The next day, the house party didn’t begin until late morning with a relaxed buffet-style brunch and then an organized game of cricket. With so late a start, the next meal was an early tea service.
Adeline spent the entire afternoon and evening trying to get the baron to kiss her but he was either very obtuse or had no desire to. By the time the guests had eaten supper and withdrawn to various salons and drawing rooms to play cards and other party games, she’d decided to give up and turn in for the night. Tomorrow would be her last chance to corner the man and force herself on him, and she was determined not to let him escape even if she had to come right out and ask him to press his lips to hers. She simply could not make her decision without knowing one way or the other.
Thankfully she hadn’t seen Jack all day, so his presence wasn’t distracting her. She’d overheard his brothers saying he was upstairs, looking through some papers and books. Adeline assumed Jack was in that room they’d found last night. She almost went to find him and ask again if she could help, but decided not to torture herself in such a manner. It was bad enough that Addie had spent most of the day waiting for a glimpse of Jackson who made her heart pound and her body tremble with this foreign need. It wouldn’t do for her to go chasing after him as well.
After Emily tucked her in, Addie couldn’t help herself and she got out of bed and pulled Jacks tuxedo jacket out from a drawer she’d hidden it in, so one of the maids wouldn’t find it and try to return it to its rightful owner. She hugged it to her chest, inhaling Jack’s scent that still lingered on the soft wool, and then carefully put it back. She knew she would have to return it to him eventually, but for now it was all she could have of the man, so she was loath to give it up. Sighing, Adeline crawled back into bed and tried to convince herself that this was the way things had to be.
* * *
On Sunday morning, some of the guests walked to church, minus Jack. He’d decided to stay behind and continue looking through his father’s private study for any clue as to who might have killed the old earl. He lost track of the time and was surprised to hear the party returning. The guests would remove themselves to their rooms and change out of their church attire into sporting clothes, as the afternoon was to be filled with tennis and other various sports and games, then another evening of music and dancing. Tomorrow they would all head back home, including the Jameses, and Adeline would probably be engaged to be married soon. He expected to see an announcement in the Times any day.
Deciding that he may as well enjoy her company while he was still able to, Jackson gave up his detective work for the rest of day and went to change and join the other guests. He had finally come to the realization that Clara would want him to at least try to find some happiness. And even if it was only temporary, he was going to do just that.
* * *
Adeline had a wonderful day and it all started with chaste kiss from her baron. It had been nice, if passionless, and she had finally made her decision. She would marry the Baron of Craven. And while she still wondered if the man was indeed fonder of gentlemen than ladies, she was willing to risk the possibility if it meant more freedom for her. Isn’t that what her mother had communicated at the séance? Even though Addie wasn’t entirely convinced that Madame Lou was a real medium, the advice she had given was still sound.
It had also helped Adeline to make her decision today since Jackson hadn’t made an appearance yet. Seeing him seemed to have the effect of giving her pause about choosing a man other than him to spend the rest of her life with. Ever since the séance, and then the incident in the garden that night, Addie had been thinking long and hard about replacing Clara in Jack’s affections, and for some reason it didn’t sound as preposterous now as it had four months ago. But it was too late; Addie had made up her mind and, besides, Father was pestering her to make a decision and she was certain he had no thoughts that she wouldn’t marry a man with an honest-to-goodness title.
But she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to make love to Jackson. And the more she thought about it the more determined she became. Why shouldn’t she choose who she gave her innocence to? Isn’t that what a truly modern and independent woman would do? Who said she had to be a virgin on her wedding night? Wasn’t that really just an old fashioned custom? After all, it was 1907, and women’s being able to vote was almost a forgone conclusion, or it would be soon. If she was going to spend the rest of her life married to a man she didn’t love, why shouldn’t she have one night with Jackson to hold in her heart and remember forever?
Adeline had decided; tonight she would enter womanhood and give herself to Jack. Then she would marry the baron, as she had promised her parents, and spend the rest of her life improving working conditions in England. Satisfied with her decision, Addie walked through the rest of the afternoon in a much improved mood, excited for the night ahead.
“Stone, I don’t want you to wait up for me tonight.” Adeline said as Emily put the finishing touches on her mistress’s toilette for the evening festivities.
“Don’t be silly, Miss; I’ll just take a nap and be ready for you when you return, even if it’s the wee hours.”
“I don’t want you to, please.” Addie turned and looked her maid in the eye. “I have other plans for tonight and I’ll want to be alone when I do return.”
“I don’t understand, Miss.” Emily looked hurt and confused.
Sighing, Adeline decided it would be best to simply tell the girl what she planned, as she knew she would not be able to keep it to herself forever. “I’m going to seduce Mr. Bradley tonight. How I get him to come here to my room, I’m not yet sure, but I don’t want you showing up accidentally and spoiling things.”
“But I thought you were going to marry the baron. Have you changed your mind? Are you going to disobey your father?” Emily looked stricken at the thought, probably believing she would be dismissed without reference if such a thing were to happen.
“I’m still going to marry Lord Craven as my parents wished, but I’ve decided that who I give my innocence to will be my choice. And please don’t try to talk me out of it; I’ve made up my mind and there is nothing anyone can do or say to change it. If I am to spend the rest of my life in a loveless marriage so the Jameses can be a part of the royal peerage, then I can spend one night with the man I love.”
“Oh dear, you love Mr. Bradley?” Emily asked with real empathy in voice. “Well, if that is truly the situation, then we must ensure this is the most special night of your life. Come now, Miss, let me help you pick out some pretty underthings and while I’m going about it, I’ll give you a bit of advice and information that I wish someone had imparted to me for a similar situation I found myself in some years ago.”
“You, Emily, I mean, Stone?” Adeline looked at her lady’s maid slightly shocked, but only for a moment. After all, the girl was the closest thing to a female relative she had right now.
“I do believe for this conversation, ‘Emily’ will be more appropriate.” The maid pulled Adeline down to sit with her on the edge of the bed. “I’m no virgin myself, Miss, and the man I gave myself to I will always love, even though he will never belong to me. So, you see we are more alike than you might have thought.”
“Indeed!” Addie said, pleased at this new level of intimacy between herself and Emily. “Well, I’m all ears.” By the time Adeline left for her evening of debauchery, she’d been educated in a way that maybe her mother or an older sister might have done for her if she had one; just another reason to be grateful for Emily Stone.
Eager to begin, Adeline entered the Great Hall and looked for Jack in the crowd. He was standing with his brothers and when he turned and met her eyes, she smiled shyly at him. He smiled back with warmth and genuine concern in his eyes. He had a new evening jacket on and it occurred to Addie, looking at it, that she knew how to get him back to her room now. She would use the pretext of returning the jacket he’d lent her last night and then when she had him all alone in her room, she wou
ld take what she wanted and give him as much pleasure as she was able.
Emily was even now preparing the room with candles and brandy and whatever else she thought her mistress might make use of to make the night unforgettable.
“There you are, Adeline. I’ve been looking for you all day.” Simon James appeared after the elegant eight-course dinner had been cleared and the guests were splitting up among the various evening entertainments.
“How are you this evening, Papa?” She kissed her sire on his whiskered cheek.
“Tired, and ready to go back to London tomorrow with the name of your fiancé.” Mr. James gave his daughter a stern look. He would be delayed no further.
“And you shall have it. Tomorrow, I promise. Now go play cards and let me enjoy my last night as an unattached lady.”
Mr. James looked relieved that he had accomplished his primary goal for the weekend and wandered off in the direction of the card room.
Adeline waited until he was gone before going in search of Jackson. She had sensed his regard all through dinner and wondered if he was anticipating that this might be the last night they would have together as well. Smiling to herself, excited thinking about what she was about to do, Addie made her way into the music room where guests had gathered around the Edison phonograph player. Jackson’s brother, Marcus, and his wife were operating the machine while some of the guests moved to the dance floor. She approached Jack as he sipped a glass of champagne that the footman was passing around on a silver tray.
“Are you and your father planning on leaving in the morning?” he asked, taking a fluted glass and handing it to Adeline.
“Yes,” Addie said accepting the glass and taking a sip of the bubbly golden liquid. “But not until after breakfast at the earliest. Father said there’s no rush to return to London in this heat.”
“No,” Jack agreed. “I don’t suppose he he’d rather stay in the country for a spell and enjoy a few more days of shooting?”
It was a backhanded invitation to stay, and Adeline wished she could take Jackson up on it, but she had an engagement to plan and Father would not be delayed any longer. “I’m sure he would, but there is business to be taken care and it’s already been postponed long enough.”
Jack frowned, obviously not understanding what Addie was referring to. “But you’ll be in London for a while yet, won’t you?”
“Oh, yes.” Addie confirmed, taking a long drink from her glass. She found herself needing a bit of liquid courage in order to get on with her mission. “I’ll be staying even after Father goes home. The house in London is actually mine.”
“You’ll stay in town by yourself?” Jackson looked even more confused by her comments. “I would have thought your father would be more concerned with your welfare.”
Adeline laughed outright, causing Jack’s frown to come back. “He won’t be leaving me alone, Jack. He expects to give me away at my wedding first.”
A look of sudden understanding transformed Jackson’s features. “Yes, I almost forgot. So, have you picked from amongst your noble admirers? Just don’t say the earl, please.”
“That would be ungrateful of me if I had.” Addie said with a shy smile, remembering how Jack had rescued her the other night. “But I don’t want to talk about it tonight. I’ll have the rest of my life to spend with whomever I decide upon, but tonight is just for me.” She gave Jack what she hoped was a seductive, meaningful look. But he looked away, appearing uncomfortable by their discussion of her future husband. Was he jealous, or simply missing his own wife? Too inexperienced to know the difference, Adeline could only move forward with her plan and hope for the best.
“Would you like to dance?” Addie boldly asked. Jack looked surprised at first, probably not used to a single young woman making such a modern request, but then he smiled and held out his arm to her.
“You’ll have to excuse my clumsiness,” he said, leading her over to the other couples gliding around the open space. “It’s been a very long time since I attended any parties where there was music and dancing, so I may be a bit rusty.”
After a few minutes of Jack leading her around the floor in a waltz, Addie had a hard time believing he hadn’t been doing this every evening. It was as if they were floating on air, there was so much ease in their movements together. She could almost believe that they had done this dozens of times before instead of this one and only time. In all the years they’d been friends, Jack had never danced with anyone but Clara. Addie had to stop herself from harboring that thought and instead concentrated on enjoying every second of this perfect experience and trying to burn this memory into her mind.
They finished that waltz and another. For Adeline, the whole world disappeared and all she could see, hear, or feel was Jackson and her moving together in complete synergy.
Beatrice put on a lively recording after the Chopin and a few of the younger guests participated in a One-step Turkey trot. By the time the music ended, both Jack and Addie were laughing and fanning themselves.
“Take me for a stroll outside, Jack, to cool off.” Addie knew this was her opportunity to get Jack away from the rest of the guests.
“Jackson Bradley, I had no idea you knew any of those modern dance steps.” Lady Eleanor had come out of nowhere and inserted herself neatly between Jack and Adeline. “You must show me how it’s done, I insist.”
Looking over the woman’s shoulder at Addie, Jack shrugged an apology and led Lady Eleanor to the dance floor. Furious that the viperous woman had just pushed her aside like so much flotsam, Adeline found the footman with the champagne and nursed another glass while she glared at Jack and the countess. This wasn’t going to be quite as simple as she had first supposed.
Addie was so focused on the dancing couple that she didn’t even notice when Winston had come up next to her until he leaned over and whispered in her ear. “A bit obvious, aren’t you? If you don’t stop staring at my brother like that your other beaus will give up all hope that they even have a chance at your regard.”
“Lord Abingdon, I don’t know what you are talking about.” Adeline turned away from the dancers and tried to appear nonchalant.
“Come now, Miss James.” Winston said, looking over her shoulder. “I can clearly see that you are fond of Jack. Anyone paying attention could, although I have a feeling that not many are. Not in this crowd, as they are all too arrogant to pay much attention to anything other than themselves. I, however, have been keeping a close eye on Jackson since his reappearance in Berkshire and this weekend is the first time I’ve seen that look in his eyes since arriving.”
“What look are you speaking of?” Addie had to ask, too curious not to.
“Interest in a woman.” Winston said, nodding his head and rocking back and forth on his heels.
“Lady Eleanor?” Adeline tried not to raise her voice in contempt, but the champagne had loosened her tongue beyond what was polite. “She doesn’t exactly seem like Jack’s type.”
“Oh, and how would you know, Miss James? Do you think you know my brother that well?” Addie thought she detected humor in Winston Bradley’s voice, but she could not fathom why. There was nothing funny about this situation.
“I was Clara’s best friend for more than five years, Lord Abingdon, and I do think I got to know them both quite well indeed. And I can assure you at no time was I ever given the impression that Jackson enjoyed having a woman of that sort throw herself at him. On the contrary,” Addie said, her voice rising as she warmed to her subject. “I observed him avoiding such encounters quite diligently.”
“Ah, yes, Miss James. I suppose he would as he was still married to Clara during those years.” Winston agreed, smiling a little too widely as he continued. “But now that his is a widow and not so deeply mourning, I can’t see why he wouldn’t welcome a bit of eager female attention.”
Adeline couldn’t hide her shock at Jack’s brother discussing something so improper with a young unmarried woman, until she realized that she had
been the one to start down that path to begin with. She looked at Winston and suddenly burst out laughing. “What in the world are you up to, Lord Abingdon? Why are you letting me say such outrageous things and act the fool?”
“I can see that you are quite fond of my youngest brother, Miss James, but I also know that you plan to marry one of the three eager but destitute gentlemen who have been following you around all weekend.”
“I don’t see your point.” Adeline said, becoming nervous now that Lord Abingdon might be on to her less-than-honorable designs on his younger sibling.
“The woman I was referring to who Jack has shown an interest in is you, not Lady Eleanor. So, I would prefer it if you did not break Jack’s heart when it is only so newly healed from his most recent tragedy.” Winston paused and forced Addie to meet his eyes. “You are planning something untoward, aren’t you.” He did not even pose it as a question. “Well, maybe it will be good for him. God knows he needs a little push to get him back in the game, and you just might be able to pull it off. Well, good luck, Miss James. Just be careful with him. Jack is a good man and deserves some happiness after all he’s been through. I’d hate to see him hurt, especially by you.”
Heaven Bound (A Blakemore Family Book: Madame Lou Series Book 2) Page 19
