Wrighting Old Wrongs by Maria Grace

Author:Maria Grace [Grace, Maria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-21T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

They worked late into the night and the meal they shared after working left him walking back to Belle Vue House just after the bloody cuckoo clock screeched four times, as dawn painted the sidewalk with its rosy rays. He left through the back door, through the mews, lest anyone be able to observe him leaving Fuller’s Fix-All at such an untoward time of day.

She had seemed relieved when he suggested it himself. But of course, what else could he do? It would not do to risk Miss Fuller’s reputation so carelessly.

Sad that she seemed so unaccustomed to what should be basic courtesies. Especially after she had repaired his torn jacket seam—not with needle and thread, but she had wrighted it whole. So effortless she had made it appear, though they were both tired and worn from the work on the mantel. Was she so generous to everyone, or just to him?

A warm, fuzzy sensation gathered in his chest. One he had best ignore and get on with the business of the day.

First, another meal.

He strode into Belle Vue House as Mrs. Gaskill was setting out the first round of breakfast. Lovely fragrant platters of ham, fresh brown bread, some fancy buns, meat pies. He licked his lips.

“Another late night working?” She cocked her head, arms folded across her chest, and lifted an eyebrow.

“What else would I be doing covered with stone dust?” He brushed the dust from his pants. It floated down to the well-swept wooden floor, and she winced.

“It’s odd for you to be out late so often.” She handed him a chipped porcelain plate, plain white and serviceable.

He bit his tongue. Best not remind her that she was not his mother. “A family has commissioned a monument for a beloved relative who is lingering at death’s door. I am trying to finish it for them so they will be able to lay their loved one to rest in the style they feel most appropriate.”

Her expression brightened as her brows climbed up her forehead. “They are paying you extra for finishing in time, eh?”

He nodded and slipped in past her to retrieve several pork pies and a Chelsea bun for his plate. He trudged upstairs, eating as he went, ignoring her protests that food was not to be taken from the dining room. Her voice faded away by the time he reached his room. Tossing aside his coat and shoes, he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Sometime near noon, hunger pangs forced him out of bed. Annoying, but useful as well, considering the work he had yet to do. He paused at a bakery on the way to the Guild Hall, polishing off a slab of cheese between two hearty slices of bread as he walked. Some days, it felt like all he did was eat.

He allowed the noisy horsecar with its gaudy gold trim to pass, then ducked across the street in its wake. How would Allbright react to the news that he was

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