A Wedding in Springtime by Amanda Forester

Author:Amanda Forester
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Twenty

Jem crept through the dark alley, though the night was black as pitch. It was not his first time finding the door in the dark. He entered the cellar through a gap in a boarded window. A single candle burned on an old table, a small point of light that seemed to be swallowed whole by the dark surroundings.

“So you finally decided to join us,” said the man with the burned hands.

“Sorry. I had to wait till that housekeeper went to sleep. She’s a cunning one.”

“The lads had to wait for you to return to be fed,” said the Candyman with deceptive mildness. He gestured to a row of five-foot square cages along the wall. Locked inside were skinny children, their eyes reflecting the single flame of the candle. They were unnaturally silent.

“Tell me what you have learned, and I will tell you if they have earned any bread today,” said the man.

Jem told the man his adventures with Mr. Grant and Miss Talbot. He did not tell about the kiss.

“I told you to get inside the Marchford house, what do I care for Mr. Grant,” yelled the Candyman.

“But you said I should gain their trust and I did,” argued Jem.

The man stood in a flash and struck Jem across the mouth with a closed fist. Jem flew back and rolled into a ball. It was not the first time he had tasted blood.

“None of your back talk. Get in the cage,” demanded the man. Jem scrambled inside if only to protect himself from further abuse. The cage door locked shut with an echoing click. “No food today. If any of you are hungry, you can blame Jem, who did not do what I asked.” The man held up a small key. “Fortunately, I now have the key to the safe. All I need now is to get into the Marchford house, and you, boy, are going to help me do it.”

The man took the candle and went up the cellar stairs, leaving the dank basement in utter darkness. Jem began to pull scones and biscuits, ham, and lamb shank from his pockets, socks, and hat, and passed them through the bars to the boy next to him who took some and passed it along.

“Thanks, Jem,” came a whispered response. Jem curled into a ball and went to sleep, trying not to hear the faint crying from one of the younger boys. The older ones knew better than to waste their tears.

***

The sun was shining brightly and Genie awoke with a smile on her face. She could not help it, her first thought was of Grant. She gave herself a mental shake and tried to redirect her thoughts toward Mr. Blakely. He was a kind man and not afraid of her guidebook, which could only recommend him. As her maid assisted her into a morning dress of light blue, she had to continue to remind herself which man held precedence in her thoughts. Despite her determination, it took some mental effort to direct her thoughts toward Mr.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.