The Secret in the Wall by Ann Parker

Author:Ann Parker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2022-01-26T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

Sunday, March 12

Back in her apartment, Inez did all that she’d neglected to do before her hurried departure that morning with de Bruijn. She hung her outfit to air, washed, and changed into fresh underclothes and a comfortable plaid everyday dress with a high collar. Finally, she gave her dark hair a thorough brushing, scenting it with rosewater before pinning it into a neat knot.

Telling herself she needed to eat something before dinner, she rummaged through the minimally stocked kitchen, uncovering the cornetti Antonia had brought from Carmella’s the previous day. Inez devoured one, leaving two for Monday morning’s breakfast. The citrus fragrance, faint but noticeable, filled her senses as she stood at the kitchen window, contemplated the busy street below, and pondered her upcoming meeting with de Bruijn.

Now that Moira had agreed to her being informed on de Bruijn’s investigation, did that mean he had to impart all he had learned so far to her? And would he be compelled to answer all her questions as well? She found the idea rather titillating. Sunday being ostensibly a day of rest, she expected she would have the store to herself, so she and de Bruijn could meet uninterrupted.

Once in the office, she took a few minutes to look through her unopened private mail. There were a couple of letters from people in Leadville, which she set aside for later. Instead, she opened the letter from her sister, Harmony, in New York. Harmony’s letter, as usual, was full of details on Inez’s son, three-and-a-half-year-old William, and his accomplishments:

Willie loves to run and does not cry when he falls and skins his knees. He finds the stairs vastly entertaining and marches up and down them for hours. “No” is still his favorite word. I talk about his “Tante Inez” and how much you love him and say someday we shall all take a train and visit you in San Francisco…

With a lump in her throat, Inez set the letter aside. Giving Harmony and her husband legal guardianship of William had been one of the hardest things she had ever done, but she never regretted it. Her son was where he needed to be. Back East he was well cared for by family and physicians who kept him robust and healthy despite his physical frailties, which had compelled Inez to place him in her sister’s arms and send him East from Leadville almost three years ago. Inevitably, thoughts of William turned to thoughts of Antonia. Antonia had had no one to turn to, so Inez had taken the girl into her life and her heart. Again, Inez never regretted this decision, but sometimes she doubted her qualifications for raising the strong-willed girl. She fervently hoped she was half as good a guardian to Antonia as Harmony was to William.

One letter she had been expecting was not in the slim pile before her. Although correspondence between her and Reverend Sands sometimes lagged, his latest reply was taking longer than usual. Frowning, she drummed her fingers on the desk.

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