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She had assumed that after what happened with Charles, she would never want to be within two feet of another man asn’t in the shop simply to buy a crow But Thom was so very, very different There was a bluff honesty about hi, and yet the way he looked at her, the way his breath soht around her--well, she felt it, too There see to be seen was on the surface, all of it genuine And she knew, deep down in her bones, that Casper was nothing but trouble But she wasn’t ready to throw hi his act together And not when he was paying so very well Every time she saw him, she saw Bertra, despite his good intentions

Looking down at the street below, she tried to i an incendiary device at herA Copper strolled by, swinging his billy club, and although she didn’t approve of Coppers, she assumed his presence was at Thoht her eye, and she noticed two dailance at the Copper and scuttle nervously into an alley Despite what she had told Tho, and not all of them were as kind and harmless as Reve

As much as Frannie hated to ad trouble, that was for sure now And yet things had been good since he’d arrived, mostly because it had coincided with Thom The tube of coins didn’t hurt, either, and she would have to write so soer the creature, the bigger her profit Overall, despite the nagging irritation of Casper and the fire, she felt hopeful and giddy, a lightness of spirit she hadn’t known since Bertra

With a smile, she snapped one of the flowers out of the vase on the table and tucked it behind her ear As she turned her head back and forth, ad the small white rose, there was a knock on the pet-shop door It was too early for customers, and she hurried downstairs, riddled with curiosity

Casper had beaten her to the door and was holding a plain brown box tied with twine and punched at intervals with air holes It was unmarked aside fro unusual in that Several of her sources were a bit underground, and many of the creatures she carried weren’t coal

"What is it?" he asked, and she decided to indulge hi which strange new pets had arrived rin "Open it and see"

Casper set the box on the counter Quick as a child at a birthday party, he untied the twine, cruhed at his confusion

"A luer into the box and jerked it back quickly with a shudder when the cloth writhed Frannie kneell enough what it was and chuckled at his inborn fear Many Londoners had never seen a single live snake before they visited Needful Creatures

She leaned past hi to duently onto the scarred wooden counter that she’d played behind as a child She snatched back her hand right before the coiled green serpent struck

"Jesus Christ, what is that thing?" Casper stumbled back, too

"A viper of some sort" Frannie kept a fair distance as she ads of the prettiest and deadliest snake she’d ever seen

"What do we do about it?"

Frannie fetched one of the big, elass cylinders that housed her reptiles She always had a few ready in back, and she also kept a forked stick to help get the more reluctant snakes into their new hoave her much trouble, but this fellow

"Stand back This could be ht spot and swept the little snake into it with one sainst the lass wall Frannie set the snug-fitting mesh into the top of the cylinder and placed it on the counter Veno her that the jewel-pretty creature within was irl You’re fearless"

"Animals can smell fear, you know Just as women can smell desperation"

With one raised eyebrow, she turned her attention to the snake’s packaging There was no card within, which was unusual No bill, no label, no indication whatsoever of the creature’s place of origin Frannie’s boots clipped across the striped boards on the way to the door When she opened it to peer up and down the street, she was surprised to see Thom headed for her at a determined pace, in trousers, suspenders, and work shirt, streaked all over with soot His hair eaty and falling down froed around the edges A bludrat darted for his leg, and he punted it back into the alley without slowing down

Frannie’s heart nearly leaped out of her jacket At first because Thom looked so competent and avid and focused on her But then because she saw the badge glea on his chest Surely he couldn’t be a Copper And he had been inches away from her closet, alone in her room! Had he opened the door, and then the secret door? Was that why he was striding toward her, eyes snapping?

But no That couldn’t be it He was sue and shouted, "Good heavens, Tho happened?"

His eyes crinkled up, and she realized his agitation was of the positive sort "Are ye free, lass? I’ve found one of your wee corbies, but he willna coether too clever, and she had despaired of finding the last of her big birds gone loose When she turned back to face the shop, Casper was doing his best to look responsible, al to please