The Lightkeeper's Daughter

by Colleen Coble

  His smile widened. “Being with you is the best medicine, but I’ll allow any ministrations you want to make after this thing is over.”

  She allowed him to whirl her around the floor again. She was out of breath by the time the dance ended. Lord Carrington came to take his turn, then another gentleman, whose name she didn’t remember. She kept an eye out for Lord Carrington’s reappearance, but she saw him in conversation with John. John winked at her as she danced by, and she knew he’d occupied the odious man on her behalf.

  She’d first thought her attraction to John was simply because she wasn’t used to male attention. But she’d had plenty of it over the past two weeks, and she still sought him out. She loved him.

  TWENTY-NINE

  A LADY NEVER perspired, but Addie felt a definite glow on her face after the last dance. Mr. Eaton waved her to his side again. She was happy to oblige, since he stood alone. Her dream was to find their hearts were in tune, that she was the daughter he’d dreamed of.

  “Having a good time?” he asked, smiling when she reached his side.

  “It’s lovely. And a little disconcerting. So much attention.” She flipped open her fan and waved it over her face.

  “It’s because you’re an Eaton, Julia. Always remember that.”

  She nodded, her smile fading. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Lord Carrington is quite smitten.”

  “He’s nice enough, but a bit above me.”

  “You mustn’t allow yourself to think that way. Thomas would be a splendid match for you.”

  “I’m not looking for a husband, sir.”

  “Call me Father,” he said, his voice gruff. “I’ve looked for you for a long time.”

  “Yes . . . Father.” The word didn’t roll off her tongue as easily as she’d hoped.

  “Now, back to the Carringtons. They’re an old and established English family. And rich.”

  “I don’t care about money,” she said, when it was clear he was waiting for a response from her.

  “I want you to marry into a title. That’s the one thing the Eatons lack. We’re self-made. But with you as an English lady, the Eaton reputation can only grow.”

  “As I said, I’m not looking for a husband, Father.”

  “Of course you are. It’s what every woman wants. And what could be better than a husband like Carrington? What else could you do with your time but find a good man and bear children?”

  “I’d like to become a nurse,” she said. Saying it out loud made her realize how ridiculous it was. An Eaton tending to the sick. He’d never allow it.

  “What the devil are you talking about?” he sputtered. “The Eaton name is not an asset to be squandered. I suspect Carrington will apply to me for your hand. And I’ll be happy to grant it.”

  She took a step back. “Surely not without my permission!”

  “A father knows what is best for his daughter. You need to trust my judgment, Julia.”

  She met his gaze and lifted her chin. “I want to love the man I marry.”

  “Love,” he scoffed. “Don’t be so naive, child.”

  “You loved my mother.”

  His voice softened. “That I did. And you’ll come to love your husband.”

  She wanted to tell him of her love for John, but now wasn’t the time. It would take some time for her father to realize she had a mind of her own. “Yes, sir.”

  “Father,” he corrected again.

  “Father.” She managed to speak without breaking down, but she longed for her room and her dog.

  “Good girl,” he said, his smile breaking out again. “I’ll make sure of a very good match for you, Daughter.”

  Daughter. It soothed her heart to know he loved and accepted her. To know she finally had an extended family. It was a whole new world.

  “Father, that little girl who was hurt at your garment factory—Brigitte Whittaker?”

  “I did as you asked. She and her sister are toting fabric now.”

  “I’m so grateful. I stopped by the tenement yesterday, and Mrs. Whittaker is quite ill with consumption. I’d like to do something.”

  “Consumption. There’s nothing much to be done for that. I forbid you to go back to that place. Full of noxious vapors and sickness.” He patted her shoulder. “Put it out of your head.”

  She nodded, but her frown remained.

  It was after midnight when the last guests filed off to their bedrooms. Most had come in from San Francisco and would be staying for the weekend. She resolved to avoid the majority of them. Lord Carrington had pressed her hand and invited her for a yacht ride on the following Friday, and she’d been forced to accept, with her father’s gimlet eye on her. Though the thought of a day on the water appealed to her, she prayed there would be others on the boat as well.

  One lone hall light illuminated the back stairway to the second floor. She went down the steep steps to avoid a last-minute encounter with Lord Carrington. She stepped into the second-floor hall and moved toward the sanctuary of her bedroom. John’s door was open as she passed, and his light was on, but she saw no sign of him in the room. Averting her eyes for her unseemly curiosity, she scurried toward the end of the hall.

  He stepped out of Edward’s room as she neared it. “Addie, hold on a moment,” he said, grasping her arm. “Edward has had another spell.”

  “Oh no!” She started to enter the room, but he blocked her passage.

  “He’s fine now. Sleeping with Gideon at the foot of his bed.”

  “I miss him,” she said. “Gideon.”

  His eyes softened. “I imagine Henry has forgotten about finding a mate for him. I’ll see what I can do. Edward would be quite taken with a puppy, and perhaps Gideon could pass along his intuition.”

  “I hope so, because you’ll be going back to the city soon, won’t you?”

  “I will. I’d hoped to take you with me.”

  She dropped her gaze. “I’m not sure my father will allow it.”

  “What do you want, Addie?”

  At least John used the name her soul responded to. She raised her gaze from the carpet. “I want to be with you,” she said. “Such a bold thing for me to say.”

  He reached out and wrapped a curl around his finger. “We must see what we can do about that.”

  Laughing revelers rounded the hall corner and approached. He dropped his hand back to his side, and Addie fled to her room. A choice between John and her family might be fast approaching. She wanted both, which wasn’t likely to come about.

  The overpowering scent of flowers made Addie’s head ache. “It’s so good of you to host Josephine’s funeral,” she told Katie and Mrs. Russell.

  Mrs. Russell patted her hand. “My dear, it was the least I could do for my best friend’s daughter.” She glanced around the parlor. “A respectable attendance from the Eatons and those who do business with them.”

  “They were very kind,” Addie agreed. She started to say they’d come only out of duty but bit back the words. It was time she learned a little discretion in her speech.

  Flowers nearly smothered the room. The casket containing Josephine’s body was in one corner, and even more flowers surrounded it. A table of food, finger sandwiches, and desserts had been spread for the visitors. This day would soon be over, and the undertaker would arrive to take Josephine to the grave site.

  She saw a familiar top hat approaching through the window. “Oh no, it’s Lord Carrington,” she said. “He’s been pursuing me most relentlessly.”

  “He’s a very nice man,” Mrs. Russell said. “A trifle old for you, perhaps, but wealthy and generous. I know your mother thought most highly of him.”

  Addie’s face burned at the rebuke. “I’m sure you’re right,” she said. “But I’m not interested in him.”

  “Lord Carrington pursued your mother most persistently. He was livid when she turned him down and married your father. Thrown over for a commoner.”

  “But he is pursuing me. He must be qu
ite old if he was in love with my mother.”

  Mrs. Russell tugged at her glove. “I often wondered if he had something to do with your mother’s departure.”

  “What do you mean?” Addie asked.

  “He came to see her two days before she left. Laura sent a note to me that night.”

  “What did it say?”

  “That she’d learned something dreadful.” Mrs. Russell shook her head. “But when she came to tea the next day, I could not persuade her to reveal what it was she’d discovered.”

  “She might have learned this thing from Lord Carrington.”

  “I’ve often wondered,” Mrs. Russell said.

  Addie tried to control her excitement. “I’m going yachting with him on Friday. I shall ask him directly.”

  “You think that’s wise?” Katie asked. “He may not want to drag up old conflicts.”

  “I’ll press him.”

  “You’re such an unconventional young woman,” Mrs. Russell said. “I quite admire your forthcoming spirit. You should come to the next suffrage meeting.”

  “One of the maids invited me,” Addie said. “I haven’t had time, but I’ll come soon.”

  Mrs. Russell smiled. “You’ve been too busy adjusting to your new position. And spending time with the dashing lieutenant. I don’t blame you. He’s quite handsome.”

  “He’s a good man,” Addie said. “I sense loneliness in him. He’s like the missing piece of me.”

  “Such a poetic thought,” Katie said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever feel like that about a man. Sh, here comes Carrington.” She extended her hand. “Lord Carrington, so kind of you to come.”

  “I wouldn’t stay away.” He pressed Addie’s hand. “Have the police found who did this thing?”

  She removed her hand when he would have kept it. “Not yet. They are not optimistic that they’ll find the criminal.”

  Another couple came through the door, and Mrs. Russell hurried off to greet them with Katie in tow. Addie wanted to call at least one of them back to help her deal with Lord Carrington.

  He claimed her hand again and tucked it into the crook of his arm. He led her toward the table of food. “I’m famished, my dear. What can I get you to eat?”

  “Nothing, sir. I’ve already eaten.”

  “Oh, call me Thomas.”

  “My father taught me to call my elders sir and ma’am,” she said. She barely restrained a gasp when she realized how offensive what she’d said must sound to him.

  The muscles in his arm tightened under her fingers. “I realize you have your cap set for young North,” he said, stopping short of the food table. “You should know there was plenty of talk when Katherine died.”

  “What kind of talk?”

  “She was leaving him, you know.”

  “I know.”

  “Such a freak accident to be mowed down by a streetcar. Some said John pushed her in front of that car.”

  “I don’t believe that for a moment,” she said, raising her voice. She withdrew her hand and restrained herself from slapping him. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d better speak to the other guests.”

  Shaking, she stalked off to the door in time to see John arriving on his motorcycle. She stepped from the house and went to greet him.

  He dismounted and put the kickstand down. “Is something wrong?”

  “That vile Carrington practically accused you of murdering Katherine! He said people believe you pushed her under the wheels of the streetcar.”

  His brows rose, and his eyes flashed. “I’ve heard that rumor.” He smiled then. “Nice of you to defend me, but it’s not necessary.”

  “It was necessary. He spoke loudly enough for others to hear him.” She took the arm he offered, and they strolled toward the house.

  “Carrington must have noticed our relationship.”

  Her fingers tightened on his arm. “Do we have a relationship, John?”

  “I don’t know who else gets away with being so blunt with me,” he said. A smile curved his mouth.

  The words I love you hovered on her lips, but she bit them back. He might find her amusing. Intriguing, even. But he didn’t love her. Not yet. She would do everything in her power to make that happen.

  “How are you doing?” he asked, studying her face.

  “I miss her even though she never loved me. Now she never will.” Her voice broke.

  John’s other hand covered hers. “I’m sorry, Addie.”

  “I like to hear you say my name,” she whispered.

  He embraced her, and she laid her head against his chest. His heart beat fast in her ear. She let herself dream that in other circumstances he might have kissed her.

  “We should go in,” he said, drawing her away from him.

  Thursday was to be a day beyond reach of the Eaton family’s expectations. Addie relished the hours that stretched ahead of her as she took a family buggy to Mercy Falls. The last few days had been gloomy as the Eatons conferred about what to do. She’d heard her father say the estate would have to be sold unless she managed to land a wealthy husband. The weight of the responsibility nearly crushed her.

  At church on Sunday, Katie had invited her to dessert today at the Burnett’s Confectionery Kitchen, with a promise of chocolate. Addie had eaten chocolate only a few times in her life. Her papa would sometimes bring her a Hershey’s Bar from the mainland, and she would eat one square a day until it was gone. But more than the promise of chocolate, the thought of sharing the afternoon with Katie lifted her spirits.

  She parked the buggy in the lot, then walked down the sidewalk to the candy store. Through the plate-glass window, she saw Katie standing at the ornate glass and oak display. The bell on the door tinkled when Addie stepped inside. Her mouth watered the moment she smelled the delicious scents inside the shop.

  Katie smiled when she saw her. “I took the liberty of ordering for you. I wanted you to try my favorite. A hot-fudge sundae with pecans.”

  “What is that?” Addie couldn’t take her gaze from the tempting array of chocolates, pralines, and hard candies.

  “Ice cream with chocolate and nuts.”

  “Ice cream?” She’d heard of it but never had it.

  Katie led her to a small wrought-iron table and chairs. “You’ll see.” She sat and pulled off her gloves.

  Addie did the same, though she wanted to buy an intriguing candy called a Tootsie Roll. A passing contraption caught her eye. “There’s John on his Harley-Davidson.”

  Katie twisted in her chair to stare out the window. “It makes a most dreadful noise,” she said, raising her voice over the rumble. “And it appears unsafe.”

  “I think perhaps that’s why he loves it. It’s the one place he can be a boy again,” she said.

  She became aware that Katie was staring at her with her mouth gaping in a most unladylike manner. “Is something wrong?”

  “You’re in love with him?”

  “What? With whom?”

  “Don’t play the ingenue. With John North. It’s as plain as the ribbons on your hat.”

  Heat rose in Addie’s cheeks. “He’s an intriguing man.”

  “You’re blushing! It’s true. You’re in love with him.”

  Addie turned back toward the counter. Now would be a good time for their dessert to arrive. “I don’t know what love is.”

  “Your heart pounds when he’s around. You watch for him in a crowded room. You daydream about what it’s like to kiss him.”

  The heat intensified in Addie’s face. “That’s infatuation. Even I know the difference. How does one know it’s love?”

  Katie laid her gloves on the table. “I’m no expert, since I’ve never been in love myself, but I’ve watched my friends get married. They say that the man they love makes them want to be better than they are. That he brings out the best in them and complements their weaknesses. And they do the same to their husband.”

  “I don’t know if it’s love,” Addie said. “I care about him. I wa
nt to see him learn to enjoy life. He’s always so serious.”

  “I hope you don’t get your heart broken, Addie,” Katie said, her smile fading. “Lieutenant North is a dangerous man.”

  “Dangerous?” He was certainly dangerous to her peace of mind.

  Her friend nodded. “He has such a charming way about him.”

  “That’s hardly a negative trait.”

  “Perhaps not. But that doesn’t negate the fact that he may not be as interested in you as he seems.”

  She put her hands on her cheeks. “I never said he was interested!”

  “How else could he have stolen your heart? He’s paid you some attention.”

  Was that all her feelings were? An inexperienced girl’s misunderstanding of a man’s attention? The proprietor placed a mouthwatering dish in front of her, but she could barely concentrate on the amazing concoction of flavors.

  THIRTY

  FRIDAY MORNING, ADDIE watched Edward’s form on the pinto pony. She was still exhausted from the events of the past week, and the last thing she wanted to do was go for a boat ride with Thomas Carrington.

  “Back straight. Heels down,” she called. The horse she rode was a quick and responsive mare named Whisper. Ferns as high as trees bordered the clearing where they rode. Addie kept an eye on Gideon to ensure Edward wasn’t on the verge of an attack.

  “Papa will be so surprised,” Edward said, his cheeks flushed. “He never let me ride before.”

  “He was rightly worried about you. It would be dangerous for you to become ill while on a horse. It was all I could do to persuade him to let you try.”

  The boy’s grin stretched wider. “I can do anything with Gideon.”

  It was true. Since she’d arrived at Eaton Manor, she’d seen Edward’s confidence grow. This latest adventure was to be a surprise for John’s birthday. She glanced at her watch, a gift from Mr. Eaton. It had once been her mother’s, and Addie couldn’t stop admiring the diamonds and the delicate workmanship. It was nearly ten o’clock, and she had to be ready for the dreaded yachting trip at noon. Lord Carrington’s staff was preparing a picnic lunch for aboard the boat.