Temptations of Anna Jacobs (14 page)

E
arlier that morning Anna had awakened and come downstairs much earlier than usual. The previous night, while falling off to sleep, she’d had a most unsettling thought about the killer they were tracking and she wanted to look through everything she’d written down both during the postmortem and afterward to see if her instinct was correct. So she sat in her brother, the viscount’s, study to read through everything so as to not upset her mother. She hadn’t yet told her mother that she was assisting with the investigation. Anna had been in medical school for two years and the woman still hadn’t yet got used to that, and though her protests had all but disappeared as of late, nevertheless she would be none too pleased to discover Anna was working on the Ripper investigation.

Anna opened the book and started reading through the notes she’d made on the previous postmortem examinations, and every note she made stuck out to her: precise, exact, clean, and the list went on. A sickening feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.

There was a knock at the study door. “Annabelle, are you in there?” It was her mother.

“Yes, mother,” she said. She quickly folded the book over on her hand to close the notes.

The door opened and her mother stepped inside. “Are you planning on attending the theatre this evening?”

“What?” Anna shook her head. “No, I don’t believe I was.”

“Oh, well, it is just that Doctor Harrison mentioned he could secure extra seats and we could—”

“We?” Anna interrupted. “Mother, if you should like to attend the theatre with my professor, please feel free to do so, but I am quite busy with my studies.”

“Studies? Mitchell said—that is, are you not on break right now?”

So it was Mitchell now? Interesting. “Yes, I am on break, but I want to get a start on the next term, and now seemed as good a time as any.” She couldn’t very well tell her mother what she was actually studying.

Then the butler appeared in the doorway. “Lady Annabelle, there is a Lord Carrington here to see you.”

“Send him in.”

“You have certainly been spending an alarming amount of time with Lord Carrington for a girl who expressly insists that she isn’t being courted.” Her mother smiled knowingly.

Anna suppressed a groan. If only her mother knew what they often did together. It was most decidedly not the stuff of courtship—it far too often required a dead body for there to be that much romance. Though they had shared many passionate moments. Her cheeks flamed at the thought.

Anna came to her feet. Drew entered the room and she sucked in her breath. Why did he have to be so bloody handsome? “Drew,” she said.

“Anna.” Then his eyes caught sight of her mother. “Lady Wickersham.”

“Lord Carrington,” her mother said, her hand coming to her throat. “Since my eldest son is out of town, I feel the duty falls to me to inquire about your intentions toward my daughter.”

“Mother!” Anna shrieked. “I apologize,” she said to Drew. “Drew works with Simon. I’ve consulted with him regarding a medical aspect of the case. I have illustrations here in my journal.” She retrieved her notebook. “Would you care to see?”

Her mother shuddered. “Absolutely not.” She watched Drew a moment longer.

Drew chuckled.

“I’m not certain what you find so humorous, young man,” she said.

“Mother, weren’t you about to invite Drew and his family to attend our dinner party tonight?”

A frown marred her mother’s forehead, and Anna looked pointedly at her.

“Oh, yes, of course, I had simply forgot about the dinner party. Yes, Lord Carrington, you must come, with your brother and his lovely wife, too.”

“I’m certain Doctor Harrison is looking forward to it as well,” Anna said.

“Indeed,” her mother suddenly agreed.

Drew smiled at her mother, and the transformation to his face caused Anna’s heart to flip upside down. “We would be honored to be your dinner guests.”

“Excellent.” She looked at both Anna and Drew. “Well, I suppose I should be going to check to make certain Cook has everything set for the menu.” Then she left the room, though she did not close the door.

Once they were alone, Anna eyed him. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve discovered something.”

“And we have a new development this morning. You first,” he said.

“Shall we sit?” She walked to the seating area in front of the fireplace and he joined her, though he didn’t sit next to her. Though she longed for his nearness, she was also thankful she wouldn’t be tempted and lose her attention for the conversation at hand.

“I don’t believe you’ve told me . . . how did you do on your examination?” he asked.

He paid attention to what she said, remembered the small details. Warmth spread through her. “Quite well, actually. Though I did miss some points on my sutures. It’s rather annoying, I must say. Obviously I should have done as my mother instructed and practiced more of my embroidery.” She smiled at Drew. “In truth I don’t see why it matters overly much. As long as my stitches keep the wound sealed up from infection, it hardly seems relevant if said stitches are straight.”

He chuckled. “Sounds perfectly logical to me. So onward with this idea you’ve had.” He motioned with his hand to encourage her to speak.

“I believe the killer went to medical school or has had some form of medical training.” She frowned. “Perhaps he’s a butcher. In truth, it’s difficult to be conclusive, but after studying the postmortems I’ve concluded that his incisions are too precise for the average person.”

She stood and retrieved her notes from the desk and handed them to Drew. “I should like to discuss my findings with my professor, get his opinion. He has been helpful so far. I do hope you won’t mind.”

Drew scrubbed a hand down his face. He was exhausted, she could tell that much. His hair was more unkempt than usual, the soft waves more haphazard. Red lines, like tiny cobwebs, clouded his eyes.

“Have you been awake all night?” she asked.

“More or less,” he said with a shrug.

She stood and rang for a servant, then promptly ordered a coffee tray be brought in.

“Thank you,” he said. He looked down at her notes, flipped through them a few times, then looked back up at her. “So you believe he could be a doctor?”

“No, I don’t think so. It seems his work is more like mine—something almost there, not quite yet masterful. The work of a student, if you will.”

“Interesting. So that would leave us with a former medical student. Now the question is, did he leave medical school or was he forcibly removed?”

“Precisely,” she said. If only they could look at the admission records at the men’s medical college, then perhaps they could find something there that would lead them in the right direction.

The coffee was brought in and Anna went about preparing a cup for Drew. She handed it to him, then made one for herself, adding extra cream and extra sugar.

He took a healthy sip and nodded. “Thank you. This will help.”

“Tell me of your development?”

Another sip of coffee, then he set it down on the occasional table in front of him. “There was another killing last night in Whitechapel. Evidently one of our sergeants intercepted the attack and was injured himself.”

“Two victims?”

Drew shook his head. “Oh, no, the officer is still alive, though he’ll have to be watched for infection.”

“So he saw the killer, then?”

“You would think that, but no, he claims it was too dark, that things happened too fast.”

“Claims—it sounds as if you don’t believe him.”

“I have my suspicions.” He leaned back with his coffee and sipped quietly.

“Have you worked with this particular officer before?”

“No, I haven’t. Until last night I’d never heard of him. Name is Richter.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Jeffries told me that Richter has applied to be put in the detective branch and has also attempted to be promoted to inspector, and has been denied on more than one occasion.”

“I see. He doesn’t happen to have any medical experience, does he?”

Drew chuckled. “No, I don’t believe so, but I could make the inquiry.”

It was nice, the two of them sitting together, sharing coffee and working on the investigation. As if they were truly partners.

“So this dinner party tonight—that seemed utterly impromptu,” he said.

She grinned. “I was mortified by my mother’s question and decided that if she wanted to stick her nose in my affairs, then I would stick my nose in hers.” Then she realized what she had said and she felt the color drain from her face. “Not that you’re my affair, I merely meant that with the two of us working together on this case—”

“Anna, relax. But you know if you wanted to invite me to dinner, you could have merely asked.” He came to his feet. “I’ve got to get some sleep before I go in to question Richter.”

She stood, walked toward him, but stopped herself before she touched his arm.

“I shall see you this evening, though.”

“Yes, of course.”

***

Drew had once again returned to his brother’s townhome. He was to hand-deliver the invitation to the Wickersham dinner party. Anna’s mother had caught him as he’d been leaving the study and tasked him with the invite.

He couldn’t tell if the woman liked him or not, but what he had noticed was the amiable way that she and Anna got along. They didn’t agree on everything, or on much, really, but there was love there. And support. Things Drew had expected from his parents, but had never received. He was glad that Anna had grown up in such an environment, and suspected she was very much who she was today because of it.

At the moment Drew waited in the front parlor which used to be his mother’s favorite room in the house. Drew couldn’t help but notice that the room had been completely redecorated. Instead of looking as if it had been hosed down in butter yellow, it now was much more pleasant and welcoming in muted shades of blue and green. Mia was settling in nicely as duchess, and for a blind woman, she had exceptionally lovely taste.

“Drew, nice of you to stop by,” Alex said as he entered the room. He was alone. “If you keep up this good behavior, rumors will spread that you’ve been reformed.”

“Reformed? By the likes of you? I seriously doubt that,” Drew said. “I need a favor.”

“Of course.” Alex took a seat in one of the upholstered chairs near the window.

“I hope you and the duchess have no plans for dinner tonight,” Drew said. “I have here an invitation to the Wickershams’ for a small dinner party.”

“Wickersham, as in Simon’s family?”

“Indeed, though not the viscount and viscountess; rather Anna and her mother. Lady Wickersham made it quite clear that I was to make every effort to get you and Mia there,” Drew said.

“Indeed,” Alex said with a raised brow. “Do you and Anna have some big announcement to make? An engagement, perhaps?”

An engagement?
To Anna? His brother’s grin only aided in knocking the wind out of him. “Of course not. Alex, you know I cannot marry a lady. Not with my illegitimate birth. She deserves better than the likes of me.”

“Your secret never has to be told, Drew. Father made it clear that he accepted you as his legitimate son by bringing you into the house and raising you with me and Stephen. You are just as much his son as either one of us,” Alex said.

“Are you suggesting I build my marriage on a lie? Would you have kept such a thing from Mia?”

Alex paused. “No, I don’t suppose I would have. You obviously care for this girl.”

“Of course I do. She’s lovely and gentle and kind and smart and any number of other wonderful adjectives that tell me she is too good for me.” He shook his head. “The party is just that—a party. Nothing special.”

Alex nodded. “Very well, we shall be there.”

Drew handed him the invitation. “Thank you.”

Anna couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this nervous, nor the last time they’d had any sort of social affair at their house. The servants were all abuzz getting everything ready. Her mother flitted about, going from the dining room to the parlor to the kitchen, ensuring every detail was precisely carried out. If Anna wasn’t mistaken, there was a new energy to her mother, a youthful surge.

She suspected a certain doctor was to be given the credit for such a change, and Anna was ready to thank him personally. Since the death of her husband, Lady Wickersham had spent all of her time and efforts on her children, when she herself still had so much living to do. Anna found herself smiling as Risa finished the buttons on Anna’s gown.

“You look lovely, my dear,” Risa said.

“Thank you. You’ve truly outdone yourself with my hair this evening.” Anna touched the soft curls bundled at the nape of her neck. Sapphire hair pins sparkled throughout the strands, winking at the matching necklace and earbobs. The deep blue gown was spectacular, another that her mother had purchased without Anna’s presence. Anna would never have sought out such a rich hue and was surprised to see how well it suited her.

The clock hanging on the opposite wall chimed. It was time; the guests would be arriving at any moment, and Anna would wager Lady Wickersham was tied in knots down below, pacing holes in the corridor rug. Anna stood, took one last look in the mirror, then left her room. Her shoes made only a whisper of a noise as she made her way down the stairs.

As she’d predicted, her mother walked back and forth in the corridor, her hands clasped tightly together.

“Mother, what are you so nervous about?”

She started at the sound of Anna’s voice. “Gracious, child, you cannot simply sneak up on a person in such a fashion. You nearly gave me a fright.”

Anna grinned. “I could probably assist you were to you have such a medical emergency. Or Doctor Harrison could—you did invite him, did you not?”

“Yes, Mitchell is coming. He was pleased, as the particular show he was going to take me to has received wretched reviews in
The Times
.”

“Very good then. Tonight should be a lovely affair.” Anna sounded calm, for which she was thankful. Inside, though, her stomach stirred with nerves. “I do think wandering the halls is perhaps not a good idea. Shall we adjourn to the parlor and allow the butler to answer the door?”

“Oh, yes, that’s precisely what we should do.” Her mother smiled warmly at her. “You know, I’m not certain how this dinner party will come off, but I admit I enjoyed putting it together. Thank you for suggesting it.”

“Anytime.” They moved into the parlor, where her mother sat, then stood, then sat again.

Someone knocked on the door and Anna and her mother both jumped. “Good heavens, you’d think the two of us never have company.”

Her mother laughed and in walked Doctor Harrison. “I’m sorry that I missed whatever elicited that lovely laugh.” He stepped over to Anna’s mother and leaned over her hand. “You look beautiful, Lucinda.”

She blushed prettily. “Thank you, Mitchell.”

Before Anna and her professor could greet one another, Drew arrived with the Duke and Duchess of Carrington in tow. Introductions were made and Anna was struck by the duchess’s beauty. She was striking, with her dark hair, fair skin and unusual blue eyes. And she looked right at Anna as if she could see her. Anna decided immediately that she liked Mia, quite a bit.

The bell rang and the adjoining dining room doors were opened. Her mother had seen to it that the duke was seated at the head of the table and herself at the foot. The rest of the guests were scattered about, with Drew next to Anna. It would seem her mother was, indeed, still playing matchmaker.

The first course of dinner was served, and Anna’s stomach growled in response to the rich aroma steaming up from her soup. She took a spoonful and savored the layers of flavor.

“You look beautiful, Anna,” Drew whispered next to her.

She looked over at him and smiled. “You do as well.”

His brows rose, and she felt the utter fool. “Thank you,” he said with a grin.

It was a stupid thing to say, though not untrue. He was beautiful; there was no denying that. She wished her mother’s efforts at matchmaking weren’t in vain, wished that things might have been different between her and Drew, as he’d told her once. But he had said himself that they couldn’t be together. Now that she thought about it, he’d never said precisely why they couldn’t be together, but she’d seen the haunted look in his gaze when he’d said it. She’d known he meant what he said, no matter how much she might wish otherwise.

“Have you had a chance to discuss matters with your professor?” he asked.

“No, I haven’t.” She blotted her mouth with her napkin. “Doctor Harrison, since you have already assisted with one aspect of the investigation, I wonder if perhaps you could spare another opinion.”

“Annabelle, honestly, I should hardly think that is appropriate dinner conversation. Not to mention the duke and duchess probably do not wish to hear such things.”

“Don’t censure yourselves on our account,” Mia said. “Considering everything we went through earlier this year with that monster, nothing said here can unsettle us.”

“My wife is right. This is an intimate setting,” the duke said. “If you have matters of business to discuss, by all means, please proceed.”

But Anna’s mother was still horrified.

“Lucinda, I don’t believe Anna will say anything graphic about the killings themselves so you needn’t worry about that. And I want to do anything I can to assist. We all want this criminal caught,” Doctor Harrison said gently.

“Correct. I don’t have any details, merely an observation I’d like evaluated,” Anna said.

“Yes, of course, I simply didn’t want anyone to be offended.” Lady Wickersham smiled. “I want him caught, too. Then my dear son might return from Scotland. And we’ll all be safer.”

Anna had never seen her mother handled so expertly. She obviously trusted Doctor Harrison a great deal. “Very well. In studying my notes, I noticed one other thing about the previous murders. It is quite obvious that the killer is quite skilled with his weapon. I wondered if perhaps he’d had medical training.”

He met her gaze as she spoke and immediately she felt the fool for even mentioning such a thing. To assume that someone who had studied medicine could perform such cruel acts was asinine.

But then he exhaled slowly. “It is a crime against the profession to abuse your training in such a way,” he said. “I’d have to review your notes again, but after what I’ve seen so far, I’d say it is certainly a possibility that Jack the Ripper is a doctor, but it’s doubtful.”

Anna’s heart sank. She’d thought for certain she was onto something with that theory.

“I’d wager, though, that he has had some manner of training, gone to school. I doubt though that he completed his degree, or at the very least doesn’t practice the profession. I simply cannot see a practicing doctor being so cruel, to kill a woman in such a painful way.”

So she had been right.

“I read in
The Times
about the newest murder,” the duke said. “It said there was a witness.”

Drew set his spoon down and eyed his brother. “Indeed. I’m doubtful he’s a true witness though. I find his story rather suspicious.”

Anna wondered if Drew would tell the rest of their party about the second killer. But that seemed unlikely.

“You think he might be the Ripper himself?” Mia asked. “I would know if it was him. You should allow me to meet him.”

Alex came to his feet. “Absolutely not.”

Drew held his hand up. “Wait, Alex, before you make a decision. It’s actually a great idea. I should very much like to rule him out as a suspect for the Ripper. Mia would be the perfect way to do that.”

“I’m confused,” Lady Wickersham said, “why is it that the duchess would know anything about Jack the Ripper?”

Anna couldn’t help but smile that even her mother could be lured into one aspect of the mystery.

“I witnessed one of his murders. It was how Alex and I met,” Mia said. “I wouldn’t know him by sight, obviously, but there are other means. For instance, I can tell that you, Lady Wickersham, have a lovely smile. I can hear the kindness in your voice.”

Anna’s mother smiled and thanked the duchess.

“You want me to give you permission to bring my wife into the room with a man who is possibly the worst killer this city has ever seen?” the duke asked. “Have you lost your senses completely, Drew? Even if she hadn’t already been through a horrific ordeal”—he shook his head—“no, I most certainly cannot allow this.”

“She would be perfectly safe. We’d be at the Scotland Yard offices,” Drew said.

“Yes, I’d be perfectly safe,” Mia chimed in.

Anna liked the woman more and more as the dinner progressed. She’d wager they weren’t the only dinner party in London discussing Jack the Ripper. The crimes had captivated the city, and everyone was talking about it. Still, she knew that at this table, here in her family’s house, they had more of the truth at their hands than anyone else.

“If that is supposed to make me feel better”—Alex shook his head—“it doesn’t. You can’t possibly understand, Drew. You don’t know what it’s like to love a woman and nearly lose her.”

“You’re right, I don’t know what that’s like. But I do believe I can imagine,” Drew said, and he met Anna’s gaze.

Her heart seemed to stop beating and her breath caught. Certainly he wasn’t trying to imply that he loved her; she knew that much was true. More than likely he merely thought of the night he saved her from that leech in the pub. Drew had been so angry when that man had pawed at her.

“Love, I offered. You know how I feel about this. If I can be of assistance in catching him, I want to be. He knows where I am. If he still wanted to kill me, he’d have tried again,” Mia said.

“Good heavens,” Anna’s mother said, her hand coming to her throat. “You poor dear.”

Doctor Harrison reached his hand across the table and covered Lady Wickersham’s hand, and surprisingly enough, she didn’t pull away.

“If you believe me to be in such danger, come along and protect me,” Mia told her husband.

“So you will help me?” Drew asked.

“I’m the duke, for heaven’s sake. Doesn’t that count for something with my family?” Alex asked.

“It gets us all the best invitations in London, and I’m told we have wonderful seats at the theatre,” Mia said.

Everyone at the table laughed. For the rest of the dinner they shared more standard mealtime conversation: new engagements announced, the horrible play that Doctor Harrison had nearly taken Anna’s mother to, the unusually chilly weather for this time of year.

When it was over, they retired briefly to the parlor and Mia regaled them with tales of what she thought people looked like based on how they smelled and sounded. Anna hadn’t laughed in such a fashion in so very long. Nor had she seen her mother so happy.

When Doctor Harrison rose to leave, he pulled Anna aside. “I should expect you’ve deduced that I’m attempting to woo your mother.”

Anna smiled. “By all accounts, you’re doing an excellent job.”

“I know it’s not customary to seek permission from a daughter, but you and I have a professional relationship, and you must know I’m rather fond of you. I’d hate to go against your wishes.”

Anna pulled the man into a quick embrace. “You may definitely have my permission to court my mother. I haven’t seen her this happy in years, and I thank you. Not merely because she’s suddenly become slightly more supportive of my education, but because she’s living her life again. She needed that.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes, please keep doing whatever it is you’re doing.”

“We should retire for the evening as well,” Mia said. “Evidently I have a big day tomorrow.” She grinned up at her husband, who pulled her to him.

“You, my dear, are incorrigible.”

“And you love me.”

Their mutual adoration shot a wistful pain through Anna. She did want that. More than ever now that she’d met Drew. But he’d made it abundantly clear they did not have a future.

“I’ll see you out,” Lady Wickersham said, and suddenly Anna and Drew were left alone in the parlor.

“Will you meet me tonight?” she asked.

“Of course.” He frowned. “For what?”

She chewed at her lip. “I’ll tell you later. Meet me at Simon’s.”

He nodded and then closed the distance between them and kissed her softly. “I’ve been wanting to do that all evening.”

She looked up at him, breathless.

“That dress makes me want to do all sorts of wicked things to you.” His eyes darkened and he kissed her again, this time more deeply.

He wanted her, she knew that much. But he didn’t want her for his wife, for whatever reason. There was no legitimate reason why. His brother, the duke, had married a blind girl. Even her mother seemed to have found love.

If he wasn’t courting her properly, then it must be because of some fault that lay with her. Which meant that all the flirting and kissing wasn’t rooted in genuine attraction, but rather in some ridiculous notion that it was the only way to keep her working with him.

It was that thought and that thought alone that gave her the strength to pull away from him.

“My mother could return,” she said in a whisper.

“Of course. My apologies, Anna. I shall meet you later tonight.”