In the Shelter of Hollythorne House by Sarah E. Ladd

Author:Sarah E. Ladd
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2023-07-11T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

When Anthony first returned to Blight Moor after the war to learn that his uncle was dead, the mill had burned, and Charlotte was married, he made it his singular goal to forget the small village where he’d spent his adolescence and early adulthood.

Such difficult news on the heels of battle could crumble some men, but Anthony had decided early on that it would not break him. To combat the torment and stinging regret, he’d simply not allowed himself to think on it. Fortuitously, the busyness and danger associated with the life of a thief-taker had been the ideal catalyst to keep his mind free of the past’s emotional traps. He’d been largely successful at doing so, but one visit to accompany Charlotte to the church in the village, not to mention seeing familiar faces, threatened to dismantle his carefully curated walls and unleash the intentionally sealed memories.

Now, in the midst of all his activity, one truth haunted him: he’d never forgive himself for not saving his uncle. It did not matter that he’d been hundreds of miles away at the time the fire occurred. He should have been here. He knew that. He’d always known that.

One of their many conversations haunted him, and now even the strongest mental determination could not keep his mind from recounting it.

“I encourage you to really think your plans through, Anthony,” Uncle Robert said as they sat at the small, roughly hewn table in the mill cottage’s kitchen. “This commission you wish to purchase will exhaust the funds your father left you. You’ll be an officer, yes, but you’ll have no money.”

Anthony shrugged nonchalantly with all the confidence of his eighteen years. “If the time comes and I need money, I can just sell the commission. Sounds simple to me.”

“Consider, such a sum of money could set you up for a comfortable life here on Blight Moor,” his uncle countered. “When I die this mill will pass you to. You’ll have a legacy, spanning generations of Welbournes, to leave to your own children. You could do much worse.”

Anthony sniffed and stared out the window into the black night. Why did his uncle always have to find fault with his plans? How could he not see the logic of it? Ultimately, the decision regarding what he wanted to do with his life was his.

The shadows caused by the light from the fire simmering in the broad hearth reflected on the weathered lines of his uncle’s full, timeworn face. “Every man, young and old, dreams of adventure. Believe it or not, my first choice of occupation was not to run a mill, but other factors came into play.”

“But my father followed his calling,” Anthony argued, determined to have his point heard and validated. “He had goals and followed them. I intend to do the same.”

Uncle Robert’s expression didn’t change, and he nodded his graying head frustratingly slowly. “Yes, your father made a choice. But that did not mean he did not have responsibilities he left behind.

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