Heaven Bound (A Blakemore Family Book: Madame Lou Series Book 2)

by Hoyt, Saralynn

  With some effort, Cassie pulled her hand away from his gentle grasp that, for some reason, made her catch her breath. The earl was altogether too astute and she didn’t need him figuring out that she was Miss Blakemore and the infamous Madame Lou. For goodness sake, what did he want with her anyway?

  “I’m sure I wouldn’t have any idea where the young lady is presently. Why don’t you go next door and leave her a note?” It was all Cassie could do not to just take off her costume and tell the man who she really was. They had played this game multiple times over the past year. He kept coming around trying to call on her as Cassiopeia Blakemore, which was completely inappropriate, given his aristocratic station compared to her nearly-shop-girl status. And since Miss Blakemore would not agree to see him, knowing full well he was trying to engage her as his mistress—the cad—he would wander next door to look for ways to ingratiate himself with her neighbor, Madame Lou.

  The only problem was that Lord Suffolk was a good customer as well. He engaged the psychic quite often for his séance parties and paid extremely well. It was also impossible to refuse his business without offending all of the Toffs in one fell swoop.

  A voice suddenly whispered in her ear, “He knows Simon. They are members of the same club.” Mrs. James was not going to allow the opportunity to pass by.

  Inwardly groaning at the realization, Cassie knew she would have to engage this extremely handsome and equally insufferable man’s help if she was to complete the difficult, but important, task before her.

  “Lord Suffolk, if you would indulge me and bring to my shop an acquaintance of yours, I will endeavor to do the same for you and pass a note on to Miss Blakemore.” She waited for him to consider her offer.

  “Madame Lou, if I bring someone here to you directly, the very least I would require in return is the pleasure of Miss Blakemore’s company for tea at the Savoy this Friday afternoon,” the earl countered, smiling like a cat who’d tasted the proverbial canary.

  “You must, it is the only way...” Maggie said, still hovering nearby. “I must speak to Simon.”

  “Oh, very well,” Cassie conceded, throwing up her hands in defeat. “I will make certain the young lady joins you for tea in two days, but you must bring Simon James here to me tomorrow evening—agreed?”

  “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, Madame,” the earl nodded in agreement, donned his hat, and left her establishment whistling a tune.

  Cassie had been avoiding the earl for months now. Ever since he’d first tried to propose that they meet on a personal level. She was very aware that a man of his station could only have one outcome on his mind when pursuing a woman of her low birth. Well, the social status she advertised, anyway.

  It was a secret her family had been able to keep for as long as she could remember and she’d been told by her father that it had been generations since the Blakemores’ true rank had been revealed. According to the brigadier general, as Father preferred to be known, their status had been bestowed on the family in the time of King Richard the Lionheart, during the Crusades. The family legend said that one of the Blakemore males had saved the king’s life during his travels. Of course, that time was so steeped in mystery and tall tales that one couldn’t necessarily believe everything one was told. But the general had a document with the royal seal hidden away, or so he claimed. Unfortunately for Cassie and the rest of the female members of the family, that item was reserved exclusively for male Blakemore eyes. Father said it was to be used in emergency situations only. And since the Blakemores rarely found themselves without other resources, Cassie had not heard of it being used since King Henry VIII’s reign, when no one had been safe. To this day, Cassie still did not know what level of nobility she was related to, but she suspected it was one of the highest or it would not be so well- protected. Danny was just about the age now when all the male Blakemore secrets would be revealed to him and she was hopeful that, since they were so close, he might see fit to share a few with her.

  Cassie knew it would take Lord Suffolk some time to find Mr. James and convince the man to visit the tea shop, so she decided to change back into her own clothes and go do a bit of shopping. If she was going to have tea with an earl at the Savoy, she would need a new gown, and possibly a hat.

  * * *

  Jack woke up to the beautiful sight of Adeline standing next to the window, appearing like an angel with the sun bathing her and lighting her golden tresses like a halo. She had been tirelessly nursing him back to health, day and night for over a week, refusing to allow anyone else to see to his wounds. He’d had a slight fever those first days, and the only thing that made the pain bearable had been her soothing hands either bathing his skin with cool water or applying the wonderful salve to his burnt skin. The doctor had said that he and his brother were extremely lucky to not have suffered worse, but because of that telephone call from London, the rescue party had arrived just in time to drag all of them out of the burning lodge.

  “You’re awake,” Addie said, turning back toward him. She looked exhausted. “Would you like something to eat?”

  “Yes, I’m starving,” Jack said, noticing his hunger for the first time in days. He pulled himself up to a sitting position, wincing slightly at the pain in his arm and the lower part of his leg. Addie frowned as she rushed to his side. “I’m fine, it just stings still and kind of pulls at my skin. As a matter of fact, I think I’d like to get out of bed and walk around today. “

  “Let me have cook prepare tray of food for you first. You’ll need your strength.” Addie leaned over him and arranged the pillows behind his head. Having her lean in so close was like a balm to his senses. She seemed to smell of flowers and sunshine, even though he knew it must just be her French perfume. Still, having her so close when he was actually feeling better was having all sorts of interesting and not unpleasant effects on him. He hoped she wouldn’t notice, not yet at least. But maybe tomorrow he would have the strength and ability to show Adeline what was on his mind when she came so near. But for today he would allow her to fuss over him and treat him like an invalid.

  He watched her as she pulled a cord that set a bell ringing in the kitchen. Cook would know the request had come from his room, and would have an appropriate repast prepared and sent up in short order. Jack was pleased that Adeline had not left him to seek out the meal for him but instead trusted the servants to manage on their own.

  “How long can you stay?” Jack asked, knowing Simon James expected his daughter to already be back in London planning an engagement and wedding.

  “I promised Father I would return by the end of the month,” Adeline answered. She turned her back on him so he couldn’t see her expression, but by the sound of her voice, it seemed that it was not necessarily what Addie wanted.

  “And have you told him who you’ve chosen?” Jackson asked, knowing it wasn’t what she wanted to talk about, but needing to hear it from her lips.

  “No.” She turned back around, looking like she was about to add something, then seemed to change her mind and turned away to continue folding some clean linens. “I’m going to go see what is keeping Cook,” Addie finally said, with a slight catch in her voice that was barely noticeable. But Jack had detected it and was sorry he’d brought the subject up.

  She returned with his nourishment a few minutes later, and they both pretended as though Jackson had never mentioned anything about her leaving. When she uncovered a few dishes with delicious-smelling things like roasted pheasant, fresh warm bread, and creamy butter, he forgot about everything except his growling stomach.

  “Tell me how everyone is. Whatever you left out the first time and everything about Louisa and Reggie?” Jack asked, picking up his knife and fork and starting to eat.

  Adeline picked up the napkin that he had ignored and tucked it into his pajama top. “Louisa is a dear and Reggie is the sweetest boy. He resembles Marcus the most, with just a bit of ginger in his dark locks. Winston is already up and about, although he pro
bably shouldn’t be, but he refused to be kept from his boys. Edward and Alex are fit as fiddles. They had a bad cough for a few days, but otherwise not a scratch on either one.”

  “What about Marcus?” Jack asked around a mouthful of the peach pie that was supposed to be for dessert, but was too good to resist.

  Addie finally sat down in the chair next to his bed and became more serious. “He didn’t do as well as the rest of you. Before that man hit him on the head, he struggled and suffered some very deep cuts from a knife. And the fact that you and Winston both tried to protect the boys first, well, Marcus’s back got burned very badly. That is where Louisa and the doctor have been spending most of their time. He only just regained consciousness yesterday. Poor Beatrice has been so worried that every free minute that I’ve had, I’ve been spending with her.”

  “I want to see him,” Jack said, pushing the tray away and moving to stand.

  “Jack, wait.” Addie said, concern etched on her brow. “Let me help you at least.” She went to his wardrobe and pulled out a dressing robe, holding it while Jackson slowly moved to rise. Working hard to hide any pain he felt, he allowed Adeline to assist him with the wrapper. “Put your hand on my shoulder and lean on me. The doctor said you should take things slow. You barely avoided an infection.”

  “I’m fine,” Jack said, gritting his teeth and standing still for a moment while he grew accustomed to the fiery constant pain. He wasn’t about to let Addie see how much it hurt, not if he was going to convince her to ease his other ache. Just the thought of persuading her to make love with him again was enough to somehow allow him to put the pain in a place in his mind where it barely registered any longer. “Let’s go.”

  Adeline walked slowly without making it obvious she was doing so for his benefit. As they moved down the hallway, Jackson found that the movements grew easier. By the time they had reached his brother and sister-in-law’s rooms, he was actually starting to feel nearly normal. The pain was at an acceptable threshold and, as long as he didn’t knock into anything or make any sharp movements, he felt that it would be manageable.

  Beatrice stood as they entered. She walked to Jack and touched his good arm affectionately. “It gives me hope to see you up and about, Jackson. Marcus asked about you and your brother as soon as he woke up.”

  “Would you send for me the next time he comes to?” Jack asked.

  “Of course,” Beatrice said, touching her large belly. “But I don’t think it will be today. The doctor has been giving him a lot of laudanum or he says the pain would be unbearable.” Unable to stop the tears now, Beatrice turned away. But Jack wouldn’t allow it and he pulled her close so she could use his good shoulder as a handkerchief. After a few minutes, she was finally able to lift her red eyes; giving her brother-in-law a weak smile and telling him she would be fine. “I just need to rest.”

  Adeline took Beatrice’s arm and led her back to the rocking chair she’d been using for her vigil over her husband. “Rest yourself, Bea; you have to keep up your strength for both your husband and your baby. Would you like me to ring for tea?”

  “Yes, thank you, Adeline.” Beatrice said, smiling weakly and patting Addie’s arm affectionately. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been here for me to lean on this whole time. You and Henrietta.”

  Jack realized that Adeline had somehow made herself indispensable after a very short time in the Bradley household. His perception of her was changing as he watched her acting like the lady of the house. Before, he’d imagined that she just allowed her servants to do her bidding while she ran off after her causes without a thought for the more refined duties that a woman took on when she was running a large staff. But now he realized that she’d probably had to manage her father’s house after her mother passed away for quite some time. He was impressed that she could juggle both worlds so seemingly effortlessly.

  “Jack, are you ready to return to your room?” she asked, coming to stand by his side after she’d rung for tea for Beatrice.

  “No, I want to see Winston and my nephews. I just need to see for myself that they are doing as well as you say.” Controlling his expression so that he wasn’t giving any outward signs of discomfort, Jack started toward the solarium where Addie had said she’d last seen his older brother and his nephews. Before he could get more than a few feet, she was right by his side, placing his hand on her shoulder for support.

  Addie walked with him and waited while Edward and Alex showed him the pictures they had been drawing. He was relieved to see they had recovered from their ordeal quickly.

  “You boys keep drawing. I want to speak with your Uncle Jackson for a minute. I’ll be right back.” Winston stood, favoring his left leg as he followed Jack out into the hallway while Addie stayed with the children. “I’m glad to see you up and walking. Marcus is improving, even though he’s still suffering quite a lot.”

  “They don’t look as if anything had happened,” Jack commented, indicating the boys with a movement of his head.

  “No.” Winston agreed. “It was a blessing that Mrs. Hadaway put a sleeping draught in their food after bringing them to the cabin. They don’t remember anything other than that they had a bad cough for a few days. How is your arm and leg? The burns looked pretty bad when they first brought you back, but Louisa put something on all of our wounds that almost immediately helped me.”

  “It still hurts like hell, but it’s bearable,” Jack said, bending his elbow and flinching. “But I couldn’t stay in bed another day. Moving is helping me manage the pain a bit.”

  “Are you going to let Miss James go back to London?” Winston asked, turning to watch her as she sat patiently with his children.

  “I don’t have a choice in the matter,” Jackson responded, surprised by his brother’s question.

  “You could tell her how you feel, Jackie.” Winston gave him a pointed look. “You don’t have to mourn Clara forever, you know.”

  Jack sighed and looked longingly at Adeline’s lovely profile, admiring the soft curves under her simple yet elegant day dress. “She’s made certain promises to her father. He wants her to marry one of those ridiculous titled chaps. No offense, of course.”

  “None taken,” said the earl with a laugh. “All I’m saying, Jack, is that maybe if you told her how you feel about her, she might just change her mind and tell her father to sod off.”

  “No, you don’t understand,” Jack said, turning to look Winston in the eye. “It was also her mother’s dying wish. And Addie is devoted to her parents. They gave her everything she ever wanted and didn’t ask anything in return, except for this one request. So she will obey, no matter how she may feel about me.”

  “May? There is no ‘may’ in this equation. You haven’t been watching her care for you all this time, staying by your side day and night until the fever broke.” Winston shook his head as if he couldn’t believe how dense his younger brother was. “At least tell Adeline you love her and that you want to marry her. Then let her decide what she wants to do. You don’t need her inheritance, so that shouldn’t concern you.”

  “Addie wouldn’t dishonor her father’s wishes. I know that much about her. It is one of the reasons I hold her in such high regard,” Jackson said, turning back to look at her again. As if she could feel his regard, she looked up and smiled at him. It sent a different kind of pain through him than the burns; one that spoke of the realization that he may never get another opportunity to do as his brother suggested and that thought was enough to make him want to at least try. “You’re right; she does deserve to know how I feel. That is the least I can do in appreciation for her selfless devotion to me and the rest of the family.”

  “Excellent,” Winston said, bestowing his big-brother-smile on Jack. “Now go rest up. I have a feeling you are going to need all of your determination for the conversation you have planned.”

  “You have no idea,” Jack said, almost to himself imagining what he had planned. He wasn’t about to just
tell Adeline how he felt, knowing her resolve to keep her promise to her father. No, he intended to show her first and then try to convince her to stay. He could feel himself stirring just thinking about having her in his bed again, and decided that he needed to rest up because he would need all of his strength to pull off what he had planned.

  After Adeline helped him back into bed, Jackson fell asleep almost immediately. A dream of a fire burning him alive woke him with a start in the middle of the night. He was panting and covered in sweat, and at first couldn’t remember what had happened. Then the events of that day came rushing back to him and Jack shuddered with relief that he’d escaped being burnt to death.

  Blinking in the dark, his eyes adjusted and he noticed Adeline sleeping on the chaise longue near the window. She was in her nightgown and a loose wrapper. Had she been there all night? Or had she come to check on him and fallen asleep? Either way, he was glad she was here.

  “Addie,” he called out softly, not wanting to startle her. “Addie, wake up.”

  She slowly opened her eyes, looking around as if she wasn’t quite certain where she was. “Jack? Are you alright? Do you want me to get you anything—some water, or laudanum? Are you in pain?”

  “I’m fine, Addie. Just come here, I had a bad dream,” he said, patting the mattress next to his stretched-out form. He watched her lithe form as she rose and came toward him. She leaned over and touched his forehead with her cool hand.

  “You’re hot, Jack. I should get the doctor, in case your fever is back.”

  He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to the bed. “I had a dream I was back in the fire is all. I don’t have a fever. Please, sit.”