The Scientist's Cultist

viii - newlywed.

- - - - - - AUGUST 31, 1888 - - - - -

Whitechapel, London 7:45 p.m.

JUNE WASN'T ENTIRELY sure why she expected to be able to shower. In the 19th century, women sat miserably in a washbasin and washed themselves with a sponge. By the end of the process, June felt dirtier than before.

Luckily, a new set of clothes made her feel a bit better. She was a much more productive individual when she wasn't thinking about how long it had been since she'd changed. What she couldn't seem to figure out were all these damn buttons on her dress. How on earth was any woman expected to dress?

Pinching the clasp closed with her fingers, June returned to their room. "That was quite the experience," she announced, tugging the door open only to stand there frozen. Theo, fresh from a bath as well, was shirtless in the middle of the room, curly hair dropping beads of water onto the floor. He was facing away from her, his back strong and dewy with water droplets that hadn't quite dried. The couple they'd shared the room with the previous night had vacated, and Theo had clearly taken comfort in privacy. However, she had not expected him to grow that comfortable.

Theo's head swiveled at the sound of her voice, his cheeks reddening instantly at the sight of his unexpected audience. "Oh, sorry," he said. "I accidentally made the bath way too hot and needed some time to cool off."

No kidding. It felt as if June's skin was on fire just standing there, and she wasn't even the one half-naked. Why couldn't the person who invented AC have been alive during this time? "Don't worry about it," she said, repeating the words be cool like a mantra in her head. "Can you, um, help me with my buttons?" June gestured toward where she was holding her dress together with her fingers.

"Oh, of course," Theo said, turning from where he was attempting to fold his old pair of clothes into a neat pile on the bed. June let the door shut behind her and slowly turned, exposing her back to him. He picked up the buttons between his fingers and latched them closed. As he moved up her back, the warmth traveled with his hands. The feeling of his fingers grazing her back now and then caused shivers down her spine that weren't entirely unpleasant. Every time she wished she could give up on what felt like a stupid crush, Theo would do something to reel her back in.

"There, all set," he said backing away. June's breath hitched as she turned, only to find that Theo was, unfortunately, now putting on a shirt. "You ready to go drink at an English pub?"

"I would be much more excited about the idea if we weren't going to stalk a serial murderer," said June. "But yes."

Theo laughed and shook his head.

"What?"

"Out of everyone I could have been going on this mission with, I'm glad it's you," said Theo.

It took every ounce of June's willpower to stop the muscles in her mouth from forming a small smile. Be cool, be cool, be cool. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"You're one of the realest people I've ever met," he responded. "You take things at face value and don't sugarcoat."

It was possibly one of the best compliments she'd ever received, and Theo probably wasn't even aware that it was one. "The facts have never let me down," she said finally. "It's why I've always loved and appreciated science."

Theo's hazel eyes softened as they met hers. There was a touch of sadness in his gaze, but thankfully not pity. "Did you always feel that way?"

"No. I was raised spiritually and believed in it for a very long time. After my mom died, my dad was so upset that he could hardly take care of himself. It was like he refused to live without my mom in his life, not even for me." June paused, sucking in a deep breath. "At some point, I asked for help. I did everything right and fought so hard for him, convinced that I would receive some sign that my pleas were being heard. When he passed away too, that's when I learned that the only person I could depend on was myself."