Mistletoe and Magic (Novella): A Loveswept Historical Romance (14 page)

“If your name is Jared Marton, how do you explain this?” He put the leather folio in front of him. “That was in the pocket of the dead man.”

Jared stared at his checkbook, stunned by the news. A moment passed and another officer stepped into the room.

“Jared! I heard something about a shooting tonight! Thank God it wasn’t you!” Jimmy Reardon shook his hand, obviously relieved. “I was afraid …”

Understanding dawned and Jared nodded his head. “I think I know what
happened. I donated some old clothes last week to the church, including my herringbone tweed. I must have forgotten to look through the pockets. Funny, I just missed my folio tonight when I went to pay for a gift.”

“That was the coat,” the policeman confirmed, looking through his notes. “I see it right here: the body was found in a herringbone tweed.”

Jimmy Reardon sat down on the desk, chewing his pencil thoughtfully. “Isn’t your club near the location of the shooting? And don’t you walk there almost every evening?”

“Yes.” Jared looked confused. “What are you getting at?”

He indicated the checkbook. “I think your coat was the reason for the poor fellow’s death. We got word that Jack Kelly was released a few days ago, and I hear he blames you for his imprisonment. Think about it. A man is walking your route, wearing your coat, and gets shot for no reason.” He picked up the checks. “Obviously not robbery. I think Jack Kelly was gunning for you.”

Jared felt the blood drain from his face as Jimmy continued.

“We thought we’d have picked him up by now on another charge. Fighting, drunkenness, or something. I want you to stay put for a while and we’ll send the paddy wagon for him. He might be at his tavern, or the Bowery. We also have the name of the woman he sees. It won’t take long, but I don’t want you walking the streets until he’s behind bars.”

Jared nodded, and his gaze went back to the leather-bound folio. Penelope had been right.

And without his promise to her, he would have been dead.

“What is it, dear?” Eve asked.

It was the morning of Christmas Eve. Eve had planned a nice brunch and was enjoying her coffee when Penelope walked inside the house with the paper.

Her niece was as white as a marble statue. Her violet eyes had dimmed, and her lips were trembling. Wordlessly, she laid the
Times
on the coffee table. The headline unmistakable: JARED MARTON, 34-YEAR-OLD LAWYER, SHOT DEAD!

“My dear!” Eve gasped in horror. “Why, it cannot be! There must be some mistake. You warned him not to go out … surely he couldn’t have forgotten?”

But Penelope was unresponsive. She stared into the distance at nothing, and her eyes seemed strangely unfocused. Eve saw that her pupils were dilated.

“Bertha, fetch the doctor …” She went to her niece.

The maid was already shrugging into her coat. “Doc Porter is closest. The poor miss. She’s had quite a fright. I can’t imagine such doings. Poor Mr. Marton!” She hurried out the door, knotting her muffler against the cold.

Eve led Penelope to the sofa and poured her a brandy. “You must drink some of this, dear. Try.” She put the glass to her lips, but Penelope didn’t react at all. It was as if she were gone, lost in a place filled with horror, and didn’t know how to return.

The doctor arrived shortly, followed by Jennifer and Winifred. “I hope you don’t mind,” Bertha said, “but I sent for her sisters. I thought they might offer Miss Penelope some comfort.”

“Bless you, dear,” Eve said, putting an arm around the maid as the doctor approached. “I should have thought of that myself.”

“She’s had quite a shock,” the physician pronounced, putting his stethoscope aside. “She appears to have suffered trauma and is in a catatonic state. I will give her an injection to help her sleep.” He pulled a vial from his black bag, and his weary gaze met Eve’s. “When she awakens, make sure someone is with her, for she is liable to panic when she remembers what caused this.”

“Oh my God, poor Penelope!” Jennifer cried, her voice filled with pity. “She told me about her vision. Who would have thought it would really come to pass?”

“She tried to warn him,” Eve said as the physician prepared the medication. “But I don’t know if he heeded her message.”

The doctor injected the young woman with a sedative and Penelope fell into a deep sleep. Her sisters exchanged worried glances as Winifred opened the paper.

No one said a word as they stared at the ghastly headline.

Gabriel and Charles headed for the police station in a carriage. Both men were silent as the news hung heavily over them. Gabriel was saddened for Penelope, but Charles had been a close friend of Jared’s and keenly felt his loss as well.

“I can’t believe this happened.” Charles stared at the road passing by, shaking his head in horror. “I just saw him yesterday at billiards. He was laughing, chalking his stick, making a mockery of his challengers …”

“I know,” Gabriel said. “I promised Jennifer to get a full accounting of the facts. I don’t know if that will help her sister, but I can’t abide just sitting around.”

“Me either.” Charles pounded his fist into his hand. “We will find the man responsible for this, I swear it!”

They entered the station and a weary clerk greeted them. “We are friends of Jared Marton’s,” Gabriel explained. “Can you tell us which officer found his body last night?”

The clerk looked at him strangely. At the same moment, Jared walked into the room, yawning as if he’d spent the night in a cell. “Gabe! Charles! What are you doing here?” He stretched, loosening his muscles. “I’ve had the worst night’s sleep ever—”

“Jared!” Charles gaped at him, and then, to Jared’s astonishment, rushed to embrace him.

“What’s all this?” Jared looked at his friend as if he’d lost his mind.

“Have you seen the
Times
today?” Gabriel pointed to the morning paper sitting on an officer’s desk. He deposited the headline before Jared and the man’s mouth dropped in astonishment.

Grabbing the paper, Jared scanned the story, stunned by what he was reading. A thought quickly occurred to him and he looked at Charles, fear written all over his face.

“Penelope?”

“She’s seen it,” Charles confirmed. “You need to go to her.”

“I have strict orders that you’re to stay here until we bring Black Jack Kelly in.” The burly policeman came out from behind the desk. “Our men are all out looking for him,” he explained. “We believe he was the shooter. Mr. Marton isn’t safe on the street …”

“You let go of me, you ruffians! You’ve got nothing on me! Why, I’ll take me stick to the lot of you …”

Everyone stepped back as two policemen dragged a man, cursing and shaking his fist, into the station. “We’ve got him,” Jimmy Reardon said to Jared, indicating their prisoner. “Black Jack himself.”

“Aye, and what of it?” the redheaded scoundrel sneered, but when the man’s eyes fell on Jared, he stood stock-still and paled as if seeing a ghost. “You … it can’t be! Why, you’re dead! I saw you—” He stopped just short of admitting he’d shot Jared himself.

“Aye, and if that bullet inside the dead man matches the one in your gun, you’re going away for a long time, sonny,” Jimmy advised him as the burly policeman shoved Jack toward the cell. “Get in there.”

“I can go now?” Jared asked.

Jimmy nodded his head. “You’re safe now that we have this hoodlum behind bars where he belongs.”

Jared raced out of the station with Gabriel and Charles, and their carriage sped off to the Appletons’ house.

“Where is she?” Jared demanded as he burst into the room.

Eve gasped in astonishment when she saw Jared. Jennifer and Winifred arose, shocked to see the man looking around for their sister, apparently alive and well.

“But how …” Jennifer was the first to speak. “We thought you’d been killed!”

“Upstairs?” Without waiting for an answer, he turned and impatiently bounded up the steps.

“Young man, you can’t go up there!” Eve came to her senses as she became aware of his intention. “Why … it isn’t done!”

“I think we can safely give him a moment with Penelope,” Gabriel reassured her. He filled them in on what had happened at the station while Jared, taking the stairs two at a time, stormed into Penelope’s room.

She looked like Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Rapunzel all at once. But she lay so still and her face was so pale that it scared the living daylights out of him. Quickly he picked up her hand and felt for her pulse. Relief flooded through him as he felt a steady beat.

“Penelope.” Jared smoothed the hair from her forehead. It tore at him to see her this way, knowing the agony she must have gone through. He could see her eyes were still swollen from crying and her sleep was troubled. Gently, he placed a kiss on her lips, and her eyes slowly fluttered open.

“Jared!” Her lips parted in stunned confusion. “Are you—”

As if guessing her thoughts, Jared rushed to reassure her. “It is me. I am fine.”

Penelope gave him a relieved smile. “It must have been a dream … Jared, I had the most awful nightmare! I thought you had died …”

“I know. But it wasn’t a dream.” He kissed the back of her hand. “It all happened exactly as you foretold, down to the newspaper headline.”

“But then … how?”

“It was a terrible mistake. Do you remember when you donated the collar I gave you to the poor?”

She nodded, confused.

He sat beside her on the bed and smiled. “I thought it a noble idea, so I gave some of my clothing to the sisters for the orphanage, including my tweed. Unfortunately, I’d left my checkbook inside the pocket, and when the poor beggar was shot, the police identified the body as me.”

“That’s terrible!” Penelope cried.

“There’s more. They believed the man was murdered and I was the intended victim. Do you remember the Kelly gang that was arrested a few years ago?” When Penelope shrugged in confusion, he continued. “I was the prosecutor in the case, and Jack Kelly swore vengeance. He was released from jail a few days ago. The authorities think he followed this man down the brick path you saw in your vision and shot him, thinking it was me.”

“Oh my God!” Penelope’s eyes widened in horror.

“Yes. But it’s over now, and we’re together.” His eyes met hers and she saw the warmth burning within them as he took her hand. “It’s all over.”

Penelope flew into his arms as the realization of what had transpired fully hit her, and she couldn’t stop the tears. “I was so scared I’d lost you! When I saw that paper this morning, I wanted to die!”

Jared held her tightly. “It’s all right, sweetheart, I’m fine. You saved my life. Don’t cry.”

When she was finally able to calm down, he released her and fumbled inside his coat. “I was going to wait until tonight to do this, but given the circumstances …” He withdrew the velvet box and handed it to her with a little-boy smile that cut straight to her heart. “I hope you don’t mind an early Christmas present.”

She gasped when she lifted the lid and saw the magnificent ring embedded in white satin. The blue diamond caught the morning light, sending fiery sparkles of violet and gold around the room.

“It’s stunning,” she breathed and looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes. “Jared … does this mean …?”

“I can see I will have to do this properly since you are uncertain of my intentions.” He got down on one knee and took her hand.

“Penelope, my darling, will you marry me?”

“Yes!” Penelope laughed and cried at the same time as he slid the ring onto her finger. “Jared, yes!”

Eve knocked discreetly on the door, and then entered the bedchamber with Jennifer and Winifred. Penelope’s sisters rushed to her, exclaiming over the diamond, while Eve gave the young man a firm look.

“Mr. Marton, I think it’s time you joined the gentlemen downstairs. Miss Penelope needs to get dressed, and it is most improper for you to be here in her state of dishabille. As
Godey’s Lady’s Book
says, no man must see a woman alone, unless he and she have joined into the marital union.”

Everyone laughed and Eve looked about her in bewilderment, wondering at the joke.