“What a lovely idea.” Adeline said, pulling away from Jack and joining her suitor.
He watched her go, wishing for a moment that he could take the baron’s place. Then he shook the fantasy away and went in search of the Earl of Suffolk in order to discuss the concept of communing with the dead. He couldn’t wait to hear what O’Neill’s opinions on the subject were after the production they’d just witnessed. Was it just an ‘entertainment’? Or was it something more tangible?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“It’s rather stuffy in here,” Adeline commented as the marquis led her around the small dance floor. The music room was connected to a larger drawing room and the doors had been opened to allow the guests to dance while someone more talented than she was playing the piano.
“Would you like to take a stroll in the garden?” the marquis offered, sounding pleased to be able to oblige her. He led her in the direction of the French doors that were wide open on this warm August evening.
Adeline took the man’s arm, knowing very well that she was going to put herself in a possibly compromising position if she wasn’t careful to avoid getting caught. But this was part of her plan, to get each of her suitors alone for a kiss that would hopefully make her forget the incident in the library with Jack.
Unfortunately, they were not the only couple escaping to the relative privacy of the garden this evening, and they had to wander for quite some time before they discovered an unoccupied area. Adeline hoped she wouldn’t be missed.
The marquis turned to her and pulled her close, testing to see if Addie would object, but of course this is what she had been expecting. “You look lovely this evening, Miss James. Like a sweet berry ready to be plucked.” He lowered his head and pressed his mouth to hers in a gentle kiss. She kissed him back but instead of deepening the kiss, as Jack had done, the marquis pulled away and smiled down at her. “Well, that was nice. Shall we get back to the party?”
That was it? Adeline thought, wondering if someone had suddenly come upon them, but looking around she saw they were still quite alone. Was she not enticing enough for this man, even with her breasts practically falling out of her dress? The kiss had been nice, sweet actually, but there had been no heat or passion in it. Taking the marquis’s arm she smiled at him and they went back inside.
The duke was next on her list as they danced and she claimed to be overheated. They strolled, found a secluded corner in the garden, and then he kissed her. These gentlemen knew the seduction drill quite well, it seemed. The duke was a bit more demanding than the marquis had been, shoving his tongue deep into Adeline’s mouth and grabbing a handful of her bottom. But he didn’t keep at it for more than a minute and, again, Addie felt nothing of the fire and need that Jackson had brought out in her.
Frustrated, she made her last bid and enticed the baron to the garden. But he was the worst of the bunch; he didn’t even try to kiss her. As a matter of fact, he appeared to be quite uncomfortable with the whole situation and hurried them back into the music room as quickly as possible.
Adeline decided that she needed a few minutes to herself to consider things. She snuck out the French doors and found a quiet bench in the arbor to think about her three suitors and try to figure out what her next step should be.
She didn’t hear Lord Denbigh approach until he was practically on top of her. Before she could even think to fight him off, the earl was pushing her to the ground and pulling up her skirt.
“Stop it or I’ll scream,” she demanded, pushing uselessly at his heavy body.
“That’s what I’m hoping for, Miss James; then we can do away with the formalities and marry much faster. Once we are caught in a compromising situation, your father will insist we are wed immediately.” The despicable man was right and Adeline struggled to stop him but he was too strong. She felt her breasts coming free of the dress’s too-low neckline. “Ah, finally, something that should make you shout out and bring someone running.” His hand grasped her bare breast, sending shock waves through Adeline, but as if that weren’t enough, he actually grasped her nipple between two fingers and squeezed, trying to make her call out. Addie bit down on her tongue, willing herself not to cry out in pain. Just when she thought she couldn’t take it another second, suddenly he was no longer on top of her.
“What the...” Lord Denbigh gasped as he tried to see who had dragged him from his prize.
“The lady has been allowed to choose her husband and from what I understand, you were not in the running, Denbigh.” Jackson smashed his fist into the man’s face.
“Where did you come from?” The viscount held his nose trying to stem the flow of blood. “Bradley, you should stay out this! It has nothing to do with you!”
“You’re wrong.” Jack said setting up to punch the viscount again. “Miss James and her father are friends and Mr. James would be quite upset with me if I didn’t step in and protect his daughter’s honor from a cad like you. You had better leave now, unless you want me to hit you again, and this time I won’t be holding back.”
Addie pulled her dress up, trying to cover her exposed breasts, waiting to see what the viscount would do. He glared at Jackson and but didn’t dare face him in a fair fight.
Jack waited until the man had disappeared before turning back to Adeline. He took off his dinner jacket and handed it to her before he helped her to her feet. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
Adeline fell into Jack’s arms, letting him wrap her in the tuxedo tails. “Oh Jack, I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t showed up when you did. How did you find me?” She was trembling as he pulled her down to sit on the bench.
“I saw you leave the music room by yourself and wondered why, since the last three times you had an aristocrat in tow. Then I saw Denbigh follow you and, frankly, he’s not known for being a gentleman, so I followed him.”
“Thank goodness.” Adeline shivered even though it was a warm evening. “He intended to ruin me and then force Father to demand a quick marriage.”
“Sounds like him. He’s pretty desperate to get his hands on a fortune.” Jack said without removing his arm from around her shoulders. “I hear he’s in so deep with gambling debts that his father has even tried to untangle the entail on their estates. Do you want me to take you to your father?”
“No!” Adeline shook her head in the negative. “No, I just want to go to my room. But I don’t want to go back through the party and have everyone see me like this. Someone will notice that something is wrong. Besides, my dress is all crooked and mussed up and my hair...” Addie let out a little sob, as the reality of the incident started to catch up with her. “He was trying to rape me, wasn’t he?”
“Shhh,” Jack tried to sooth her. “He didn’t succeed and that is all that matters. Don’t worry; I know how to get you back to your room without anyone seeing us.”
Adeline nodded, wiping her tears. She let Jack lead her through some hedges and around the back of the house, through a hidden side door and into a darkened room. He was like a cat, feeling his way in the darkness, instinctively knowing where to go.
“I haven’t been this way in years, but if I remember correctly, there is a secret passage from this room that goes to some stairs and we should end up in my father’s old private study just down the hall from the guest rooms.” Jack pulled on a wall sconce and a painted wood panel swung open, revealing a dusty passage that was strung with cobwebs. “It doesn’t look if as anyone has come this way in a very long time. Just hang on to me.” He led Addie through the dark, feeling his way around some corners and then slowly up two flights of stairs. Suddenly he stopped. Addie had been holding a handful of Jack’s shirt and she could feel him moving now as if he was reaching out with his hands and searching for something. Then he leaned forward and suddenly they were in a room. The moonlight streamed in through a window, lighting up the interior.
“This is your father’s private study?” Adeline asked, finally leaving Jackson’s side and wandering abo
ut the small, but nicely furnished, room. “Does that mean he has two studies?”
“Yes, he liked to have someplace to disappear to when he didn’t want to be disturbed.” Jack looked around the room as if trying to remember something. “He used to say that this was where he could devise his games without being caught.” Jack shook head and smiled suddenly as if he had just discovered a secret. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. This must be where the key is. Look,” he was pointing to the large star chart that hung next to the passage they had just come in through. “Stars.”
“Wait, isn’t that what Madame Lou said?” Addie didn’t believe the woman could have possibly known about this room, let alone the chart.
“You know, Addie, Clara always swore by the spiritualist she used to visit in New York. I teased her about it, but now I think maybe there might be something to it.” Jack walked over to the star chart and stared at it. “But now that I know what, how am I going to figure out why?”
Adeline knew Jackson was talking to himself now, but she couldn’t help but be drawn into the mystery. It was helping her take her mind off of what had just happened, including the fact that none of men who were vying for her hand in marriage had been able to spark any feeling in her the way the man before her had. Even now, just standing here watching him, Addie wanted to be in his arms, kissing him. And even though she was quite warm now that they were in the house, she didn’t want to remove his evening jacket, as it held his scent and she felt closer to him wearing it.
“What is the mystery you are trying to solve?” she asked, standing next to him, looking up at the constellations. “Maybe I can help.”
Jack looked at her as if he had just realized he wasn’t alone. “We should get you back to your room before anyone notices you are missing.” He turned to lead her into the hallway, opening the door quietly and peering outside, ensuring there was no one to observe them coming out of the room. “It’s clear.”
Adeline followed him back to her room, but when he was about to turn and leave, she stopped him. “Jack, you should let me help you. I had a tutor who was wild about astronomy and I was a very good student.”
“It’s a dangerous matter and I don’t want you involved, Addie,” was all Jack would say. “Are you going to be alright? I’ll let your father know that you weren’t feeling well and went back to your room.”
Addie reached out her hand and put it on Jackson’s chest. She leaned toward him and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for rescuing me, Jack.” Then she turned and entered her room, closing the door behind her, she leaned against it and hugged Jack’s tuxedo jacket close to her, deeply inhaling his scent. “I wish you had a title, Jack; then I would choose to marry you, even if I was only your second love.” Sighing, knowing such a thing was impossible, Adeline sat at her vanity and waited for Emily to come help her out of her gown. She looked at herself in the mirror first wishing Jack had kissed her again, and then wondering why the baron had not. Frowning, Addie looked at herself critically, wasn’t she attractive enough for him? After all, he was the most handsome of the three. Maybe he was more interested in dark exotic women. She sighed, trying not to think about it. Tomorrow would be soon enough to try again. It was possible that she had been too forward with the Baron of Craven, and maybe he preferred a more demure approach.
“You’re back earlier than I would have thought.” Emily said, appearing a few minutes later. “Oh dear, what happened?” Emily could see right away that her careful work had been tampered with. “I know you meant to be kissed, Miss, but it looks more like you were thoroughly tumbled.” Emily tsked as she started pulling pins from her mistress’s hair.
“Yes, well, things didn’t go quite as planned.” Adeline finally removed Jack’s tails so Emily could see the full extent of the damage.
“And whose coat is this?” Emily picked it up and hung it carefully over a chair. “It’s not even chilly out this evening.”
“The viscount managed to corner me.” Adeline confessed as her maid undid the back of her ruined gown. “He planned to compromise me and force my decision, but Jackson showed up and turned the tables on Lord Denbigh.”
“Well, he knew he wasn’t even in the running any longer, so I assume he must be quite desperate for your money. That Mr. Bradley is like a guardian angel, isn’t he? And so handsome, what a shame you can’t marry him.” The tsking started again. “So, what about the other gentlemen? Tell me at least you managed to get a few wanted kisses out of the evening.”
“Two down, one to go.” Adeline said stepping into her nightgown. “The baron either wasn’t interested or he is more proper than I had first imagined.”
“And..?” Emily asked wanting details. “How were they?”
Addie sighed, knowing her maid wouldn’t let it rest until she told her what kissing a duke and a marquis was like. “Well, Lord Townsend’s kiss was quite proper, and I would say dry.”
Emily giggled.
“And Lord Grafton’s was a bit wet, I’d say, but certainly performed with more gusto than the duke.” Adeline sighed, remembering Jack’s kiss in comparison; which of course wasn’t fair to either man, since he was not to be an option for her.
“But Lord Craven wasn’t having any of it?” Emily scrunched up her face, finding the situation odd. Suddenly she stopped brushing Addie’s hair and slapped a hand to her mouth as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was thinking. “Oh dear, Miss, what if he’s one of those men who prefers other men?”
Adeline spun around to look at her maid directly. “I hadn’t even considered that! But why is he pursuing me then?”
“Don’t be silly, Miss, even one of those kinds of men still needs a wife.” Emily lowered her voice conspiratorially. “He has a title to pass on, so he still must produce an heir. But I hear once the deed is done and there is a boy in the family, they don’t ever bother with their wife again. Why, I knew a lady’s maid who worked for a woman whose husband actually had his lover living in the house and they said he was a cousin, or some other relative. She said it was scandalous, since all the servants knew he was really the master’s lover. But no one dared to say anything as the wages were good and there were plenty of extras for that staff as incentive to keep their feelings about it to themselves.”
“I suppose that wouldn’t be the worst sort of marriage, if that is the case with the baron. At least he wouldn’t care what I did with my time.” Adeline contemplated being married to such a man. “But I won’t put him in that category quite yet. I will try again tomorrow or Sunday when we are walking back from church. Maybe he’s just the sort of fellow who prefers his kisses in the light of day.”
“Maybe,” Emily sounded doubtful. “He is the handsomest one of the three, so I do hope he’s a normal chap. But you had better steer clear of that Lord Denbigh; it sounds like he might still be a problem.”
“I don’t think so,” Addie’s said, standing and walking to the window. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he is gone in the morning. Mr. Bradley was quite angry with him and, since it is his family’s estate, I would imagine that he’s requested that the gentleman remove himself from the premises.” She motioned Emily to come look outside. They could see a motorcar pulled up to the front of the house and the chauffeur was strapping someone’s luggage to the back of it.
“Good riddance.” Emily said, turning to tidy up the room before she left her mistress for the night. “Is there anything else I can get for you, Miss; a wee bit of sherry maybe or something sweet to tempt you?”
“No, thank you,” Addie yawned. “I’m afraid the evening has worn me out. I’ll read for a bit, but I’m sure I won’t be awake much longer.”
Emily left, leaving Adeline to her own thoughts. She ran her hand over Jack’s jacket one last time before crawling into bed. She tried to read the novel she’d taken from the library last night, but her mind kept wandering back to what else had happened there. Eventually, Addie gave up trying to read and just closed her eyes, and fel
l asleep fantasizing about it what it would be like to be married to Jackson Bradley.
* * *
“I know how the old man hid the money.” Jackson had dragged his brothers upstairs to the room where the star chart was, even though it was the middle of the night. They all stared at it in shock at how obvious it now was. That along with the oldest version of the family Bible was kept here in this room, and they were finally able to connect the dots. “So, now all we have to do is find his murderer and then you two can get on with your lives. Winston, you can marry your widow and Marcus, you and Beatrice can concentrate on making more babies.”
“What about you, Jackie? What will you do? Will you stay here or go back to the Colonies?” It was a fair question, but Jack didn’t have an answer yet.
“I haven’t decided.” he replied honestly, thinking about Adeline again. He wasn’t so keen on the idea of running into the duchess, or baroness or marchioness with her husband and their children. “I’m not certain I want to stay anymore. At first I considered opening an office in London or even Liverpool. My partner is agreeable to the idea, but now I’m not so sure.”
“There’s no need for you decide tonight, anyway.” Winston said. “Just know that both Marcus and I want you to stay.”
“Thanks; I appreciate it.” Jack felt his heart swell with gratitude that both his brothers had welcomed him back with real affection. “But right now we need to ensure the entire future of the Bradleys. Let’s tear this room apart and see if we can find why someone wants to kill us all and who the hell it is.”
“Amen!” the brothers chimed in together.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Lord Suffolk had tried to corner Madame Lou after the séance, but Cassiopeia made sure that he was only able to speak with her for a few minutes. She left before the house was even stirring in the morning so he wouldn’t be able to engage her in conversation on her way out. The man could be a pest, as she knew from her experiences with him back in London. He often visited both the tea shop and the agency. Sometimes Cassie wasn’t sure which of her personas he was actually more fascinated with, since he seemed more interested in getting Cassie to let him take her on a drive through the park than having Madame Lou read his cards. As she left Basildon Park Estate at the crack of dawn, Cassie had made sure that this trip she had plenty of time to change out of her costume for the train ride home. The evening had been mildly successful, but Margaret James hadn’t wanted to entirely give up her hopes that her daughter would indeed become a peer of the realm and not just a member of the gentry. At least she’d offered the girl a choice, but whether or not Simon James was willing to give up his aspirations of a title for his descendants was still undetermined. Clara had come to Cassie again in the middle of the night and shown her how Jack had rescued Addie. It was a promising development and there was still time, with Miss James still under the same roof with the man, so anything was possible. But would it be enough?
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