Chapter Three

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have answered the door. I just thought you might be…"

"I might be who?" Jack asked when she didn't finish her sentence.

"The men who were just here."

"There were men here?" he asked. "Did they bother you? Are you all right?"

"Oh, yes. I just…" She paused when a fresh batch of tears spilled down her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just received some distressing news, and I haven't had time to adjust to it yet. I'll be fine in a moment."

Jack watched her try to put on a brave face and fail.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"I'm Major Jackson Corbin," he said. "I own Jackson's Gentlemen's Club, and I'd like to speak with you, Miss Osbourne. May I come in?"

"I…I don't know. I…"

"I will only take a moment of your time."

"Very well," she said when she recovered from the surprise of hearing his name. She stepped back from the door and allowed him to enter. "Please, come in."

She led him to a small room that appeared to serve as the home's receiving room. "Please, have a seat. Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you. I won't be here that long. I just came to ask you a question."

She turned to face him. "Yes, Mr. Corbin?"

"As I said, I am the owner of Jackson's Gentlemen's Club. I was also recently appointed chief financial officer for the railroad project that will connect Willowbrook with London. The task I was assigned is quite time consuming, and I find that doing the books for both the railroad and the club is quite overwhelming. I would therefore like to offer you a position working in the gentlemen's club."

"A position?" she said, her eyebrows lifting and her forehead furrowing.

He could tell she had no idea what position he was talking about and assumed it might be one of the women that entertained men in the upstairs rooms.

"Please," he said, interrupting her before she asked him to leave. "Let me explain. I am in need of a secretary. Someone to help me with the accounts. All you would be hired to do is keep a record of the daily intake of the club, and make up a deposit to take to the bank every day."

She turned away from him and sat in the nearest chair. Jack moved to sit in the one opposite her.

"I apologize for giving you the wrong impression, but let me assure you, you would not have anything to do with what transpires in the club. You would have your own office where you would do your work and not interact with any of the customers. In fact, you won't even be allowed to enter the club. We have a very strict rule against allowing any females inside the establishment."

"Let me stop you right there, Mr. Corbin. I'm afraid I have to refuse your offer of employment."

A voice in the back of his head told him to accept her refusal. That had been his intent from the first moment he left the club to talk to her. But when he opened his mouth, acceptance of her refusal wasn't what tumbled out.

"But you haven't even heard the terms of my proposal. I assure you, they are very generous."

"I'm sure they are, sir. But in all honesty, I could not accept any offer you made."

"May I ask why, Miss Osbourne?"

Jack was forced to watch her eyes mist over. He decided at that moment that he wouldn't accept her refusal. He intended to help her. No matter what trouble she was in, he would come to her aid.

"The men who were here before you arrived were representatives of the church. They came to inform me that a new vicar has been hired and will arrive in two weeks. We have to be out of the cottage before then."

"They are kicking you out of your home?" Jack couldn't believe it. "Do you have someplace else to go?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. I will have to search for a home."

"What will you use for income?"

She stared at her clenched hands in her lap and shook her head.

"Please, let me help you," Jack said, placing his hand over her locked fingers.

"You don't even know me," she said, lifting her damp eyes to look at him.

His heart melted. "That doesn't matter, Miss Osbourne. You are in trouble, and so am I. I need your assistance."

"Why me?" she asked.

Jack thought for several moments before he answered. "Because you have no connection to me or my establishment. My club allows only men, and since you are not a man," he said with a smile on his face, "you cannot run up a huge gambling debt and be forced to steal to repay it."

"Steal?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied. "Forced to steal from the club to repay your debt."

"Oh." Miss Osbourne's mouth formed a perfect circle.

Jack couldn't tear his gaze away from her lips.

"I can offer you my guarantee that I will never steal from you. I will never take anything that isn't mine, sir. That was one thing my father was very firm on. That is one of God's commandments. Thou shalt not steal."

Jack couldn't help but smile. "Your father followed the commandments."

"My father was the vicar here. He followed all God's commandments."

"Then I see that I will not have to be concerned with you stealing," Jack said in a teasing tone. "So, does that mean you will accept my offer?"

He knew from the torn expression on her face that she still intended to refuse him. That was what he wanted, wasn't it? So why did he have this overwhelming desire to stop the words before she spoke them?

"Do you have another source of income you can rely on?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Then why are you hesitating?"

"It's not only me I'm concerned with, Mr. Corbin."

"Who else are you responsible for?"

"My sister, Esther."

"How old is your sister?"

"I am older by a year."

"And she is not married?"

Miss Osbourne shook her head again.

"Would you introduce us?"

"You want to meet her?"

"It would be my pleasure."

"Very well. Follow me."

Miss Osbourne led him from the room, through a small hallway, and into another small room that looked as if it served as a library. On the outer wall there was a multi-paned door that she opened. That door led to a well-kept garden with a variety of flowers in bloom.

"Esther," she called out when they neared a young lady who sat on a wrought-iron bench at the side of the path.

The lady turned with a smile, and Jack got his first look at a female who was the nearest image of an angel he'd ever seen.

Miss Osbourne walked close to her sister and took her hand. "Esther, we have a guest."

"Oh," Esther said, and even though she did not look at Jack, the smile on her face became broader.

"Yes, I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Jackson Corbin. Mr. Corbin, meet my sister, Miss Esther Osbourne."

"How do you do, Mr. Corbin?" she said in the sweetest voice Jack had ever heard.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Jack said. Esther didn't look at him until he spoke, but then she focused her full attention on him.

"Are you from Willowbrook?" she asked with genuine interest.

"Yes. I own Jackson's Gentlemen's Club."

"Oh, how exciting. That is where men can go to gamble, isn't it?"

"Esther!" Miss Osbourne said in a reprimanding voice.

Jack couldn't help but chuckle. "You are quite right, Miss Osbourne. I also like to think of my club as a refuge from chaotic family life."

"Oh, yes," Esther said. "Do you have a family, Mr. Corbin?"

"No. I don't."

"Oh," she said in a sad voice.

"Mr. Corbin is also in charge of the finances for the railroad that will soon pass through Willowbrook," Miss Osbourne added.

"Oh my. That is quite an undertaking."

"Yes, it is. It's also the reason I came to see your sister," Jack said.

Esther's eyebrows lifted. "Have you come to offer her a position?"

"Yes, I have, but she has not accepted my offer yet."

"Whyever not, Lena?" she asked her sister in a firm voice. "You know it's only a matter of time until the church asks us to leave here. We'll have to look for someplace else to live. We might as well do it now."

"They have already come to see me about leaving," Lena said in a soft whisper.

"Is that who was here earlier?"

"Yes, Essie."

Esther turned her head and faced him directly. "What are you going to offer my sister?"

"I intend to offer her a generous monthly wage and a house where the two of you can live in comfort."

"And what services will she be required to provide to you?"

"Essie!"

"Well, Lena, it's best you get everything out in the open and up front from the beginning."

"Your sister is quite right, Miss Osbourne." Jack turned his attention to Esther, even though he was quite sure she couldn't see him, then cleared his throat. "I have asked your sister to take charge of the accounts and ledgers for the club. I will have to devote my time and efforts to taking care of the railroad accounts and making sure the supplies and materials they require are delivered in a timely manner."

"That will be quite time consuming, Mr. Corbin."

"Which is why I need your sister's assistance."

"You must have heard how knowledgeable she is," Esther said. "She is brilliant with numbers."

"That's what I have heard," Jack said with a smile.

"Not brilliant," Lena said. "Numbers just come easily to me."

"Then you are exactly what I need."

"So, why haven't you given Mr. Corbin an answer yet?" Esther asked. "Were you waiting to see what I would think?"

"Actually, yes," Lena replied.

"Well, I will give you the same answer that Papa would give you if he were here. He would tell you that your choice is between using the gifts God gave you to earn a living, or you can continue to sell buns on the street corner, and we can go hungry."

"What about you, Essie? Who will stay with you?"

"What about Mattie? Can we convince her to spend more time with me every day?"

"Perhaps, but she has a husband to cook for."

"Maybe I can help with this," Jack said. "It would be worth it for me to pay Mattie. Would she agree to stay with you more hours for a handsome wage?"

"You would cover the cost of Mattie's wages?" Esther asked.

"It would be worth it to me in the long run," Jack said.

"I will discuss it with her, then," Lena said.

"Do you have any more questions?" Jack asked.

"What about our living quarters?" Esther asked. "Is it a cottage that we could rent?"

"No, no. I will provide a home for you and your sister. Now," he said, knowing that he'd accomplished the opposite of what he'd originally intended, "do you have any other questions?"

"No," both ladies responded.

"Perhaps something will come up later that we need to discuss, but for now I think we've covered everything," Esther added.

Jack reached out, took Esther's hand, and brought her fingers to his lips. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Osbourne."

"It was a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Corbin. Thank you for coming."

"My pleasure."

Lena stood and turned. "I'll be back in a moment, Essie," she said, then took Jack's arm and walked with him back to the house.

"Thank you," she said when they were inside.

"For what?"

"For treating Esther as if she were a normal woman instead of different from everyone else."

"She is a normal woman. She just can't see."

"You would be amazed at the number of people who think because she cannot see, nor can she think, or hear, or understand common thoughts or words."

"It's obvious that she is a very intelligent woman. And I believe that because of you, she has developed her intelligence far beyond what is normal for someone without sight."

"She has a hunger for the written word," Lena said. "I read to her as often as I can. She devours books."

"I don't doubt that. I'll make sure I don't keep you so busy that you don't have time to read to her."

"I would appreciate that, sir. Thank you."

"I think I'm the one who owes you a debt of gratitude, Miss Osbourne. You have taken a great deal of pressure off my shoulders. I think we will make good partners. I look forward to working with you."

Jack bade her good day and left the cottage. He was elated at how this day had gone, and yet it hadn't gone at all like he'd anticipated it would. Or how he had wanted it to go.

He'd told himself he wouldn't hire a woman under any circumstances. Yet that was exactly what he'd done.

He'd told himself that he wouldn't be influenced by a pretty face, or a female who needed to be rescued. Yet that was exactly what he'd done.

He wondered what he was getting himself into.