“It’s ghostlike if he’s the dead spirit of a harlequin player co”

“For bad reviews?”

Nell sniffed “And he’s disfigured”

“Hoould anyone know that if he’s masked?”

They were coht she saw light up ahead She held her lantern high and gripped the ancient pistol in her other hand a little tighter The weapon was heavy enough to ht a sack to carry it in, but that would’ve defeated its purpose as a deterrent Though loaded, the pistol held but one shot, and to tell the truth, she was somewhat hazy on the actual operation of the weapon

Still, the pistol looked dangerous, and Teht was black, the windwith it the s offal The sounds of St Giles rose about thehter, and now and again the odd, chilling screah to send thefor her life

And that ithout Nell’s conversation

“Horribly disfigured,” Nell continued, ignoring Teic “’Tis said his lips and eyelids are clean burned off, as if he died in a fire long ago He seereat yellow teeth as he couts from your belly”

Temperance wrinkled her nose “Nell!”

“That’s what they say,” Nell said virtuously “The ghost guts his victi away into the night”

Temperance shivered “Why would he do that?”

“Envy,” Nell said ”

“Well, I don’t believe in spirits in any case” Temperance took a breath as they turned the corner into a sures stood at the opposite end, but they scuttled away at their approach Teht”

Nell patted the infant’s back “Only a half mile more Then we can put this wee one to bed and send for the wet nurse in the ”

Temperance bit her lip as they ducked into another alley “Do you think she’ll live until ?”

But Nell, usually quite free with her opinions, was silent Temperance peered ahead and hurried her step The baby looked to be only weeks old and had not yet made a sound since they’d recovered her fro infant was quite loud Terrible to think that she and Nell ht

But then what choice had there been, really? When she’d received word at the Ho Children that a baby was in need of her help, it had still been light She’d known from bitter experience that if they’d waited until morn to retrieve the child, it would either have expired in the night froar’s prop She shuddered The children bought by beggars were often made ht be put out or a limb broken or twisted No, she’d really had no choice The baby couldn’t wait until

Still, she’d be very happy when they made it back to the home

They were in a narrow passage now, the tall houses on either side leaning inward ominously Nell was forced to walk behind Tes A scrawny cat snaked by, and then there was a shout very near

Temperance’s steps faltered

“Someone’s up ahead,” Nell whispered hoarsely

They could hear scuffling and then a sudden high scream

Tees They could either retreat or continue—and to retreat meant another twenty minutes added to their journey

That decided her The night was chilly, and the cold wasn’t good for the babe

“Stay close to me,” she whispered to Nell

“Like a flea on a dog,” Nell muttered

Temperance squared her shoulders and held the pistol firest brother, had said that one need only point it and shoot That couldn’t be too hard The light from the lantern spilled before them as she entered another crooked courtyard Here she stood still for just a second, her light illue

Afrom the head But that wasn’t what froze her—blood and even death were coh in St Giles No, what arrested her was the second man He crouched over the first, his black cloak spread to either side of hi black walking stick, the end tipped with silver, echoing his hair, which was silver as well It fell straight and long, glinting in the lantern’s light Though his face was linted from under the briht of the stranger’s stare It was as if he physically touched her

“Lord save and preserve us fro fearful “Come away, ma’am Swiftly!”

Thus urged, Te on the cobblestones She darted into another passage and left the scene behind

“Who was he, Nell?” she panted as theyalley “Do you know?”

The passage let out suddenly into a wider road, and Te safer without the walls pressing in

Nell spat as if to clear a foul taste from her mouth

Temperance looked at her curiously “You sounded like you knew that man”

“Knew him, no,” Nell replied “But I’ve seen him about That was Lord Caire He’s best left to himself”

“Why?”

Nell shook her head, pressing her lips fir about the likes of him to you at all, ma’am”

Teo They were on a better street now—so by the doors, lit by the inhabitants within Temperance turned onehohbors, it was a tall brick building of cheap construction The ere few and very narrow, the doorway unn In the fifteen precarious years of the foundling home’s existence, there had never been a need to advertise

Abandoned and orphaned children were all too common in St Giles

“Home safely,” Temperance said as they reached the door She set down the lantern on the worn stone step and took out the big iron key hanging by a cord at her waist “I’ forward to a dish of hot tea”

“I’ll put this wee one to bed,” Nell said as they entered the dingy little hall It was spotlessly clean, but that didn’t hide the fallen plaster or the warped floorboards

“Thank you” Te when a tall male form appeared at the far doorway

“Temperance”

She sed and turned “Oh! Oh, Winter, I did not know you’d returned”

“Obviously,” her younger brother said drily He nodded to the ood eventide to you, Nell”

“Sir” Nell curtsied and looked nervously between brother and sister “I’ll just see to the, ah, children, shall I?”

And she fled upstairs, leaving Temperance to face Winter’s disapproval alone

Temperance squared her shoulders andand narrow, squeezed by the neighboring houses There was one roo and, on occasion, receiving the home’s infrequent important visitors At the back of the house were the kitchens, which Temperance entered now The children had all had their dinner promptly at five o’clock, but neither she nor her brother had eaten

“I was just about to make some tea,” she said as she went to stir the fire Soot, the hoot up from his place in front of the hearth and stretched before padding off in search of mice “There’s a bit of beef left froht at ”

Behind her Winter sighed “Temperance”

She hurried to find the kettle “The bread’s a bit stale, but I can toast it if you like”

He was silent and she finally turned and faced the inevitable

It orse than she feared Winter’s long, thin face merely looked sad, which always made her feel terrible She hated to disappoint him

“It was still light e set out,” she said in a small voice

He sighed again, taking off his round black hat and sitting at the kitchen table “Could you not wait for my return, sister?”

Temperance looked at her brother Winter was only five and twenty, but he bore hie His countenance was lined eariness, his wide shoulders slu liht at the tiny daily school attached to the home

On Papa’s death last year, Winter’s work had increased tremendously Concord, their eldest brother, had taken over the family brewery Asa, their next-eldest brother, had always been rather dis home and had a mysterious business of his own Both of their sisters, Verity, the eldest of the faest, werehome Even with her help—she’d worked at the home since the death of her husband nine years before—the task was overwhel for one , but both the foundling home and the tiny day school had been founded by Papa Winter felt it was his filial duty to keep the two charities alive

If his health did not give out first

She filled the teakettle from the water jar by the back door “Had aited, it would have been full dark with no assurance that the babe would still be there” She glanced at him as she placed the kettle over the fire “Besides, have you not enough work to do?”

“If I lose my sister, think you that I’d be more free of work?”

Teuiltily

Her brother’s voice softened “And that discounts the lifelong sorroould feel had anything happened to you this night”

“Nell knew the irl of less than fifteen years” Temperance took out the bread and carved it into thin slices “Besides, I carried the pistol”

“Hmm,” Winter said behind her “And had you been accosted, would you have used it?” er One