Jackson slapped his brother on the back with relief. “Let’s go find it and see what the hell this is all about.”
The men approached Marcus and his wife’s rooms. “Beatrice?” Marcus called out as he opened the door. “I have Jackie and Winnie with me. Are you dressed?”
“Yes, darling. Bring the boys in if you must.” Beatrice was sitting at her dressing table, having her maid put the finishing touches on her toilette. “You may leave us, Betsy,” she told the girl.
“It was right here.” Marcus said, tapping the table nearest to the door. “I’m certain we came back to our room and I set it down first thing as I walked in the door. Bea, did you see what happened to the portfolio I set here with all those old photos?”
“I put it away, of course,” Beatrice said as if anyone should know that.
“Put it away, where?” Winston asked urgently. “This is very important, my dear sister.”
Beatrice chewed on her lip trying to remember. “Oh my, my brain is just so muddled lately, with the baby and all. Did I give it to Betsy to return to your father’s study?”
Jackson gritted his teeth, hoping that wasn’t case. If so, then it was truly gone and they may never be able to figure out who was behind these threats.
“No, I was going to do just that, but then I got distracted by the pictures.” Beatrice put a finger to her lips as she recalled her actions from the day before. “I decided to browse through them to see if I could find any pictures of Marcus, and I took them into the bedroom. I was sitting on the bed, looking at them and I fell asleep. Once I woke, it was time to dress, so I closed the portfolio and put it...” She looked around and suddenly smiled. “Here!” Reaching between the mattress and the massive black cherry-wood headboard, Beatrice pulled out the book and held it out with a satisfied grin.
Marcus pulled his wife close and kissed her on the lips. “Good girl. Now will you go to the schoolroom and stay with Henrietta and the children?”
After Beatrice left, Jackson grabbed the folio and pulled off the ribbons that held it closed and kept the loose photographs inside. They moved back into the sitting room and gathered around him looking for the one that had caught Marcus’s attention before.
“There, that one.” Marcus grabbed it and pulled it out of the pile. They all stood close and examined the seemingly innocuous picture.
It was a few years old, maybe five at the most. Nothing seemed out of place with it; the usual annual picture of the household staff that had become a normal event since around 1895, when the previous earl had started to modernize everything on the estate. He’d introduced indoor plumbing, gas lighting and then electric lights, the telephone and of course his motorcars, earlier than most men of his generation. So having a regular photographer come out for these sorts of annual pictures was nothing unusual on the Bradley estate. So what was it about this photograph that had so upset someone— maybe Mrs. Hadaway— that would cause such venom and hatred?
“Look,” Jackson said, pointing to the second row of servants. “There is Mrs. Hadaway. And who is that she is looking at? That young woman, I don’t think I recognize her. She is quite lovely, though.”
Winston grabbed the photo and examined it closer, bringing it over to the window where there was better light. “I remember her. Louisa Marlowe. I remember her because Mrs. Hadaway referred her to us. Said it was her sister’s niece and then she was just gone one day. It was years ago, when Lucy was pregnant with little Alex. It was a difficult pregnancy and so I was distracted by the doctors and midwives coming and going and barely even noticed it. But I do recall that Father mentioned her to me one evening when he was pretty far into his cups.” Winston looked out the window, thoughtful for a moment. Then a look of horror came over his face. “Oh, my God! That’s it, that’s what this is all about.”
“Well, man, don’t keep it to yourself,” Jackson said, impatient with his older sibling.
“I was a bit tipsy myself, so at the time I didn’t put together what he was saying, but now, my God, now I can see what he was so distraught about.” Winston went to where Marcus kept his private liquor and started to pour himself some of the whiskey.
“Winnie, you haven’t even had coffee yet. What are you doing?” Marcus asked, walking over and trying to stop his brother.
“Sorry, I just can’t wrap my head around it,” Winston said, letting Marcus put the decanter back. “Father was upset because Louisa was leaving. He said it was his fault and that if he’d only known who she was, he never would have bothered her. When I asked who she was, he rambled about her being the daughter of someone loyal and hardworking. Someone who didn’t think anyone knew. But he said Louisa had told him one night when they were alone talking. It didn’t occur to me to wonder why Father and one of the maids were alone talking. Like I said, I was also in my own cups a bit and worried about Lucy and the baby at the time, so I paid little attention to what Father was actually saying. It was simply a distraction for me to sit and listen to him talk. About a week later, Alex was born and I forgot all about it. But now that I think about that time, I do recall that Mrs. Hadaway seemed more emotional than usual and I do believe it was around the same time that Louisa left the household. I chalked it up to the chaos of another baby in the house. But of course, I was completely self-absorbed and had no notion of anything else happening but my own concerns.”
“Christ,” Jack swore. “Do you think Father was having an affair with this maid— maybe even the daughter of Mrs. Hadaway— and he got her pregnant? Alex is six, so that would make her child around five. I wonder where she is. It seems unlikely that a single, unmarried mother has had the time to plan murder and revenge. And I would imagine someone would have noticed her hanging around if she’d been here, messing about in the stables with your horses.”
They were all quiet, considering what they had learned. No one wanted to state the obvious, but it was staring them all in the face. The housekeeper they had all known most, if not all of their lives and thought of as a member of the family, was most likely responsible for trying to kill them. And for what? In the hopes that somehow her grandson would be recognized as the next earl? And why now? Why not wait until the boy was older?
Winston finally gave the answer. “She must have only recently found out the truth and decided to poison Father to punish him. Father must have been supporting Louisa and her child. After he was dead, the money probably stopped coming and Mrs. Hadaway must have completely snapped, believing this was the only way to save her daughter and grandchild from a life in the streets.”
“That explains a few of the odd smaller entries in the account books,” Jackson said. “I almost overlooked them, considering the bigger picture of the bulk of the money being siphoned off to secret accounts. But it could be possible that Father knew there was trouble brewing and he moved his fortune specifically to protect it; thus the reason for all the mystery and intrigue after his death.”
“What do we do now?” Marcus asked, sitting down. “We can’t let her run around loose, looking for ways to kill the whole family.”
“By the looks of the study and the fact that she didn’t find what she was looking for, it wouldn’t surprise me if she was already gone.” Jack said, rubbing the stubble on his chin while looking around the room that belonged to his brother and Beatrice. He thought about Adeline and how he’d left her earlier. “I’ll go see if I can find her or if any of the other servants have seen her. I’ll pretend I need a few maids to clean up the study and want her to take care of it. You two get dressed and get ready to take care of saying goodbye to your guests. I’m sure they are going to wonder why they were woken this morning by Lady Huntingdon’s screams.”
“Indeed,” Winston said, turning and making haste back to his own rooms.
Jackson walked downstairs and found the butler, Mr. Jeffries, and Mrs. Smithson, the cook huddled near the green baize door that separated the servants’ domain from the rest of the house. They were deep in conversation when he
approached and almost didn’t notice him.
“Mr. Jackson,” the butler said as soon as he noticed the youngest Bradley brother. “What can I do for you, sir?”
“Is there a problem, Mr. Jeffries?” Jack deflected the question back to the butler.
“Yes, well, we seem to be unable to locate Mrs. Hadaway, and I don’t know what to do with the maids.”
“I’ll look into it.” Jack said, worried now that she had already fled. “You and Agatha just make sure the guests are taken care of. My brothers will be down shortly.”
“Of course, sir.” Mr. Jeffries said, sending the cook back to the kitchen to finish the breakfast service while he went to make sure the ladies and gentlemen had everything they needed.
Sensing someone behind him, Jack turned to see Adeline standing in the doorway. He had almost forgotten that she was still in the house. He approached her, looking around cautiously to make sure they weren’t observed.
“Is everything alright, Jack?” she asked, looking worried. “Who was screaming this morning? Everyone is talking about it.”
“I can’t discuss it right now, but my brothers and I are taking care of matters.” Jackson didn’t want to lie to Adeline, but he did need to get her and the rest of the weekend party to leave as soon as possible so that they could manage the current deadly situation. “Can you do me a favor, Addie?”
“Of course, Jack, anything.” Adeline smiled shyly at him, and Jack smiled, too, as last night’s intimacy came back to him in a delicious wave.
“First of all, don’t look at me like that or I’m liable to drag you off to a linen closet for a quick tumble,” Jack said, fighting the urge to kiss her until they were both senseless. “But what I really need is for someone to help me to get everyone on their way home. My brothers and I have a situation we need to attend to and it will be difficult with all these people in the house. The first order of business will be to spread a tale that one of the ladies saw a mouse or better yet a rat in her room. That should help send everyone packing.”
“But it wasn’t a rodent at all, was it?” Adeline asked, looking really concerned now. “Jack, what is going on?”
“I don’t have all the answers, Addie,” Jackson said, reaching out and touching her cheek affectionately. “But I need you to leave. I need to know you are safe and away from here.”
“Does that mean you aren’t safe, Jack?” She looked concerned, and it wrenched at his heart to think that the next time he saw her might be at her wedding, marrying another man.
“I’ll be fine,” he said, pulling away from her. “I can take care of myself and my family, just not with a whole houseful of people milling about.”
“You’ll write to me? And let me know what this is all about? Promise me, Jack, or I won’t leave.” Adeline apparently had a stubborn streak. But Jackson knew that from watching her over the years, championing her various causes, so he realized she was quite serious now.
“Yes, I promise to write to you. So, please, go tell everyone that your maid heard about the rat and that you won’t stay in this house another second.” Unable to stop himself, Jack leaned in and quickly kissed Adeline on her mouth. “Now go.” Turning, he left her standing there with one hand pressed to her lips.
* * *
Adeline didn’t want to leave Jack, not when it was apparent that he was distressed about something important, but she’d promised him she would help. Closing her eyes for just a moment to burn into her mind the memory of what was most likely the last time he would ever kiss her, Addie smiled, hugged herself, then turned and walked determinedly back to the breakfast room where she began to spread tales of rodents taking over Basildon Park. The ladies she whispered the gossip to in horrifying detail spread her enhanced fabrication like wildfire and soon there was no one left taking the morning meal. The footmen and maids were sent scurrying about, trying to get everyone’s carriages and motorcars ready for the mass exodus that was taking place.
Satisfied that she had done precisely what Jackson had requested, Adeline retired to her own room to wait while Emily packed her things and Father rounded up their transportation that would take them to the train station. Addie walked over to the bed where just a few hours ago, she had been making love with Jack. There was a smattering of rusty red droplets on the sheets as a testament to what she had given away and, even though there had been some pain in the loss of her virginity to him, she was happy that it was Jack who had been the one to do so.
Emily entered the room carrying a broom, and looking as though she was ready to fight off a wolf or a wild dog. “They say there’s rats running all over the house, Miss.” She batted the broom at the corners and under the bed.
“Hmm, yes, well I may have exaggerated just a tiny bit,” Adeline said, unable to stop the laughter that was bubbling up. “The only rodent that has been seen today was in the barn and it was just a tiny mouse.”
Looking suspiciously at her mistress, Emily stopped in her actions. “You mean to say you’re the one who’s been spreading the tale and it isn’t even the truth? Why ever would you do such a thing, Miss? I’ve never seen a household in such chaos! Why, if you were a little girl I’d be putting you over my knee and giving you a proper swatting, I would.”
Adeline finally was able to temper her laughter and explained to Emily that the Bradleys were dealing with a serious matter and needed their guests to leave of their own accord. “I hope I didn’t completely ruin the reputation of the household.”
The maid shrugged and put the broom aside. “I don’t think too many of these aristocrats will want to spread it about since they all have a fine house in the country just like this one. And it always seems that these sorts of things are endemic, you know, like a plague. Trust me, they’ll all run off to London and send the servants ahead to clean up any messes, then tell all their friends what a fine time they at the earl’s party.”
“The English are so much more reserved than Americans.” Addie commented as she tried to discreetly pull the covers on the bed up. “If we were back home, it would be the only thing that anyone who was anyone would be talking about. But I suppose that is why they think we are all such uncivilized heathens.” Addie sighed and went to sit at the small writing desk near the windows. “I’m going to pen our host and hostess a thank-you note while you pack.”
“Alright, Miss. I shouldn’t take but a half hour or so to have you ready to travel.” Emily set about her task while Adeline pulled out some paper and the fountain pen she found in the drawer.
Addie quickly wrote one note to Marcus’s wife and another to the earl. When she had folded them and tucked them inside the envelopes she’d found in another drawer, she decided that she would write to Jack, as well; a goodbye letter and a reminder that he must write back to her as soon as he could. She wanted to tell him so many things, but she realized that putting those things in writing would not serve either of them. So instead she simply wrote;
Dear Mr. Bradley, It was very good to see you in fine health. My father and I enjoyed meeting your family and seeing your ancestral home. Please keep us informed as to where you will be staying for the rest of your time in England. Miss James.
Adeline sighed as she folded the brief and too-proper note, pushing it inside the envelope. It was not nearly close to what she truly wished to say. If she could pour her heart out, she would have written something vastly more intimate. Closing her eyes, her mind went back a few hours to the incredible night she had spent in Jack’s arms. Hugging herself, she could almost feel his hands on her, bringing out feelings that she’d never before imagined.
“You’re going to want to keep that look to yourself, Miss.” Emily said, folding dresses and arranging items in Adeline’s trunks and suitcases.
Addie’s eyes opened dreamily. “You are my only witness,” she said with a smile. “I didn’t know it was going to be so— life-changing. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It isn’t always like that, Miss. But now that you’ve sai
d so, I’m afraid you might have to admit to yourself, at least, that you’re most likely in love with the man,” Emily said with a knowing look for her mistress.
“Oh no,” Addie said, dismissing her maid’s words with a wave of her hand. She refused to allow herself to even contemplate it. “I don’t think love has anything to do with such matters. Ask any man. They do this all the time and I’m quite sure it’s almost never for love.” Addie knew she was fooling herself, but she was determined not to admit the truth.
The lady’s maid shrugged, apparently not wanting to argue the matter with her mistress. Adeline watched her finish packing and wondered about what she’d said. Jackson was a good man and he’d most definitively been in love with Clara. That had been blatantly obvious to anyone who met them. Addie thought about her own feelings for Jackson Bradley and she knew that she held him in high regard and was deeply fond of him, but love? She was not familiar enough with the emotion between a man and woman to know. Was what she felt for Jack the same as what he and Clara had felt for each other? She would have to ponder on the notion for a while. But right now all her mind was filled with was last night and all the new and never-before-felt physical sensations that she had experienced. She would worry later about what the emotional implications were, when she was back in her house in London.
Sighing, she relived Jack’s hands and mouth and all the wonderfully wicked things he’d done with her. Even now her body reacted, and she knew that the memories would be with her long after she’d married the baron and settled into life as his wife. Addie wondered if she would be able to simply close her eyes and pretend the other man was Jack. Would that be completely scandalous of her to imagine Jack was her husband? It would certainly be wicked and improper, but highly probable unless she somehow fell in love with her husband.
Oh, dear, Addie thought to herself; what a predicament I’ve created for myself to navigate.
Heaven Bound (A Blakemore Family Book: Madame Lou Series Book 2) Page 22
