Sadie's Secret: 3 (The Secret Lives of Will Tucker) (48 page)

“Is that all?”

“Again, I don’t follow.”

“You think Mama’s going to be fine with your just finding me and not bringing me home?” She paused to moderate her tone. “I am not going back with you, Daddy, so if that is what you were thinking in coming here, you can think again. We had an agreement, and I was to be allowed to conduct the particulars of this case without any interruption from my family.”

“Well, isn’t that a lovely speech?” Her father took another step and stopped beside Uncle Penn. “Considering it’s coming from a girl who looks like something the cat might have dragged in, I will say it is quite bold of you to be the one asking the questions at all right now. And I will start by asking why you are wearing a hat and coat that belong to that man over there.”

Captain Tucker caught Sadie’s attention and winked before looking past her to Jefferson. “You know, son, I also was wondering how you allowed the young lady to return in such a state.”

Jefferson stood a little straighter, his expression very much the same as the one on his face when he had stood up to the judge back in Louisiana. “Well, Dad, as you were otherwise occupied, I thought I might show her—”

“Never mind, Jefferson. The ones who owe an explanation are those two.” Sadie gestured first to Daddy and Uncle Penn. “Uncle, you of all people should understand.”

“And you should realize I was not letting the old goat chase after you without me.”

The look of mutual admiration that passed between the brothers-in-law stunned her. What in the world was going on here?

Sadie returned her attention to Daddy. “Now that you’ve seen me, you can go home and report to Mama that I am fine. I’m sure between the two of you a reasonable story can be told to prevent her from sending the boys after me.”

“But you’re not fine,” Uncle Penn said. “In fact, my dear, you’re bleeding.”

“Yes, I am.” She held her chin up. “But I will survive. My best guess is I stepped on a piece of coral.”

“And I will remedy this right now.” Jefferson linked arms with Sadie and met her gaze with an insistent look. “Let’s get you bandaged up, and then we can all sit down and talk about who was where and why.”

Sadie opened her mouth to protest but he was too quick. He lifted her once again into his arms and walked out of the salon and down the hall.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Were you not paying attention?” He continued down the passageway and then made a sharp turn into her bedchamber. Gently easing her down onto the small settee under the porthole, he fixed her with a stern look. “Do not move.”

Then he was gone.

Sadie glanced down at the mess she had made of her dress. At Jefferson’s damp and wrinkled jacket that hung off her shoulders and hid her hands. And then she realized she still wore his Panama hat with the bedraggled braid tucked underneath.

Leaning back against the velvet cushions, she closed her eyes and allowed the rocking of the schooner to lull her. What an interesting day this had been.

“Miss?”

Her eyes flew open. The day just got more interesting. “Julia?”

The maid wore the green ensemble Sadie had bought for her, and her hair was styled in a more fashionable way. In the crook of her arm, she carried a basket.

“Yes, miss. Mr. Callum said you’d been injured, and I…” She shook her head as she closed the distance between them. “Oh, miss, you’re bleeding. Here, I’ve brought bandages and something to take the sting out of your cut. And you have a sunburn. Your mama would be beside herself if she knew.”

“Then it is a good thing she will never know. Julia, why are you here?”

As Julia set the basket on the floor and knelt in front of Sadie, Jefferson appeared in the door. In his hand was a roll of cotton and some scissors. He looked down at Julia and then back up at Sadie, confusion etching his features.

“What’s she doing here?” he mouthed silently.

Sadie shook her head to indicate she did not know. “Julia,” she said slowly as she watched the girl cut a length of cotton. “I will ask you again. Why are you here?”

She kept to her work, setting the roll of cotton back in the basket and reaching for a pot of ointment. “The missus said it wasn’t proper, your traveling without a maid.” She looked up and met Sadie’s gaze. “She asked me if I would go if Mr. Callum agreed to it and, of course I said I would.”

“And my father agreed, obviously.”

Julia nodded. “He did, I suppose, because here I am.”

“Here you are,” Sadie echoed as she put on a smile and then lifted her focus to Jefferson, who stood quietly at the door. While she watched, he shook his head and then walked away.

Julia caught her looking and turned to see what she found so interesting. By then Jefferson was gone. “Something wrong?”

“No. Nothing,” Sadie said. “So tell me. How did my mother react when she discovered I had left without telling her goodbye?”

“She was plenty mad.” Julia went back to her work. “She went to fussing and…well, there weren’t nothing for it but that your daddy took her for a ride down by the river. She came back happy as could be. Didn’t anyone say what went on, but I’m guessing they came to an agreement because your daddy had me packing up and out of the house before the sun set that day.”

“And Uncle Penn too.”

“Yes.” Julia secured the bandage and then sat back on her heels to return everything to the basket. “What else can I do for you?”

Sadie looked down at the awful state of her attire and then removed Jefferson’s hat and allowed her battered braid to fall down on her shoulder. “A long hot soak with some of Mama’s soap from Paris would be heavenly, but I don’t suppose that’s possible, so a pitcher and basin will have to do.”

The maid rose and smiled as she gathered up the basket. “While I cannot promise a long hot soak as I do not yet know what sort of bathing facilities this vessel can provide, your mama did insist I add several round soaps in silk pleated paper to the things she sent for you. Would that be what you are wanting?”

“Yes,” Sadie said with a sigh. “I do believe it is.”

“I’ll see what I can do then.” Julia moved toward the door and then stopped. “May I ask you just one thing, miss?”

“Of course.”

“Do you mind much that your mama sent me? I know you said I wasn’t to come along this time, but we had discussed that perhaps someday…”

Her words trailed off, though her concentration did not. Rather, she seemed keenly interested in watching Sadie in anticipation of a response.

“I only told you what I was told. That I was going alone and you could not accompany me.” She sat up straighter and began untangling her braid. “You brought Mama’s soap. For that alone I am grateful.”

Sadie smiled and Julia joined her. “Yes, miss. All right then. I’m very glad to be coming along after all. If there’s nothing else, I’ll see about a bath.”

Julia returned a short while later with several of the schooner’s crew in tow. A short while later, a tub had been filled with clean hot water.

Fingering the last of the tangles from her hair, Sadie found the temperature of the water just right. “Thank you, Julia. That will be all.”

“Would you like me to ready your things to dress for supper in town, miss?”

Supper. Of course. She should have anticipated that Daddy and Uncle Penn would wish her to dine with them.

“The blue, then.”

Opening the linen press that served as an armoire, the maid retrieved the dress, shook out the wrinkles, and then moved over to the bed to lay it flat. “With the sapphires?”

“I didn’t bring them.”

“No, miss, but I did. Your mother thought it might be nice to have certain accessories to go along with the gowns you had brought. I was able to tell her which were missing, and we determined from that what you would need. There is also a nice emerald set and your grandmother’s pearls.”

“That was very nice. Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” she said with a smile.

Sadie slipped out of her ruined dress and into the tub, submerging herself completely beneath the water. It was heavenly.

When her lungs could stand no more, she bobbed up and swiped at her eyes. Julia handed her a cake of perfumed soap and then placed a towel and wrapper within reach.

“I’ll leave you to your scrub, then.”

Murmuring agreement, Sadie sank back against the tub’s raised edge. The water was just warm enough to cause her to want to linger well after she had bathed and shampooed her hair. It was Julia’s insistent knocking that drew her out of her thoughts and into first the towel and then her wrapper.

A half hour later, Julia had her dressed and sitting in front of the mirror, her hair nicely pinned and the bottle of Lavande in her hand.

“Just a touch,” she told the maid as someone knocked at the door. “Never more than that.”

Julia set the bottle back on the table and went to answer the door. “Tell her she has five minutes,” Sadie heard her father say.

“I’m coming now, Daddy,” she called as she rose to join him.

“Is that a sunburn?” He chuckled as he linked arms with her. “Your mama would be—”

“Beside herself. Yes, I know, but we’re not going to tell her, are we?”

“No, I don’t suppose that would be a good idea.” He slowed his pace. “But I would like you to promise me something.”

“Of course. If I can, that is.”

“Would you write your mama a letter I can take back with me tomorrow? Just tell her you’re fine, something of that sort. I promised her I’d ask you when I saw you.”

“I can do that.”

Daddy leaned down to kiss her cheek. “She’ll be most pleased to hear from you. And I’ll be out of the doghouse.”

“You’re in the doghouse?” She gave him a sideways look and then punctuated it with a grin. “You know Mama can’t stay mad at you long.”

“This time she might. You left on my watch.”

“You know, Daddy, there’s something bothering me.”

Her father stopped short. “What’s that?”

“Please tell me the truth. Did you truly expect to find me or were you just humoring Mama when you promised her a letter from me?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” he said as if he were truly puzzled, though his expression told her otherwise.

“I mean, how did you know we would stop here in Key West? Jefferson and I certainly didn’t. In fact, Captain Tucker made it seem as though it was all very much a last-minute decision.”

“Now, Sadie, I truly don’t know what you’re—”

“There you are.” Captain Tucker met them at the door to the salon. “Do come in. Penn and I were just discussing our evening plans.”

Sadie reluctantly joined her father as he caught up with Captain Tucker. Their discussion might have ended abruptly, but she would be certain to get an answer before he left. Or, failing that, she would at least question Daddy again and then make her own decision as to what he was thinking.

She analyzed nonanswers all the time in the course of carrying out her Pinkerton duties. All she had to do was forget that Seamus Callum was her father and treat his responses in the same way she would treat a witness.

Now to pray that was possible.

Uncle Penn moved toward her and enveloped her in a hug. “My dear, you look lovely. Is that a sunburn?”

“We’re not mentioning that to her mama,” Daddy said.

Sadie let out a long breath and then adjusted her smile. As a Pinkerton agent, there were many things that were considered worthy of concern. A sunburn was not among them. The fact that her father appeared to be hiding something, however, certainly was. “I can see I should have allowed Julia to apply the powder she was insisting upon.”

“Speaking of the maid, I do hope you’re not upset with us for bringing her along,” Uncle Penn said. “It seemed the most expedient way to make an exit.”

“She’s been most helpful.” Not an actual answer to his question, and yet the truth.

“I hope our visitors don’t mind, but I have arranged for us to dine in town tonight.” The captain turned his focus on Sadie. “Did my son mention he would be otherwise occupied this evening?”

She opened her mouth to respond, only to see the man in question out in the corridor. He pressed his finger to his lips and then motioned for her to join him.

“I see. Oh, my. I’ve forgotten something in my room. Excuse me just a moment while I go fetch it,” she said as she hurried out into the corridor.

When she reached Jefferson, he grasped her by the waist and hauled her behind the nearest unlocked door. As he shut the door to what appeared to be an empty stateroom, he breathed into her ear, “We need to be quiet, Sadie. I don’t want anyone to hear me. Nod if you understand.”

When she complied, he continued. “Your maid. I have my doubts she is who she says she is.”

Sadie maneuvered herself around to face him and wriggled out of his grasp. In the dim light she could just barely make out the contours of his face.

The irrational thought that this man was far too handsome arose, momentarily distracting her. She pressed the thought away. “I’m listening,” she whispered.