She had three nights and two days to make her choice, so she would need to act quickly. Tonight, she would kiss as many of the three men as she could get time alone with. Addie hoped she knew what she was doing but, after her previous encounter with the Viscount of Denbigh, she worried she might be getting in over her head.
Later that evening, as Emily was helping her dress for dinner, Adeline chose one of her more daring Parisian creations to wear; a low-cut gown in a deep ruby shade that made her exposed skin glow.
“You look exquisite, Miss.” Emily said, adding diamond hairpins to her upswept hair style.
Adeline looked at herself, and could find nothing out of place. She was dressed tonight to tempt an indiscretion. She had on elbow-length black silk gloves and a ruby and diamond necklace that dangled into her exposed cleavage, tantalizing a man to look at her breasts gently swelling above the neckline of her dress. Her tiny waist was emphasized by the wide black silk sash that was tied in a bow right above her derriere; its ends falling all the way to floor. The dress itself was relatively simple with all the tucks and flounces understated in order not to compete with the décolletage. The sleeves were barely significant as if they were merely decorative scraps of silk that adorned the outsides of her shoulders, giving the viewer the illusion that the dress might slip off the wearer at any moment.
Satisfied with the result, Adeline dabbed a small amount of her very expensive French perfume behind her ears and, after a moment’s hesitation, between her breasts. She watched herself inhale deeply and was shocked as her breasts appeared to nearly pop out of their confined space. She questioned how wise this choice of dress was just for a moment, before dismissing her own doubts and heading downstairs.
* * *
The look on Winston’s face was one of utter amazement. Jackson turned to see what had entranced his brother to speechlessness and his own mouth dropped open in shock. Adeline had entered the main salon and every gentleman in the room was now staring with open admiration at the picture of lush exotic femininity she exemplified. If she had intended to create a stir, she had accomplished her goal, but Jackson could see from the blush that stole over all that lovely exposed skin that she hadn’t quite been prepared for the reaction she received. He was about to go to her rescue, but the duke beat him to it; which, of course, was more appropriate considering Lord Grafton was openly courting her. He was quickly joined by the marquis and the baron, who all vied for Addie’s attention by plying her with champagne and hors d’oeuvres. Jack had to look away, not wanting to see what he could never have. That moment in the library was all he would ever know of Adeline’s charms and he would content himself with the memory. She was meant for grander things and that was more obvious than ever tonight.
Turning his attention back to his brother and Lord Suffolk, Jackson continued their discussion about the latest politics back in London. O’Neill was bringing Winston up to speed with what the House of Lords was going to be discussing during their next session. Apparently, the suffragette movement had finally reached a point that it needed to be considered by the politicians.
The dinner that evening was formal and Jackson was sitting between Lady Matheson and Mrs. Carson, with Miss Primrose across from him.
“I hope to contact my dear brother tonight.” Mrs. Carson said during the first course of turtle consume and cream of barley soup.
Jackson encouraged the woman to tell him more as he was not about to volunteer a similar response. For the second course of fillet of haddock, he turned to Lady Matheson to inquire as to her dog, who he knew was her first love.
“Pierre has had a cold this week and so I had to leave the poor dear at home. But last month when I took him to the park, he did the most adorable thing.”
“Please, do tell.” Jack encouraged the woman to keep talking while he ate the roasted quail and drank what remained of his brother’s fine wines.
The dinner proceeded in that manner for the rest of the meal and the whole while Miss Primrose kept peeking at him shyly from across the table. Adeline, who was thankfully out of his line of vision, was apparently having a marvelous time, as Jackson could distinctly hear her musical laughter coming from the head of the table where the titled gentlemen were situated as was required per the social hierarchy.
After dinner, Jackson went looking for his brother, Marcus, whom he hadn’t seen since the picnic. Besides, he needed to escape not only from having to witness Addie flirt with her suitors, but just seeing her in that dress was igniting needs in him that he wasn’t in complete control of.
“How is Beatrice?” Jack asked, observing that Marcus’s wife was reclining on one of the sofas.
“Tired, I think.” Marcus said, nursing a glass of whiskey. “I haven’t told my wife about our suspicions that none of these incidents have been accidents and Father’s death wasn’t due to natural causes. I don’t want her to worry in her condition. Do you think I did the right thing, Jack?”
Jackson did not know if hiding the truth from his wife was indeed the right thing, but he did know his brother wasn’t really asking for his opinion but for confirmation that things were going to work out fine and they would all live happily ever after. Wishing he could make such promises, but still not completely sure of where they stood, Jack just shrugged his shoulders in a helpless gesture.
“I’m definitely on to something, Marcus, but I could just be seeing what I want to see.” Jack shook his head, beginning to doubt himself. “The old man liked his games, but even this is exponentially more complex than anything he used to create when we were boys.”
“Well, that makes sense, don’t you think?” Marcus said, suddenly sitting up straight. “I mean if you were Father, and you wanted to hide a great treasure, wouldn’t you want to make certain that no mere child could solve the puzzle? Think about it, Jackie, all those searches for a bag of candy or a shiny guinea when we were lads, was just training for this. He was just preparing us for the end game.”
Jack looked at his brother with new respect. Marcus had always been the underachiever of the three of them; knowing he wasn’t the heir, but would still inherit the parish living, he’d always understood that he didn’t need to work as hard as Winston who had to be the family representative as the heir apparent and Jackson who would have to stay in good graces in order to earn his allowance. When Jack had fallen out with Father, Marcus had been automatically elevated in the earl’s esteem simply by not disobeying him.
“By gosh, Marcus, I think you might have something there.” Jack said, rubbing his chin, trying to think how his father might have gone about creating this last great treasure hunt for his sons. “Did he leave a will? Or anything that was to be read after his death?”
“Maybe,” Marcus frowned, trying to think if he’d seen anything. “We’ll have to ask Winston. As the heir, he would have had more access to Father’s papers than me.”
“Well, let’s go find him.” Jack said standing and setting his glass down.
“We can’t, Jack.” Marcus said giving his little brother a disapproving look. “He’s the host of these festivities and I believe the séance is about to begin. Let’s go join the others. This should be quite entertaining. I wonder if Father will visit and just tell us where he hid the secret to the money.”
“I hope not.” Jackson said, following his brother into the Spanish drawing room that had been prepared especially for the great Madame Lou. “It wouldn’t do at all to announce it with our four nearly-bankrupt peers in the room. We’d have to fight them off.”
“I don’t know.” Marcus said, looking over at Adeline as he spoke. “I think they have plenty of incentive to try to land the lovely American, and she comes with a fortune to boot.”
Madame Lou had not yet entered the room, and Suffolk was still encouraging everyone to gather. A few guests started to pull out chairs to sit down at the large round table that had been placed in the center of the room. But O’Neill was stopping them, explaining that the spiritualist would c
hoose who was to participate. The table had been covered with a dark cloth and candles had been placed at one end, probably the spot where the medium intended to sit.
“Quiet, please!” Lord Suffolk clapped his hands and spoke loudly in order to speak over the chatter in the room. “Madame Lou will be entering soon and she will need silence as she makes her way among you to pick out whose energy is strongest to sit at the table and form the circle of power. Now, that doesn’t mean she won’t be contacting only those people’s loved ones; on the contrary, she never can predict who comes through from the other side.”
“How about one of the old dead HRHs?” someone called out, making the guests laugh.
“I don’t see why not.” Suffolk smiled, enjoying the banter. “But let’s hope it doesn’t turn out to be George the Third in his, interesting years.”
“Or Henry the Eighth, in any years!” Everyone laughed.
“Alright.” Lord Suffolk said after the crowd had quieted down. “Quiet down, everyone. Allow me to introduce the amazing and unpredictable Madame Lou.”
A hush washed over the room as the woman entered. Jack watched from his position close to the table and was surprised to see she was covered from head to toe in scarves and silk wrappings that were covered in sparkling bits of beads and shiny bangles and bells. There was a musical sound that followed in her wake as she walked through the guests. He could barely see a face through a veil of black netting. She lifted a hand that appeared to be crooked and old, but he couldn’t be sure. Everything about her was in doubt. Was she old or young? Man or woman? In this costume she could be anyone, even the queen herself, back from the grave.
Whoever Madame Lou was, the psychic walked slowly around the room and placed her bejeweled hand on nine individuals, five gentlemen and four ladies, including Adeline and his brother Winston. Jack was disappointed she hadn’t chosen him, not because he wanted to commune with Clara but because Clara had wanted him to find Madame Lou and speak to her.
As if reading his mind she suddenly looked up and seemed to be peering at him through the folds of her disguise. He inhaled sharply, feeling her attention on him as if she had spoken his name or touched him. Madame Lou nodded once and then turned away, as if to communicate that she was aware of his presence and his need to be acknowledged. A cold shiver went up Jack’s spine and he wondered what in the world was happening to him.
“Sit, man then woman and so on.” Madame Lou commanded, and the chosen few obeyed, mumbling to each other as they sat. “Quiet, please, and join hands.” The medium lit the candles and incense on the table then took the hands of the gentlemen to her right and left. She began to speak in a language Jackson had never heard before, leaning her head backward first then forward, growing quiet. Suddenly her head rose and he observed as she stared around the room as if looking for something.
“There is a strong soul in the room tonight and he demands attention immediately, so we shall begin there.” Madame Lou’s voice had changed from a shaky old woman to a strong deep full sound. “Andrew? Is there an Andy in the room tonight?”
An older man who had been sitting nearly dozing by the fireplace was tapped on the shoulder by his wife. “Dear, wake up. I think the psychic is talking to you.” A titter of laughter rippled through the room.
“What, huh?” Andrew Simonson blinked and looked up to see everyone staring at him. “I didn’t do it.”
“That is not what I’ve been told.” Madame Lou’s voice boomed over the subdued laughter. “Your older brother wants to know why you haven’t ever gone back to your secret hideout and found what you are missing. It’s still there, just where you left it some fifty years ago.”
“Frederick? Is that you? Why, I haven’t thought of our hideout since we were boys. And you think that’s where I left my favorite dagger? I’ll have to go look as soon as I get home.”
Jackson was intrigued now. He could understand why Suffolk had become interested in this woman. She did not play silly games of bump in the night, but got straight to the heart of the matter. If the dagger did not appear where she said it would, people would find out and she would be ruined. So there must either be something to her ability or she had the most amazing information-gathering system in all of Britain and the War Office should think about using her tactics. She proceeded to give specific details of sisters forgiving slights, and brothers hiding objects, mothers lifting the burdens of imagined sins from guilt-ridden children. There were tears and shocked acknowledgements of things long- forgotten.
“For the Bradley brothers; your father is present and he says you had better hurry up and figure it out before it’s too late. You must work together on this quest or all is lost. Look to the stars and you shall find answers.”
Jack looked over at Winston and he shook his head, wondering why it wasn’t a helpful message like the others had been so far. Just like Father to be difficult even in death.
“Is there an Addie present?” Madame Lou asked after an hour of these revelations. “I have two spirits fighting for your attention and they have been exceedingly patient waiting for all the others to finish. This will be the last of our otherworldly conversations for the evening.”
There were some protests around the room before Adeline finally spoke up. “I’m Addie, Adeline James.”
“Miss James, I believe I have your mother here. She feels like a matronly spirit. She wants you to be free and happy. She wants only your happiness. She loves you so very much.”
Jackson watched Adeline lower her head and a few tears escaped down her cheeks.
“The other spirit is a female, too; a dear friend and someone’s wife.”
Jack came to attention wondering if the woman meant Clara. But it could be any of Addie’s friends back in America. Someone she had left behind and maybe died while she’d been here in England?
“A best friend,” Madame Lou clarified.
“Clara?” Adeline whispered, looking up and finding Jack with her eyes. He nodded, encouraging her to listen.
“Clarabelle is her Christian name,” the medium said, causing Jackson to rip his gaze from Adeline and lock his eyes on the gypsy. How had she known that? No one other than he and her family knew that and they were all long gone from this place. Was it just an excellent guess?
“This is a troubled spirit,” Madame Lou continued, watching Jack as she spoke. “She begged a favor from the ones she loved and trusted in life and they didn’t listen to her then, so now she is asking again from the grave.”
“What favor?” Adeline asked quietly. “What does Clara want me to do?”
“You will know when you will know,” was all Madame Lou would say. “And soon you will have to decide, Addie. Your mother and Clarabelle are now together.”
Addie shook her head, trying to understand the cryptic messages. Jack couldn’t make heads or tails of it, either. What did it mean? Jackson knew he had promised his wife to find Madame Lou, and now here she was. But there hadn’t been anything else she’d asked of him, other than to be happy. Jack supposed he would have to try a little harder at being happy.
Abruptly, Madame Lou let go of the gentlemen’s hands next to her and announced in her old lady’s voice that the spirits had left and they were done.
Lord Suffolk started clapping and the rest of the room erupted in applause. Madame Lou stood and left the room. Everyone began talking at once about what had just happened.
Winston shouted above the din that the servants had laid out refreshments in the dining room and from there they could congregate in the music room, where there would be some dancing or the card room for the gentlemen.
Jackson approached Adeline, who was still sitting at the table looking stunned. He sat next to her and picked up her bare hand, having discarded her gloves probably before dinner. Her fingers were freezing cold, so he wrapped his warmer ones around both her hands and willed her to look at him.
“What does it mean, Jack? Why did that woman bring my mother into this?” she finall
y asked. He could see the pain that she was experiencing from the memories of her mother’s death. “I didn’t tell you that I saw Madame Lou when I was in London.”
“What? Why?” Jackson was surprised by the confession.
“It was an accident, really. A miscommunication and I found myself at her tea shop just by chance. I had remembered that Clara had mentioned it, so I stopped in and she pulled out some tarot cards and told me some things.” Addie said, finally coming around and acting like herself again. “You don’t think any of this is real, do you? That my mother and Clara and your father were actually here?”
“I don’t know, Addie.” Jack said with a shrug of his shoulders. He looked around the room as the guests discussed the evening and slowly dispersed. “She didn’t really act like a normal spiritualist with knocking under the table and fog, ectoplasm and sudden breezes, you know, the usual tricks of the trade. I suppose she might be for real, but only time will tell. We’ll have to ask Simonson if he found his dagger.”
“And apparently you must look to the stars for your answers.”
“Are you going to be alright, Addie? I know that thinking about your mother must have been difficult.”
“No more so than thinking of Clara for you, Jack.”
They looked at each other for a moment, no words needing to be spoken. Jack felt a new closeness to her that he knew was only making things worse. Someone approached and cleared their throat behind Jackson, breaking the spell.
Adeline looked up and smiled brightly at whoever had interrupted them.
“Miss James, I do hope you will do me the honor of a dance?” Lord Craven was the intruder, but Jackson hid his disappointment.
Heaven Bound (A Blakemore Family Book: Madame Lou Series Book 2) Page 17
