Seasons of Littleton 01 - Christmas at Edgewood Park by Shaela Kay

Author:Shaela Kay [Kay, Shaela]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781947005136
Amazon: 1947005138
Goodreads: 36211554
Publisher: Blue Water Books
Published: 2017-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Albert Cartwright no longer sat alone in a pew at church. Almost as soon as he began showing up at their homes with Eleanor Eves, the townspeople of Littleton opened their hearts to him. Now, before he could even find a seat, his neighbors were stopping him in the vestibule, greeting him in the aisle, and inviting him to sit with them in the pews. A few of the children and even some of the adults still looked at him with trepidation, but for the most part, they were courteous and kind, and it made Eleanor glad to see it.

Albert, too, was beginning to change. After two weeks’ worth of visits, he no longer held himself stiffly and spoke only of the weather. Now he allowed himself to find interest in the people whom he talked to, and he was surprised to find that they, too, had an interest in him. Not merely morbid curiosity concerning his scars, but a real concern for his person and pursuits. Before long, he was conversing with them with ease, and Eleanor even saw him smiling from time to time.

December came to Littleton on a fierce, freezing wind, and the first week of the month was unusually cold. Eleanor, concerned for the welfare of a few families in the parish, raided the linen closet and packed up a few blankets and shawls to take to them. She placed them in the carriage, along with a few canisters of soup, and made her way across town.

Her first stop was to see the Medfords. They had five children, and because Mrs. Medford was often ill, they were regularly neglected. Eleanor spent an hour tidying their house, bathing the children, and seeing to their needs. She left them with some soup and a loaf of crusty bread, and made sure that Mrs. Medford and the baby were tucked in warmly before she left.

From thence, she traveled to the Bryant’s. They were an aging couple with no living children, and were thus required to care for their small farm alone. The wind bit through her muffler as she emerged from the carriage outside their home. Pulling her shawl more tightly around her shoulders, she carried her parcels to the front door and knocked. It was immediately opened by a tall gentleman in just his shirtsleeves, whose surprised expression mirrored her own.

“Mr. Cartwright!” Eleanor gasped.

“Miss Eves! Do come in—it is frightfully cold outside today.”

Dazed, Eleanor stepped into the small front room. What was Mr. Cartwright doing here? And in such a state! Eleanor looked sideways at the man standing beside her. His hair was disheveled and his cravat untied. She blushed, and averted her eyes. What was going on?

“Miss Eves! Land sakes, but you’re here! At last!”

“How do you do, Mrs. Bryant?” Eleanor said with some confusion. “Have you been expecting me?”

“Land sakes, my dear, of course! When it got so chill last night and the door was nearly froze shut, I said to Jebediah, I said, ‘Jeb,

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