Jade

by Jill Marie Landis

  Jason stood up abruptly, signaling an end to any further discussion. Jade was beginning to wilt before his eyes and he did not want to see her collapse again. “I’ll have the box ready for your man, Detective.”

  Chang stood. He looked down at Jade, his expression apologetic. “I think this is for the best, Mrs. Harrington.” He held out the stack of pages she had drawn the symbols on. “Would you mind if I take one of these? I will try to locate someone who might know some of the ancient Chinese characters.”

  She took the stack from him and handed him the top sheet. “Do you really think you can find someone who might help?”

  He bestowed one of his rare smiles on her. “I hope so. It is strange you have not yet come across a formula of any kind. I’m convinced there is no hope of finding Li Po. If indeed he could transmute lead into gold, or at least a fair imitation of gold, then his formula is what the men who tried to harm you are still after.”

  Jason put his hands in his back pockets. “That’s why I want that box out of here.”

  “Turning the box over to me will not insure your wife’s safety.”

  “No, but my getting her to New Mexico will,” Jason said.

  Jade turned to him, her eyes wide in amazement. He wanted to take her to New Mexico—and he had just said so as casually as he asked Tao to pass the peas at dinner.

  Chang bowed toward Jade and picked up his bowler hat. “I’ll be in contact with you again as soon as I find someone who can help with these.” He folded the page of symbols and slipped it into his vest pocket.

  Jason walked him to the door.

  Chang paused in the doorway. He looked thoughtful before he spoke. “I will keep Li Po’s things safe for you. When the case is solved, I will turn them over to you so that they can remain with the rest of the collection.”

  “Thank you,” she said, before she met Jason’s gaze. “It sounds as if my husband has his mind made up, so if we have already gone to New Mexico, please give the things to Mrs. Leland Stanford. She has volunteered to head up a committee to establish the Philo Page museum.”

  He nodded again and bade her good day. Jason walked him to the door and then returned to Jade’s side. He sank down on the settee and stretched out his long lean legs and crossed them. He picked up her hand and toyed with her fingers. “Will you go to New Mexico with me?” he asked.

  Jade nodded. “Of course. If you’ll have me.” She turned toward him. “All I ever wanted was to be your wife, Jason.”

  He stared down at her and willed himself to believe her. Jason was tempted to seal her words with a kiss, but her pallor and the violet circles beneath her eyes kept him from it. There would be time. Years and years of time for him to do more than merely kiss her. He could wait until she was stronger.

  Lupe entered the room, concern for Jade still evident in her eyes. Her tone was stern, for she had taken over Jade’s care with enthusiasm and insisted everyone follow orders. “I thought you were upstairs in your room,” she said to Jade. “What are you doing down here?”

  “I was lonesome,” Jade said.

  Jason squeezed her hand.

  Lupe scowled. “Hijo, you should know better than this. Take her back upstairs and put her to bed.”

  “I’d be happy to.”

  Jade colored when she recognized the warm sensuality behind his tone. Sneaking a glance at Jason, she found him smiling at her cockily.

  “I want you to put her in bed and leave her alone. Then you must come right down and I will give you her tray.” Lupe added a determined nod as she planted her hands on her hips. Jade loved to watch Guadalupe Younger deal with Jason.

  His aunt was reed-thin, long of limb, with midnight eyes that flashed like lightning. Lupe smiled as readily as she scolded both Jason and his Uncle Cash.

  “All right. Let’s go.” Jason reached over and lifted Jade, then stood up with her. She looped an arm around his neck, certain that any protest would go unnoticed.

  Jason strode into the hall with Jade riding high in his arms and started up the stairs. A knock at the door halted him. Lupe, who was still in the foyer below, opened the door. Captain Emery Lennox stood beyond the threshold, his cap in his hand, a wide smile puffing his already rotund cheeks.

  “I’m here to see Jade.”

  At the sound of his voice, J.T. turned with his wife in his arms and Jade waved down at the captain.

  “Come in, Captain Lennox,” she welcomed him from her safe haven before she turned pleading eyes to Jason. “Take me back downstairs.”

  He began to protest. “Lupe said—”

  Jade leaned close and whispered against his ear, “Just for a few minutes.”

  Aware that soon enough he would have Jade all to himself, Jason silently consented and carried his wife back downstairs. The group was soon reassembled in the drawing room.

  The captain took a seat beside the fireplace and studied Jade, whom Jason had set back on the settee. Emery watched them carefully, with his hat resting on his knees. “You don’t look well, Jade. Are you all right?”

  “I haven’t been well lately, but I’m feeling better already. Lupe is taking fine care of me.” She introduced Jason’s aunt to Lennox. Lupe excused herself after inviting the captain to stay for dinner, which he declined. He had just come for a short visit, he explained. But when J.T. offered him a brandy, Emery accepted.

  “I came by with some wonderful news, Jade. At least, I hope you’ll consider it wonderful.”

  “Really?” She sat up straighter, eager to hear.

  “I have purchased your grandfather’s property from the bank.”

  A feeling of relief swept through her when Jade realized what his words meant. No uncaring stranger would own the land her grandfather had loved. “Are you thinking of giving up the sea?”

  “Not at all. I will still own a thriving shipping business. Why, I’m even trusting my shipping to pay off the property. But when you told me you had given the place up, I knew I had to have it. Keep it in the family, so to speak. I even plan to fix up the old adobe and live there when I’m in port.”

  “That is wonderful news,” Jade agreed. “I wish you the best of luck. You can be certain I’ll think of you often and picture you there.”

  “What do you mean, think?” Emery leaned forward to emphasize his point. “I want you and Jason to feel free to come out to the adobe whenever you want to. In fact, I planned to fix up the old room you always used when you stayed with your grandfather.”

  Jade looked at Jason, who was once again seated beside her, and gave him the opportunity to give the captain their news. The look he gave her in return was one of hope.

  “My wife and I are leaving for New Mexico, probably as soon as the end of the week. But, if we ever get back here to visit—”

  “Which we will, because it looks like there will be a Page museum after all. Mrs. Leland Stanford has agreed to take over for me.” Jade glanced hopefully at Jason. “I’m sure I’ll get a chance to visit, though.”

  Unable to hide his surprise, Emery looked from one to the other and then finally smiled again. “That’s very sudden, isn’t it, Jade?”

  She shook her head. “Not really. Jason has been trying to get his business concluded since the day he arrived. Now, he’s anxious to get home.”

  The captain looked at J.T., then back to Jade and paused before he said, “Do you want to go, Jade?”

  Jade turned to Jason and smiled. “Yes. I want to go.”

  “Well then,” Emery continued, “I hope you’ll have a chance to drive out and see the old place sometime this week. That is, if you’re up to it.”

  “I hope I can. And Captain, don’t worry about Quan Yen. I’m going to make certain she has a place to go before we leave.”

  He leaned back. “Now, that’s one thing you don’t need
to worry your pretty head over. I found her, so why don’t I find a place for her? After all, I have lots of contacts here in San Francisco.”

  “I was thinking we should see about giving her over to the missionary school,” Jade said.

  “Then I’ll check into it for you,” Lennox volunteered.

  “That would be good of you,” J.T. added. “I know I would appreciate Jade’s not having to worry about Quan Yen.”

  “Captain, I know you were responsible for finding so many of the pieces for Grandfather. If there is anything you want to keep, any one piece in particular, you are welcome to it.”

  The elder man shook his head. “That’s very generous of you, but I don’t think so, Jade. The collection should stay together. But, if there were any papers among your grandfather’s things, or your father’s, anything that would help me restore the adobe and the gardens to their original state, well, I would be happy to have them.”

  “I didn’t notice anything like that when I went through them, but I’d be happy to look again.”

  “Once you’ve rested,” Jason cut in before he turned to the captain. “I hope you won’t be offended, Captain Lennox, but I’d like to see my wife get some rest now. It’s the only way she’s going to get over this bout of exhaustion.”

  Lennox immediately stood and set his glass on a side table. “Of course. You shouldn’t have had to ask—I’m sorry.”

  “Please, come again before we leave,” Jade said, suddenly aware of how much her strength had waned over the course of the morning. She was looking forward to Jason carrying her back upstairs.

  The captain took his leave and she got her wish, but instead of Jason taking her directly to her own room, he carried her to the master suite, pulled back the covers, and set her in the middle of the sleigh bed.

  “Jason?” She looked up at him, uncertain what his decision to bring her to his room actually meant.

  “Don’t worry, Jade. I’ve no intention of making love to you now, but once you’re well—”

  The look he gave her said more than mere words ever could. Lupe came in bearing a tempting tray of aromatic dishes. “Here is Jade’s dinner. I decided to bring it up myself. Yours is downstairs, hijo. Cash is at the table already. You know how grumpy he is when he is hungry.”

  “Don’t I know it,” Jason said, on his way to the door.

  Lupe carefully set the tray on Jade’s lap before she turned to him.

  “Wait for me, J.T., and we will go down together.”

  “WHAT DO YOU MEAN, you think someone has been trying to poison her?” Jason stopped in midstride and stared down at Lupita Younger.

  They were at the top of the stairs, far enough away from the master suite so that Jade would not overhear, and even farther from the dining room where Cash, Quan Yen, and Tao Ling awaited them.

  Lupe shook her head and signaled him to be silent. “I know what I see. She is pale, weak, and those dark circles beneath her eyes tell me that she is being drained of her strength. Her stomach hurts. She has dizzy spells.”

  “But, that could be any number of things. Her doctor didn’t seem concerned,” Jason argued, unwilling to even consider the notion that Jade might be close to death.

  “She was well not two weeks ago, from what you have told me. Now, she is fading away, hijo.”

  He had told them all that he knew about Francis Douglas, Li Po, and the tong and Jade’s connection to them.

  “Have you seen all of the bottles and glass jars Tao Ling keeps in the kitchen?” Lupe asked.

  J.T. shook his head. “I never paid them any attention. You don’t think that Tao—”

  “He is the one who prepares the food. Jade is the only one suffering. What am I to think?”

  “But, Jade hired him—and from what she told me, she did so on the detective’s recommendation. If that’s true . . .’ He stared off into space. Could Jon Chang be involved? Is that why the man had been so surprised to learn Jade had the alchemist’s possessions? And so willing to take them?

  Jason wondered if he had played into the detective’s hands by telling him what Jade had discovered and insisting he take the alchemist’s crate away. He leaned against the banister, his thoughts racing. Lupe remained silent beside him.

  “I hate to accuse Tao unjustly,” he finally said. “Jade thinks so much of him.”

  “I have not given her any of the food that he has prepared since she collapsed yesterday. If you will give me permission, I will continue to fix special things for her. That way, if she makes progress, we will know if he is responsible for her illness.”

  “No need to ask. You’re in charge from here on, Aunt Lupe, but I would feel better if I just threw him out of the house.”

  “Only to cause your wife anger and the man hurt if he is innocent.”

  Jason knew she was right, but the idea that he had harbored one of Jade’s enemies right here in his house infuriated him. He started down the stairway, his eyes dark with anger.

  Lupe reached out and stopped him simply by laying a hand on his sleeve. “We must act as if nothing is wrong, Jason. You need to smile, hijo.”

  He tried. He really did.

  Lupe shook her head. “Perhaps you can tell everyone you are worried about Jade. That will explain your ill humor.”

  “I am worried. Just when it seems everything is about to work out between us, you tell me my wife might be dying of poison.”

  “Not dying,” she amended. “Whatever harm she has been done is hopefully still reversible. Someone has been giving her small doses of a poison, one that kills slowly over time—if what I suspect is true.”

  “If you’re right and when I find out who’s responsible, I plan to get even.” His jaw set, his eyes burning with raw anger, J.T. moved aside and let his aunt precede him down the stairs.

  With every step, he thanked God for sending his Aunt Lupita to him in time.

  WHEN JADE AWOKE the next day she expected to find Jason in bed beside her, but he was already up and gone. Last night, it had been heaven to sleep in his arms—he had been kind and solicitous, kissed her tenderly on her forehead, tucked her in beside him, and held her close without making any demands. It had been one of the only times in her life when she felt thoroughly safe and cosseted.

  Lupe brought Jade breakfast, her excitement mirrored in her shining black eyes. She and Cash planned to take in the sights of San Francisco that day. Jade insisted they go to the Cliff House for dinner and to the Palace Hotel, just to take in its elegance. Lupe wanted to walk by the sea. Jade suggested they ride along Cliff House road and told them where to find tide pools.

  “J.T. will be here all day to watch after you. I have left plenty of food for you both, and I told him to be sure you spend the day in bed,” Lupe instructed.

  “But Tao Ling—”

  “Is going to have the day off. This is good, yes? He works very hard.”

  Jade agreed, but at the same time she wondered why Lupe’s expression sobered when she mentioned him. Perhaps Jason’s aunt could not adjust to Tao’s ways in the kitchen.

  “And Quan Yen?”

  Lupe smiled again. “She is in her room. I looked in on her and found her painting her face. I hope you like albóndigas soup,” she added.

  Jade nodded. “I do. I love it.”

  “Bueno. Then I will go.”

  “Have a wonderful day,” Jade said with a smile.

  When Lupe left, Jade stretched and took a deep breath. For the first time in days she felt like meditating. Her head had stopped whirling, her stomach had calmed, and she actually felt rested for a change. She closed her eyes and took three deep breaths. Perhaps after a few minutes of silence, she would come up with an idea of how to wile away the rest of the day.

  Her meditation was short-lived, for within moments there was a li
ght knock at the bedroom door. Jade plumped up the pillows against the headboard, pulled the bedclothes up to her chin, and called out, “Come in.”

  Tao Ling’s head and shoulders appeared around the door. “Do you need anything, Mrs. Harrington?”

  “No, Tao. But I hear you have the day off. Don’t lose all your money on fan-tan,” she teased.

  He shook his head and his long queue swayed behind him like a live snake. “No, Mrs. Harrington. I will take care. The rich man plans for tomorrow, the poor man for today.”

  Jade laughed. “I should have known.”

  Still standing outside the door, he nodded. “If I may say so, it is good to see you smile, Mrs. Harrington.”

  “Thank you, Tao.”

  “I am happy that you have made peace with your husband at last. Anger is a little fire, which, if not timely checked, may burn down a lofty pile.”

  “I’ll try to remember that, Tao.”

  “If you would like me to, I will make a love potion for you of dried sparrow tongues, snake saliva, and honey.”

  Her stomach lurched. “I don’t think—”

  “Taken before you make love, it promises to make you and your husband irresistible to one another.”

  Knowing Jason couldn’t be any more irresistible to her than he already was, she raised her hand in protest. “Really, I don’t—”

  “Or how about chrysanthemum powder and butterfly wings ground into paste? This, too, is a fine love potion once it is hidden in the sleeve of the beloved.”

  “Tao Ling?”

  “Yes, Mrs. Harrington?”

  Jade tried not to laugh outright. “I really appreciate the offer, but . . . well . . . Mr. Harrington and I are getting along just fine at the moment.”

  He bowed and then smiled. “Please let me know when I can help.”

  “I’ll see you later.”

  After he was gone, she sighed and smoothed the bedspread, then restlessly shifted her pillows around. She glanced at the window, but found it too far away to see the grounds below, where she knew Jason and Xavier would be busy with the horses. She twirled her thumbs.