Page 101 of House of Crimson Hearts
Right. So definitely not deserved then. His father built the business and he’s been handed it on a plate.
“And what changes have you made to your business since taking over? It’s steel rebar, is that correct? I’m sure Mother mentioned a metal of some sort.”
“Oh, aren’t you the clever lady for remembering. Yes, you’re quite right,” he says, his chest puffing out.
My fingers stiffen against his arm.Clever lady?Why, that patronising imbecile. I want to rip my arm from his and storm off.
“Yes, well, I’m quite educated,” I say, my grip now a little stiffer on his arm.
“How unusual. Most women don’t need education. Of course, their place is in the home. Making children and serving the husband, you understand.”
That’s it. I don’t care what Mother thought he was, I’d rather have my teeth pulled than listen to another moment of this utter drivel. I direct him towards the medical streets where the witch, dhampir and apothecary shops are.
Though why I find myself down here I’m not sure. Perhaps because the streets are narrow and busy, and I think I can lose him. But it’s not until I notice Eleanor’s apothecary that I realise why my feet led me here subconsciously.
“Would you mind? I just need to pop in here for a moment. I shan’t be long and then I’ll be right back out,” I say.
“Of course, I’m happy to wait here, it’s quite lovely having the shade.”
I untangle my arm, the relief instant, and wrench open Eleanor’s door. The room is empty though. Damnation. I check the door sign but it’s definitely open.
“Hello?” I call, the urgency must be clear in my voice because Eleanor immediately pops her head from around the door to the back of the shop.
“Oh, hello. How delightful, Cordelia, it’s nice to see you again,” she says.
I cut straight to the point. “You must excuse me barging in here, but I need an urgent favour,” I say, and my expression must show how desperate I am because she drops her herbs and the jar she was carrying on the counter and wipes her overalls down.
“What’s wrong? How can I help?”
“Right. Well. It’s an unusual request but I need you to… umm… hide me. Please. If that’s okay.”
“Pardon?” she says, her bright blue eyes crinkling with amusement, fine little lines appearing around the corners. They make her quite beautiful. I realise though, she’s older than me, perhaps eight years, maybe ten.
"My mother set me up with this pompous buffoon outside, and I’m meant to spend the afternoon strolling the market with him. But if I have to spend another moment with that man, I will intentionally pluck my eyes from my head and jump into the canal.”
“He’s that bad?”
“Utterly intolerable.”
“I see. Well, I can’t possibly let my favourite customer down, can I?”
It doesn’t pass me that she said “favourite” nor how my stomach responded—with flutters and butterflies that danced like I was meeting… No, I shan’t think about that.
“Thank you,” I glance over my shoulder and notice Lord Fenwick twitching and glancing at his watch and then the door.
“Could we hurry? I fear the Lord himself will come chasing me shortly.”
“Follow me,” she says and holds out her hand. I glance down at it. My hesitation must worry her because she pulls away. I throw myself forward, slipping my fingers in between hers.
Her hand is warm and soft and the strangest feeling washes over me, like I never want to let go. I’d be happy standing here holding Eleanor’s hand for the rest of the day, maybe the week. I frown, pushing the thought away.
She tugs me through the back of the shop and into her store’s cupboard, then winds me through the back to a secluded door. She pulls an iron key out of her overall and unlocks it. It opens onto a canal street that leads to the river. “Oh, I know where I am. How odd, I didn’t realise the medical street was so close to the river, I thought?—”
“It isn’t. I’ll explain in a minute,” she drops her finger to a nail poking out of the door frame and a bead of blood rolls down the nail and disappears into the wood as if the door itself swallowed the blood.
“Wow,” I say and then she’s staring at me hard. “Wait here for me. Okay?” she says and turns back the way we came when I nod.
I glance around and find a stone boulder to sit on situated next to the shop wall just a few feet away. I lean back against the wall and close my eyes, calming my racing heart. The sun beating down is pleasant, warmth fills my body and tingles against my skin. So different from the insipid heat of earlier. I can breathe easier now, my mind calmer and lighter.
