Page 62 of Lord of Mischief
Eve excused herself from the table.“I shall take a walk in the garden and get some fresh air to restore my energy.I won’t be long.”
Hattie leant over to Will, and a whispered exchange took place between them.Will nodded.
“I shall come with you,” offered Hattie.
Arm in arm, they walked from the room and out into the rear garden.
As soon as she set foot into the chill night air, Eve felt refreshed.“I am surprised you are not flagging.I heard women in your condition are often tired,” she said.
Hattie chuckled.“I spent nearly all the afternoon in bed.And that was after having risen well past the hour of nine this morning.I swear I am beginning to develop Will’s habit of sleeping late every day.”
“But what about the soup kitchen?I thought you attended the market in the morning and then headed over to St.John’s?”replied Eve.
They wandered over to a nearby garden bench and took a seat.Francis had convinced his father to install one of the new-fangled gas lamps, and so they were offered the rare luxury of a well-lit garden at night.
Hattie sat forward on the bench and turned to face Eve.“I haven’t had to do the early morning market visit for a little while as I have a new assistant.He attends the market for me and then begins to prepare the vegetables before I arrive.He also cooks a rather delicious pasty that can be taken home by those parishioners with sick family members who cannot attend the church,” she explained.
The door to the garden opened and Will stepped out.“Have you told her?”
Hattie shook her head.“I was about to.You were a second too early.”
“Told me what?”asked Eve.
“Freddie Rosemount is my new assistant.I met him at Covent Garden one morning, and after he visited St John’s he offered to help,” said Hattie.
If Eve had been asked to put together a list of a thousand things that Hattie could possibly have said at that moment, Freddie working at St John’s church would not have been one of them.After all the hurtful things he had said to Hattie about her work, Eve could not conceive of Freddie having the nerve to turn up on the doorstep of St John’s.
“What do you mean he offered to help?”asked Eve.
Will walked closer.“He has seen the error of his ways.”
Eve snorted.The only way Freddie would have seen the error of his ways was if someone hit him over the head with a large blunt object.Even then he would find a way to blame someone else.
“You mean he came to you for sympathy after his father cut him off and you shamed him into helping.Don’t tell me he had the cheek to ask for handouts at your soup kitchen.”
“No.He was shopping for food at the market early one morning and I saw him.To be fair to him, he tried to avoid me.He was too ashamed to face me after all that had transpired between him and the Saunders family.I was the one who held out a hand to him,” replied Hattie.
Hattie’s ability to see the good in everyone was beyond Eve.“So why did he come to St John’s?”
“He wanted what we all want: to belong to something.From the little that he has said, I know he is deeply ashamed of what he did.He is unsure of how he can approach you,” replied Hattie.
“Why would he want to approach me?He told me he didn’t want me.What else is there to say?”
Will placed a hand on Eve’s shoulder.“I think you might find he loves you.And until you tell him otherwise, he will continue to hold onto the slender piece of hope that he could find his way back into your life.”
Eve studied her brother for a moment.He was a different man from the brash young Will who had left the family five years ago, chasing the heady danger of life as a spy.Hattie had brought out the softer, more even-tempered side of him.
Doubt crept into Eve’s mind.She had convinced herself Freddie didn’t love her, that he had only at best held a passing interest.She had been a pawn in his game of winning a seat on the Bachelor Boardand she had been blinded to reality until it was too late.Why then would Freddie be holding onto any sort of hope of love from Eve?
Eve reluctantly let Hattie take a hold of her hand.“And what do you want me to do?”
“Nothing.Will and I have agreed we shall stay out of this matter unless you wish us to speak to Freddie on your behalf.He asked that we tell you of his presence at St John’s just in case you happen to visit and find him unexpectedly there.He is most anxious to avoid any further unpleasantness between you and him,” replied Hattie.
Eve rose from the bench and headed toward the doorway that led back inside the house.Before she reached the first step, she stopped.“I’m not sure what to say to this unexpected piece of news but thank you both for being honest with me.It would have been a huge shock to have visited the church and discovered Freddie working there.I promise to let you know before I visit next time.As Freddie said, we would all like to avoid any further unpleasantness.”
She went back inside but decided not to go back into the dining room.It would be impossible to make small talk with her family with thoughts of Freddie now whirling around her mind.Will and Hattie would understand her reasons for not staying to bid them farewell.
Once inside her bedroom, Eve quickly undressed and dismissed her maid for the evening.With her warm robe wrapped around her, she took a seat in the bay window of her bedroom.She opened the curtains and looked out onto the street below.
