Chapter Six

For the hundredth time, Jack told himself that hiring Lena to work with him was the biggest mistake he'd ever made. It was all he could do to sit beside her while he instructed her on how to keep the ledgers. He wanted to touch her so desperately that his hands ached with desire. He wanted to kiss her so badly that it was all he could do to keep from leaning close to her and pressing his lips to hers.

The desire he felt was nearly torture. In the mere two days she'd worked for him, he'd lost count of the number of times he'd fled her office on some flimsy excuse. It was either that or take her in a crushing embrace.

The fine china coffee cup rattled against its saucer when he set it down. Mother of God, he'd been trembling like a schoolboy. He would either get a grip on his lust or terminate her employment.

Jack swept a hand across his brow. He'd never do that, and he knew it. She had expressed her gratitude so sweetly, so earnestly, that he knew he'd do whatever it took to keep her safe and happy. And working. Now all he had to do was convince himself he was ready to go back into her office and face her again.

"I think I've got all the money counted," she said when he entered, "and the totals entered into the ledger. What's next?"

"Get the money ready to deposit, and I'll take it to the bank."

He handed her the slips she would need and gave her the large leather satchel he used for deposits. The bag locked with a small padlock that only Jack could open, and had a thick leather strap. When the bag was ready, he put the strap over his shoulder and stood.

"Now, I'll take it to the bank."

"Will I do this every day?"

"No," he said more firmly than he intended. "Ordinarily, Brad and I will take it to the bank, but today, I'll get one of the footmen to ride guard."

"Guard?"

"Yes. I always take a guard."

"I can see why," she said. "There's more money in your bag than I've ever seen at one time in my life."

Jack couldn't hide his smile. "Last night was a good night. Not all are that good, but most are close."

"I'm happy for you, Jack. You've clearly worked hard to make your club a success."

"I've had to. I was born into poverty, and my parents both died before I was ten years old. I learned early on that I could either take advantage of what life had to offer, or let it destroy me. I decided I wanted to take advantage of everything I could. Thankfully, I was blessed with a body that made me look older than I was. When I was just fifteen, I looked like I was twenty. I got a job working in a men's club in London."

"Is that when you decided you wanted to own your own club?"

He smiled again. "Yes. All I saw was money being spent by London's titled, and I realized owning my own club was how I was going to make it in the world. Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—I suffered from a wave of patriotism. I joined Her Majesty's army, and that postponed my dream of owning a club."

"What rank did you hold?"

"I rose to the rank of major. That's where I met Brad. He was a lieutenant and was assigned to my platoon. We became fast friends and learned to watch each other's backs. I survived the war because of him."

Jack thought back to those dark days when he and Brad were held hostage and fought the pain that nearly brought him to his knees.

"How did you earn the money to start the club? It must have taken more than you made on a soldier's salary."

"Oh, yes. A great deal more."

Jack opened the bottom drawer of one of the file cabinets and removed a bottle of brandy. He poured a liberal amount into a glass and offered it to her, but Lena refused, which he'd assumed she would.

He sat on the chair next to where she sat and took a sip of his brandy. "I met the Duke of Willowbrook's grandson, the Earl of Murdock, during the war. I told him my goal of running a men's club, and he told me about Willowbrook and said he was willing to loan me enough money to open an establishment. He is the one who set down the ground rules for the club, with which, of course, I gladly complied."

"What were some of those rules?"

"Mainly, he wanted my assurance that the tables would always be honest. He would abide no cheating, and neither would I."

"No one would ever think you would," she said.

"I'm glad you realize that," he said, then took another sip of his brandy. "When Brad and I were released from hospital, we came to Willowbrook. I knew the first time I toured the town that this was where I wanted to settle down. Lord Murdock loaned me the money, and I built Jackson's Gentlemen's Club."

"How wonderful," she said.

Jack finished his brandy, then got to his feet. "I need to take our deposit to the bank," he said. "Will you be all right until I get back?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. I'll double-check my totals while I wait for you."

"It won't take me long," he said, then opened the bottom desk drawer and removed a pistol he kept there. He tucked it into his jacket, then caught the expression on her face. "I've never had to use it," he said by way of explanation, "but it doesn't hurt to have it with me."

"Yes, I can see where it might come in handy. You do have quite a bit of money with you."

"Yes, I do." He anchored the satchel of money over his shoulder and walked to the door. "I won't be gone long," he said, then left the room. He made his way to the front of the club and motioned for George, the man who guarded the door, to come with him.

Jack tried to keep Lena's face from crowding his thoughts and her smile from overtaking his mind, but that didn't happen. She was becoming a part of him, and he couldn't—wouldn't—force her to leave.

*

Lena watched Jackleave the room and close the door behind him. Just thinking about him made her legs go weak. She sat in the chair behind her desk and tried to get him out of her mind, but that was impossible. She couldn't erase his smile, or the glint in his eyes. Or how her body warmed when he stood close to her. What was wrong with her?

She bolted from her chair and paced the room. She had to get him out of her mind. She had to quit thinking about him and imagining that she could care for him. But she couldn't. It wasn't possible. Her future had been mapped out for her from the day Essie had been born. From the time her parents realized that Essie couldn't see.

She'd promised her mother on her deathbed that she would always take care of Essie. That she would never abandon her. And she could never break that promise.

Lena walked to the front of the room to part the drape and look down over the gambling hall. It was growing late in the afternoon, and the club was becoming more crowded. Nearly half of the tables were busy, and Lena had an unobstructed look at men enjoying themselves with cards, dice, and a wheel that a man in an official Jackson's Gentlemen's Club jacket and red silk ascot dropped a little ball into, letting it go round and round until the wheel stopped and the ball landed in one of the spaces.

The man in a chair on the right side of the table stood up and cheered excitedly, while the man in the red ascot slid several wooden coins to the winner's growing pile.

Lena was so intent on watching the players that she hadn't heard the door open and Jack enter.

"Can you figure out what is going on?" he asked, stepping up beside her.

"Oh!" she squeaked, and Jack laughed.

"I'm sorry," he said, still laughing. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"I was so interested in what was going on below that I didn't hear you."

"What were you watching?"

"What game are they playing on table number five?" she asked. "The game with the big wheel they spin."

"Oh, that's a roulette wheel."

"What's the purpose of the game?"

Jack explained the rules of the game, and Lena listened intently. "In other words, this game requires no skill. Only chance."

"I guess so," Jack replied.

"Then why do people play it, if there's no skill involved?"

"I'm not sure," he answered.

"Do you ever play it?"

"No."

"That's interesting," Lena said, wanting to ask more, but guessing he didn't want to answer. "What do you play?"

"I don't gamble," he said, looking at her as if he needed to see her reaction.

"You don't gamble?"

"No. It's not wise to gamble with the customers."

"I can understand that. They might accuse you of cheating if you won all the time."

"Yes," he replied. "And I never lose."

Lena couldn't hide her surprise. She turned to face Jack. "You never lose?" she said on a laugh.

"No." His expression was deadly serious. "I'm not sure why, but it's as if I know what cards my opponents have before we play each hand."

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know. My mind seems able to count the cards played so I know what cards are left. I've always had that curse."

"You call that a curse?"

"It is. I'd love to sit down and play a hand of cards…and lose. Just once."

"Oh my," Lena said, breathing a heavy sigh.

"That is why I consider it a curse." Jack paused. "I am cursed with the same ability when I read something or see something. I can recall what I see or read without writing it down. It came in quite handy during the war, until I was caught looking at secret files."

"Is that when you were imprisoned and tortured?"

"Yes. The Russians didn't believe me when I told them that I hadn't taken anything, even though they couldn't find that anything had been stolen."

"Oh," she said.

"Enough about me, though. Are you ready to go home? I imagine your sister is more than ready to get rid of her visitor and have some peace and quiet."

Lena laughed as she collected her cape, and Jack helped her put it on. "I doubt that. Essie gets visitors so seldom, I'm sure it's your friend Brad who is more than ready to escape."

Jack showed Lena how to lock her office, then escorted her to his waiting carriage.

"This is George, Miss Osbourne. George, this is Miss Osbourne."

Lena greeted the man who was waiting to escort them. When Lena and Jack were both inside the carriage, the carriage took off toward Corbin House.

"It will be interesting to see who is more in need of being rescued, your sister or my friend," he said when the carriage stopped in front of the house. "Would you like to wager?"

"I wager it is your friend," Lena said as they walked to the front door.

"And I wager it is your sister," Jack replied as they entered the house.

They stepped into the foyer and stopped short.

"Do you hear that?" Jack said with a frown.

"I do," Lena answered. "I think it's coming from the kitchen."

"It is," Jack said, pausing to listen to the riotous laughter coming from another part of the house.

He tucked Lena's hand under his arm and escorted her to the other end of the house. They entered the kitchen and stopped.

Essie and Brad, along with Cook and one of the younger footmen, were seated at the table with a crowd of servants gathered around them.

"Who is that man sitting beside my sister?" Lena asked.

"He's one of my stable hands," Jack answered. "He takes care of the horses."

"What are they doing?"

"It appears that they are gambling," Jack said.

"My sister is gambling?"

"I would say so."

"But she can't see."

"Which explains what my stable hand is doing. He is obviously seeing for her."

At that moment, the stable hand lifted the card that Essie should play, and Lena's sister pulled it from the cards in her hand and slapped it down on the table with a great deal of confidence.

The crowd around the table leaned in to get a look at the card Essie played, then reacted with much clapping and cheering.

Lena focused on her sister and saw the look of pure joy and excitement on her face. She was happier than Lena had ever seen her.

"Who won?" Jack asked, stepping into the room. His voice was firm and commanding, and everyone in the room started in surprise. Lena followed him as he stopped near the table.

"I did," Essie said. The excitement in her voice was evident for all to hear. "Are you home, too, Lena?"

"Yes, Essie. I'm here."

"I won, Lena." She placed her hand on the shoulder of the man sitting next to her. "Didn't I, Rupert? I won, didn't I?"

"Yes, Miss Osbourne. You won," Rupert replied.

"I won two times, didn't I, Brad?"

"You surely did, Essie. You're becoming a regular card sharp," Brad answered, looking at her with a sense of pride.

"That's wonderful, Miss Osbourne, but why don't we all go back to work now?" Jack said in a firm voice. "Cook needs to get dinner started, or we'll all go without eating tonight."

Everyone scrambled from the room and went back to their positions. Lena felt Jack's hand on her back as he led her out of the room, followed by Essie and Brad. He took her to the nearest salon, the one he called the blue room, and showed her to the sofa. He waited until Brad and Essie were seated, then he sat beside her.

Lena studied his face to determine if he was angry but couldn't decide. Before she could ask him, he sat back against the sofa cushions and released a deep, rich laugh. She and Brad released a sigh of relief.

"I don't believe what I just saw," he said when he stopped laughing. "Not only do I own a gaming club in town, but it seems I have one operating in my own home. Did you enjoy learning to play cards, Essie?"

"Oh," Essie said with such excitement that she nearly jumped from her place on the sofa. "I had the best day ever! Do you know what I did before we played cards, Lena?"

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Lena said with tears filling her eyes. She'd never seen Essie so happy, and her heart wanted to burst in her breast.

"Brad and Rupert taught me how to ride!"

"Ride? A horse?"

"Yes! And it was marvelous. Simply marvelous. It was almost like flying."

Lena turned her head and stared at Jack. The smile he shared with her stopped her from breathing.

"I think Brad has ruined your sister forever, Lena."

"If you had seen how much your sister enjoyed herself," Brad said, "you wouldn't think she ruined herself. I think she found herself. She has more courage and zest for life that anyone I've ever met before."

"Aren't you happy for me, Lena?" Essie asked.

Lena leaned over and hugged her sister. "I couldn't be happier. I owe Mr. Prescott a great debt."

"So do I," Essie said, and the look on her face told Lena that Essie had experienced a great deal more today than just learning to play cards and ride a horse. She'd obviously awakened several emotions she never knew existed within her.