Well Kept Secrets (The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 4)

by Liza O'Connor

  “Let’s go in the kitchen and ask Davy to make you some hot cocoa.”

  That chased the surliness out of the boy.

  While mentioning to Davy that Pete was longing for something sweet and hot, Xavier tossed the note into the oven fire. “Take your time with the cocoa while I wake Vic. Then we’ll go search for Conrad and Schnell.”

  “Yeah!” Pete yelled with a mix of cheer and anger.

  Chapter 22

  Xavier, Vic, Tubs, and Pete set out looking for Maggie’s murderers. They found Conrad and Schnell at the lower dock’s mortuary. The dreary cold room was unattended, so Pete got to beat upon the stiff dead bodies and wish them to hell without anyone objecting. After expending a great deal of anger on both men, the boy tied a small bag around each of their necks.

  “What’s that?” Vic asked.

  “It’s a gypsy curse Jacko told me about that Mrs. Yarrows made for me. It prevents them from ever being happy again, no matter how many lives they live.”

  Vic rubbed Pete’s head. “Then justice has been served.”

  Pete’s eyes watered. “I will never forgive them, but Jacko says all my hate has to stay in those bags. Otherwise, it will eat at me, rather than them.”

  Xavier gripped the boy’s shoulder. “Sounds right. Leave all your hate here with these men. Walk out the boy your mother loved.”

  Pete scrunched up his face and swished about his mouth. He then spat on each man. “Let’s go quick,” he said and darted from the building.

  Vic, Tubs, and Xavier hurried out, relieved to find Pete safely in the carriage

  “Wish Jacko could’a been here with me,” Pete stated.

  Vic huffed. “Unlike us, he has work to do.”

  Xavier snorted. “You don’t think packing is work?”

  “I stand corrected. He has fun work to do,” Vic restated and hugged Xavier’s arm. “It was nice of you to let him help Captain Meyers. Otherwise, he would be bored stiff while we are away.”

  Pete laughed. “No, he won’t. He’s bringing his family to town and I’m going to live with them.”

  “That’s great!” Vic ruffled his clipped but still unruly hair. Clearly, her sister’s efforts to tame poor Pete weren’t working. “You’ll be much happier with Alice.” She then frowned. “Does Claire know about this?”

  Pete’s eyes rounded with fear. “No and please don’t tell her. Jacko warned me to keep it a secret.”

  Xavier chucked him under his chin. “Work harder on keeping secrets. However, this time no harm is done. Jacko and Alice are far more…” he paused and looked at Vic.

  “Are far more likely not to want to change everything about you.” Vic grinned.

  “Thank goodness!” Pete said in exasperation as he tugged at his short hair, evidently hoping he could make it long again. His brow furrowed. “Jacko’s warned me Miss Alice will want me to take baths too.”

  “I bet in the summer, your mum did too.”

  “But not in the winter.”

  “That’s because you would have frozen to death. However, I’m sure Jacko and Alice will have a nice warm home.”

  “He says it’s a mansion, but that don’t mean we have to be all stuffy and talk about stupid moths all night. He says I’ll be the big guy and I’ll need to help my brothers grow up to be good men. That’s why I had to get rid of all my anger…so I can be a good big brother.”

  Vic was happy for Pete, but she was worried about how Claire was going to take this. Her sister had set her heart onto remaking ‘Peter’ into a little prince.

  Once they were back at the office, finishing the last of the packing, she raised her concern. “Xavier, maybe we should delay leaving another week or so. I’m afraid when Jacko tries to take Claire’s human toy away from her, she’ll do something stupid like find a judge who will let her adopt the boy. Believe me, Pete would not do well with Claire as his mother.”

  “I agree, and I expect there will be a fuss made, which is exactly why I asked Jacko to wait until we were gone to take the boy.”

  “He may need our intervention. Claire will probably insist just because she’s a married lady now that somehow makes her competent to raise Pete.”

  “Which you and I both know is not true. Pete has been most miserable in her care. The only good thing for the boy about his week with Claire is that his new life was so horrible that it overshadowed his grief for his mother.”

  “That is not a good thing. A child needs to grieve. Otherwise, they keep it bottled up inside and it can shut them off from others.”

  He pulled her into his arms, no doubt thinking she still suffered from the loss of her parents and aunt. “I’m fine, Xavier.”

  “Are you certain? You sounded as if you were speaking from experience.”

  “I was. But to fully love you, I had to knock down all the walls I’d built around me, and slowly all my pain ebbed away. I just wish I’d addressed the matter when it first happened instead of holding it in so long.” She looked up at him, her heart full of love. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been and it’s all because of you.”

  Xavier kissed her then slowly eased her towards their suitcase covered bed.

  Having no desire to make love on a hard case or watch him toss all her hard work on the floor, she pushed him away.

  “Xavier, this is serious. I’m worried Claire will legally take claim to Pete.”

  “Which you would attempt to stop.”

  Vic nodded.

  “And forever destroy your relationship with Claire.”

  “For Pete’s happiness, I’ll do it.”

  He pulled a case off the bed and sat down, spreading his legs and tugging her towards him. “Jacko has determined he is Pete’s father.”

  “What? How dare he leave Maggie to raise the boy by herself!”

  “Calm down. First of all, Maggie is not Pete’s mother.”

  Vic stilled. “Then who is?”

  “Maggie’s sister, an actress who Jacko romanced during two months while his ship was being repaired. He never knew she had a child. She kept her pregnancy a secret. She only told the truth when he showed her the locket and told her Maggie was dead. And while her grief for her sister appeared quite genuine, her lack of interest in Pete remained firm.

  “How can she not want Pete?” Vic stated in shock. “Even Claire wants the little fellow. What type of person is this woman?”

  “Well, she’s never met the boy, so he’s never had the chance to charm her. However, acting is her life. She has no interest in anything else. When she discovered Jacko had gotten her pregnant, she tried starving herself, hoping to naturally abort it. All that accomplished was making Pete small and an early birth.”

  Vic’s hands went to her stomach. She wanted to condemn this woman to hell for not wanting Pete, for making him small for his age, but a part of her understood. Having Pete would have ruined her career. Just as Vic had initially thought her baby would ruin her life and her relationship with Xavier.

  “She should have let Jacko know.”

  “To be fair, Jacko was a pirate at the time and in no condition to raise a son.” He pressed his hands upon Vic’s cheeks. “Pete had a loving mother who raised him into a very fine boy. And fortunately, Jacko is a very different man now, and will help Pete become a good man. From my perspective, the boy seems to have been born under a lucky star.”

  Xavier was right. Of all the horrible lives L’il Pete could have lived, this seemed the best.

  Vic sat down beside Xavier. “I’m still worried Claire will declare the story fabricated and convince the judge to allow her to adopt Pete.”

  Xavier kissed the top of her head. “Yes, Claire can be most formidable. Fortunately, the sisters kept in contact by letter and when Pete went to work for Jacko, Maggie wrote her worries that Jacko would realize Pete was his son.”

  “I hope Jacko stole the letter because he may need it.”

  “He didn’t have to. The sister gave it to him.”

  Finally, Vic
relaxed. They could leave as planned. If she were here, Claire would expect her to force Jacko to give up his child, no matter how unreasonable such an idea was.

  “Does Jacko plan to tell Pete he’s his father?”

  “No. To do so would require him to reveal Maggie was not his mother. Instead, I took him to a judge, who given the real facts, allowed Jacko to adopt Pete so the truth never has to be shared.

  “When did you do this?”

  “This morning while you and Tubs were searching the library, but make no mention of the adoption. As I said, I want us away when Jacko takes claim to his son.”

  She crawled upon his lap, or tried to, only her legs became tangled in her skirt. “I hate all this damn fabric. I wish women were allowed to wear pants.”

  He leaned back onto the bed, pulling her with him. “Do not hold your breath, pup. I cannot imagine men giving up their superior clothes for a moment.”

  “I’m not asking for men to wear dresses instead. I just want them to share their superior clothes.”

  Xavier worked the tiny buttons of her dress with great speed. “Well, I’m thinking we would be better off removing all these controversial fabrics and declaring a loving moment of peace.”

  “I second your proposal.”

  Chapter 23

  A large and diverse group came to see Xavier, Vic, and Tubs off on their Spanish holiday.

  Claire, Pete, and David stood to one side. David’s arm protectively curled around his precious jewel’s waist, while Claire’s hand rested on Pete’s head. Vic still marveled how much her friend truly loved Claire. She was Claire’s sister, and she struggled with the chore on a daily basis. Her possessive claw on Pete made Vic want to rescue the poor boy at once.

  Standing apart from Claire, Gregory, her butler, was there with most of the staff. Even Inspector Stone, Captain Meyers, and Jacko had taken a moment from their work to say goodbye as well.

  Vic was happily dressed as a young man, wearing a portly man’s trousers plus a heavy wool overcoat that hid both her breasts and the bump. Once aboard, she would change into women’s clothing and arrive in Spain as Xavier’s pregnant wife.

  All but one of her trunks were stuffed with women’s clothes of different waist sizes. But one blessed trunk had her muslin anaconda wraps, her favorite shirts, and several pants, so she could return home the man she was meant to be.

  Xavier led them first to Stone, Meyers and Jacko, which made sense given their time was precious.

  “You will be missed greatly,” Stone stated as he held out his hand to Xavier. “If you get bored, no one will think worse of you for returning early.”

  “That’s the truth,” Captain Meyers added, shaking Vic’s hand. “But thank you for giving us, Jacko. He is most amazing at finding things.”

  Xavier nodded in agreement. “He’s uniquely gifted in many ways.” He turned to Jacko. “Is Alice not in town yet?”

  “I expected her this morning,” Jacko stated and focused on Vic. “She’ll be sorry to have missed you. Perhaps, when you return, you two might find you have things in common.”

  Vic frowned, confused why he would think she’d developed an interest in agriculture. “Not unless the corn steals the potatoes and you need to discover how.”

  Meyers laughed heartily. “I will greatly miss you, Vic. Solving crime won’t be nearly as fun with you gone.” He offered his hand to Xavier. “Thank you for getting me reinstated. I told my wife not to worry, that matters would be righted, but I hadn’t expected you could do so by the time I woke the next morning.”

  Vic smiled at Xavier. He truly was a magnificent problem solver, along with being the world’s finest sleuth.

  Stone cleared his throat. “We should be getting along then and see what else we can find now that we’ve received permission to search all the rooms of Thurman’s house and office.” He paused. “We may have a very different Parliament when you return. Some of the crimes certain members have committed are most serious.”

  “Any missing wives?” Vic asked.

  “More than I imagined possible. The Queen has ordered me to investigate any wife who has gone to Europe for more than a month and verify she is truly where her husband claims her to be.”

  “Well, if you have a list you want checked, we’ll be glad to do it,” Vic said.

  Stone’s brow furrowed as he looked at Xavier.

  “I’ll do it on my own if he doesn’t want to,” Vic added.

  Xavier’s hands clamped down on her shoulders. “If you have a list, Stone, hand it over. Otherwise, ask Jacko for our address and send it. I make no promises, but we’ll see what we can do.”

  He handed over a folded page, which Vic snared and opened. “There are over a hundred names here.”

  “A hundred and thirty-two. The warmer countries are very popular during winter.”

  Vic gave the list to Xavier, regretting she’d committed them to doing this. She had not considered all the legitimate reasons to leave England in the winter.

  “We’ll do what we can,” Xavier stated.

  “I would greatly appreciate it, given I have neither the men nor budget to do so.”

  Next, she said goodbye to Gregory and the staff. She hadn’t expected to get emotional, only Gregory’s eyes watered up and the next minute she was hugging him tight, bawling like a baby.

  “Stop that,” he softly scolded. “Young men neither cry nor hug. You are making a scene.”

  He pushed her back and shoved a handkerchief into her hands.

  “Sorry,” she muttered as she blew her nose.

  “The emotions are returned, just as strongly, Vic. But an English gentleman must always remain in control.”

  She breathed in and nodded. “Not sure why, but I’ll miss you.” She then turned to the cook. “I’ll really miss you.”

  Mrs. Yarrows pulled Vic into a hug and sobbed pitifully. She had yet to release Vic when she began to lecture Xavier. “You take care of Vic. Don’t let anything happen to him.”

  “I won’t,” Tubs replied.

  Vic pushed out of the woman’s arms. She hadn’t been lecturing Xavier at all. She’d been talking to her protector.

  “Tubs is highly skilled.” And doesn’t need people telling him how to do his job.

  Then the cook did the most extraordinary thing. She pulled her niece, Sara, forward and handed her to Vic.

  “You’ll be needing Sara as well.”

  Sara smiled sweetly. Vic had saved the girl from a life of hell last year and she’d become her favorite of the servants, other than Gregory and Mrs. Yarrows. Unfortunately, the girl was also betrothed to Gregory’s nephew Jonas.

  “I’m sure Jacko has servants.” Now that she gave the matter some thought, Jacko’s servants almost killed Alice when they went to stay in Spain. Maybe she should bring her own help.

  Xavier evidently read her worried scowl. He leaned down and spoke softly in her ear. “Those servants are gone. However, a nanny you trust might be useful.”

  “Oh!” Vic stated. “I would love for you to come, Sara. That is if Jonas doesn’t mind.”

  That set the girl’s lips trembling and Gregory shaking his head at her.

  What had happened? And how was she supposed to know if nobody told her? Her lack of knowledge as to something that evidently occurred in her own house frustrated her, but that was a long-standing issue. Right now, she evidently had a broken-hearted nanny-to-be on her hands. She took the girl’s hand and squeezed. “You’ll have fun, I promise.”

  Sara’s lips stopped trembling and turned up into a beautiful smile.

  Finally, they moved on to the last group of well-wishers.

  First thing, she knelt down and hugged Pete. “Be a great number one,” Vic whispered, but evidently not soft enough to escape Claire’s eagle ears.

  “Pete will not be working at Thorn’s Inquiry anymore.”

  “Why not?” both Pete and Vic asked in outrage.

  “It’s unseemly.”

  What a b
loody hypocrite! It wasn’t unseemly when Claire worked for them. Thank God Jacko would soon put an end to Pete’s torment.

  Unfortunately, she no longer wished to hug her sister. So she shook hands with David instead. He’d been her roommate at Oxford, and never had a clue Vic was female. However, since Claire liked to accidently let her gender detail slip to people, Vic had no doubt he knew her secret now. Her proof was he didn’t hug her. When they said goodbye upon his departure from Oxford in their second year, they had hugged.

  Now more put out with Claire than ever, Vic leaned in and kissed both her cheeks. “So long. Have fun.” She turned to Xavier. “I think we need to buy a ticket for Sara.”

  “You are not taking that girl,” Claire screeched in fury.

  “What do you care?” Vic wheeled on her sister. Really, Claire was being most annoying today.

  “I told Gregory to fire her, not send her on vacation!”

  “Well, Gregory cannot oblige you in this matter, because I told him Sara is never to be fired.”

  “The house is mine. I run it! It is my say who works there.”

  “Aunt Madeline left the house to me.”

  “That is only because—“

  David spoke softly in her ear. “Love, this is not the place.”

  Claire took in a deep breath and nodded. “We will discuss this when you get back. However, Sara must stay here.”

  Her sister hadn’t promised not to fire the poor servant; she’d only stated the girl must stay here, on the docks. Vic had learned long ago to listen to Claire’s actual words.

  “No, Sara’s coming with us. That way we’ll be assured of one good servant wherever we go.”

  “You are misinformed about her competency then.”

  “I’ll just have to learn that for myself, won’t I?”

  She stormed back to Gregory, Sara in hand. “Just to be clear, Claire has no right to fire anyone. I am the master of the house.”

  “No one has been fired,” he stated softly.

  “And I have a ticket,” Sara added. “Gregory gave it to me yesterday.”

  “Excellent! Let’s go.”

  Sara took the moment to hug her aunt goodbye, and then Xavier and Tubs saw them both safely across the boarding plank.