Heaven Bound (A Blakemore Family Book: Madame Lou Series Book 2) (17 page)

“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 choose 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 finally 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.

“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?

“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 about 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.”