Lucky Stars (74 page)

“But –”

“Rachel, my darling,” Lila stated, tearing her eyes from the top of the stairs and smiling at her beautiful, beloved daughter. “It’ll be fine.”

She watched her daughter draw in a breath.

Then she watched her nod.

Lila drew in her own breath.

Then she turned toward the drawing room, muttering, “I need a drink,” and thinking, as was her wont, dramatically, that not in all of history were truer words ever spoken.

* * * * *

Jack/Joshua

“Sleep,” he murmured to the three beings he held in his arms in the big bed.

“But –” Lewis started, lifting his head from Joshua’s ribs to look at his father.

“Sleep, son,” Joshua whispered.

Lewis held his eyes. Then he nodded and settled in.

Joshua pulled his family closer.

The storm outside had settled. The rain now fell in gentle, calming patters as Joshua Bennett held his family close.

Lewis’s head grew heavy on his ribs and Joshua as well as Brenna felt their son drift to sleep. He knew his wife knew this when her head lifted from his shoulder, her neck arched back and her eyes found his.

Joshua bent his neck and touched his mouth to the sweet one of his wife. And when he did, he noted it tasted no less sweet than he remembered, even centuries later.

As he pulled away, he felt Myrtle’s head had come up from his stomach and he looked down at his daughter.

“I knew
,
I just
knew
I always loved you, Jack.”

Joshua smiled through the shadows and whispered, “Sleep,
Myrtie
Mine.”

He watched his daughter smile.

Then she whispered back, “All right,” and settled in.

His eyes went to Brenna and he also happily took in her smile.

Then she settled in too.

Their weight heavy and beautiful on his body, he felt his girls drift off, the youngest, first, the older, second.

Not long after, Joshua Bennett’s eyes closed.

Hours later, the sun shining bright against his eyelids, Jack opened his eyes and found himself and Belle alone in their bed, Belle snuggled close in his arms.

Dog tags jingled on Belle’s side of the bed and Belle stirred.

His arms tightened.

She lifted her head, looked down the length of his body then her head swung to him. He noted her eyes were sleepy but that didn’t mean they didn’t hold wonder along with sorrow.

“They’re home,” she whispered.

“Indeed, poppet,” Jack whispered back.

He watched the tears fill her eyes.

When the sob hitched in her throat, he pulled her over him and caged her tight in his arms as she burrowed her face in his neck and cried.

Jack sighed.

Last one down.

Epilogue

The Perfect Plan

Jack

Mostly as guard, Jack stood on the steps of his ancestral home beside the relatively attractive, definitely pale woman who stood at his side but she still appeared to be shrinking away.

“My PA will contact you,” Jack stated. “Her name is Olive Mayfair. When she does, you’ll need to give her the number on an account that’s in your name only. Once you do, she’ll deposit money into it. It will be enough that you can comfortably set up a new life in a place of your choosing. However, if you’re with him, in contact with him or if this account also bears his name, you’ll be on your own.”

“I won’t leave him,” she muttered to the steps.

“That’s your choice,” he replied. “It’s the wrong one but it’s yours.”

She was silent.

Jack turned his eyes to the lane, willing the taxi to come down it.

That was when he heard the whispered, “He’ll come after me.”

Jack looked back at her. “He won’t.”

She pulled in breath and he actually noted the effort it took her to lift her chin but she didn’t catch his eyes.

His heart clenched when her eyes came to rest on his shoulder and she declared in a soft voice, “He will.”

“Trust me,” Jack stated firmly. “He… will…
not.
”

Her head jerked at his tone, her eyes flashed to his then she looked away.

Jack turned his gaze back to the lane and waited.

“Tell your Olive person to call.” He heard her mutter and Jack sighed with relief he felt for a woman he didn’t know, a woman who had harmed his Belle but still a woman who was broken.

“I will.”

“And tell… tell…” she hesitated then said quietly, “
tell
Belle that I didn’t… I’d had enough… last night, I wasn’t exactly my –”

Jack looked down at her. “If there’s anyone on this earth who understands your behaviour of last night, it’s Belle. Don’t worry. Heal and live your life. But, I will say, do it elsewhere. I will give you money to start a new life but that’s it. There will be no more. Further, I never wish to see you again. And you will not like the consequences if you ever see Belle again.”

She nodded immediately.

Jack sighed again, turned his head and finally, thank God, he saw the taxi coming down the lane.

Then, softly, he said, “You will heal. She did.”

“She found a good man.”

“She found her strength and it did indeed come from love but not simply mine. You’re smart enough to surround yourself with people who care about you, genuinely and healthily, you’ll do the same.”

He looked down at her to see his eyes on his face.

Then she whispered, “I’ll try.”

“Good,” Jack whispered back.

She pulled her lips between her teeth but still, even with that, the ends curled up in a small smile before she quickly looked away and Jack watched her run to the taxi, throw open the door and fold inside.

Then he watched the taxi drive away.

And after it was gone he realised he didn’t ask her name.

He turned and walked up the steps as he looked up them noting that Lila was standing at the top, arms crossed on her chest, head turned, eyes aimed at the now empty lane.

When he arrived at the top, he stopped close to her and her head tipped back so she could catch his gaze.

“You’re a kind man, Jack Bennett,” she said quietly.

“She’s been living enough of a nightmare. I saw no need to add to it,” Jack replied.

“As I said,” Lila began, “you’re a kind man, Jack Bennett.”

“My thanks, Lila,” he muttered, feeling his lips twitch and he threw out an arm to the door for her to precede him.

She didn’t move.

Instead, she informed him, “I came out to watch, of course, but I also came out to tell you that beyond those doors lies drama.”

Slowly, Jack closed his eyes.

He opened them and asked a question he didn’t want to ask, “And that would be?”

“Yasmin,” she answered.

“Again, that would be?”

Lila grinned. “Yasmin of the, she’s come to the realisation after the events of last night that Quincy is the love of her life and she doesn’t want to let him go so the first thing she did this morning was inform him of this fact to which he told her to go jump in a lake variety of drama.”

“Fucking hell,” Jack muttered, his eyes moving to the door.

“It’s full blown and she has Cassandra, Joy and Rachel in attendance in the morning room so, advice, avoid that room,” Lila told him.

“So noted,” Jack replied.

“Personally,” she went on in a conversational way that made Jack look at her, “I’m considering finding Miles and sending him in to comfort her. I’ve heard he’s at the stables. That’s my next stop. What do you think of that idea?”

“I think that if Quincy Delacourt is too stupid not to forgive a good woman who did something misguided and emotional because of demons she’s grappling with that he should help her to fight and not leave her on her own to fight them, then he deserves to lose that good woman,” Jack answered then finished, “And that, Lila, is what I think.”

“I’m in complete agreement,” Lila stated through a smile, her eyes dancing.

“Do you think I can go and find my fiancée now?” Jack asked politely.

It was Lila who threw her hand out toward the door this time and offered, “Have at it.”

“Thank you,” Jack muttered and headed to the door.

“See you at lunch,” she returned and headed down the steps.

Jack didn’t bother to tell her she wouldn’t. It was Sunday. He was on his way to find Belle, gather his dogs, load them all into his car and head to her cottage in St. Ives. This was after he found Olive and told her to clear his schedule for the next week. Her head might explode but after it did, she’d pull herself together and do it.

He was two feet from the door and deciding to ask Olive to clear two weeks when it was pulled open and Angus raced out, eyes wild, kilt swaying madly around his knees.

“Ghosts in Leeds!” he boomed.
“Nasty beasties!
Must dash!”

Then he darted down the steps to his beat up white van in the drive.

Jack watched over his shoulder as Angus’s white van coughed to life, reversed on a trail of exhaust smoke that gave testimony to the fact that Angus didn’t waste precious ghost hunting time by bothering with MOTs and finally he watched the van speed down the lane.

He did this noting that Angus McPherson never said good-bye. And he did this thinking this was likely because Angus McPherson might leave but he was never gone for long enough to make the unpleasantness of a farewell worth it.

Jack strode through the door Angus left open, closed it behind him and had taken four steps into the hall before Jensen prowled in, spied him and instantly started in.

“Dude!
The party last night, a bust.
And if you think I’m
puttin
’ on another monkey suit, think again. Not… gonna… happen. Once in my life was enough and I did that when I married Belle’s Momma. Against my will, I did it again last night and, seriously, Jack, I relive another last night,
I
wanna be
wearin
’ my
ol
’ standbys.
Jeans and a tee.”
He came to a stop at Jack and announced, “So, tonight, engagement party take two. And I’m
takin
’ care of the
whole
thing. And there won’t be a bowtie or a high heel anywhere near this
fuckin
’ place for
my
shindig.”

“Belle and I are leaving in approximately half an hour and we won’t return for two weeks,” Jack replied and Jensen swayed back, his eyes getting big.

“Two weeks?”

“Maybe three,” Jack stated.

“Dude,” Jensen muttered.

“After that, when we return, by all means, throw a party. Do whatever you wish. The only thing you
can’t
do is invite people around whom Belle isn’t completely comfortable.”

Jensen threw his hands up in the air, shouting, “Right on!”

Jack shook his head but grinned doing it.

Jensen took in his grin, dropped his hands but socked Jack in one arm and declared, “You’re all right, Jack.”

“I find your acceptance somewhat disquieting, Jensen,” Jack shared honestly but, as expected, Jensen took no offence.

Instead, he burst out laughing, turned and shouted to a woman who was nowhere near, “Rachel! Baby! Party!” and he strode swiftly from the hall.

But in the wrong direction.

Jack didn’t inform him of this.

He moved through the hall but only managed to get five more steps in before Mickey Dempsey, who was descending the stairs, captured his attention.

Jack stopped, crossed his arms on his chest and waited.

Dempsey approached him and stopped three feet away.

“Called a taxi,” he announced. “It’ll be here in a minute.”

“Safe journey back to London,” Jack replied and Dempsey nodded.

“You’ll tell Belle good-bye?” Dempsey asked and Jack noted he only wished his farewell was known to Belle, not any of the others currently under his roof.

“Of course,” Jack muttered.

Then Dempsey strangely whispered, “Killing me, mate.”

“Pardon” Jack asked.

“This is the story of the century. Fuck, the millennium.”

“Dempsey, do you honestly believe, even if you could write it, that anyone would believe it?”

Dempsey grinned. “No way in hell. Probably why all the shit that Scot spouted last night over whisky never made the papers. It
happens,
no one says shit because, if they did, anyone listening would think they’re ‘round the bend.”

“Precisely,” Jack agreed.

“Still pissed off I missed all the action. The end was good but the rest of it sounded phenomenal.”