Page 64 of Lord of Mischief
Chapter Thirty-Three
Freddie was up and planning his day by five-thirty the next morning.He had never been an early riser, but it was becoming a habit he enjoyed.
Before heading out to Covent Garden market, he went through his cookbook and checked the ingredients needed for a fruit version of his pastry parcel.His vegetable pasty was most popular with visitors to the soup kitchen, but he wanted to give his friends at St John’s a new experience.Something to tantalize their tongues once their bellies were full.
“Apples with spices.Hmm, I don’t think the church coffers will extend to spices,” he said.
But, he was not to be defeated in his efforts.At the back of a high shelf in the kitchen he came across a small jar of preserved orange peel.
“You might just do the trick,” he said, dusting off the lid.
The aroma of oranges filled his nose as he opened the jar and breathed in.With excitement now bubbling in his mind, he hurried back to the cookbook and flipped the pages until he found a recipe for preserving oranges.He could use the jar of preserved oranges to make some test pasties, but he would need fresh fruit to make them in bulk.“Apples and oranges, it is.”
He grabbed his coat and gave Zeus a friendly pat goodbye.
“If my new recipe works, I promise to make you a special dog-sized apple pasty.In the meantime, if you could try to stay out of the rest of the house or at least not chew anything new today, I would be most grateful.”
Closing the kitchen door behind him, he stood in the rear garden, enjoying the first rays of sun as he buttoned up his long warm coat.
“It’s going to be a good day.I can feel it,” he said, heading out into the rear laneway.
Walking the streets of London in the hour before dawn gave him a different perspective on the world’s greatest city.There was an energy in the hurried movement of the many delivery carts and household servants which he found fascinating.The rich and powerful of London would soon wake to hot breakfasts and fresh flowers, all of which had been sourced in the early hours at the city’s markets.
He met up with two of the footmen from Will and Hattie’s house.While Hattie was not currently making the trip to the market each morning, and therefore not needing protection, he still availed himself of the extra pairs of hands to help bring the fresh produce back to St John’s.
“Morning, chaps.We need some extra ingredients today,” he said.
They made short work of their time at the market.The local traders now had Freddie’s order ready when he arrived.By nine o’clock, he was at St John’s with most of the day’s vegetables peeled, chopped, and ready to go into the soup.He was seated at the table calculating how much flour he would need for his first batch of fruit pasties.
“Parsnips look a little sad this morning.’
Freddie looked up from his work at the kitchen table and saw Hattie standing in the doorway.She had managed to make it to the soup kitchen before ten, but her face was pale and drawn.
“Yes, they didn’t have many of them.I bought some extra potatoes to bulk up the soup.Today, I’m going to try to make a fruit pasty and ask what the folk think of it.If they like it, I will make a bigger batch tomorrow.There is hot water on the stove if you would like a cup of tea,” he replied.
Hattie took off her cloak and hat and hung them on a nearby hook, but instead of following her usual routine of making herself a weak cup of tea, she came and stood next to him.“We have a visitor.She is waiting outside in the garden if you agree to seeing her.”
Hattie didn’t need to mention their visitor by name.He knew.Freddie gritted his teeth as his self-confidence faltered.“You told her I was here?”
Hattie nodded.“As we agreed, this way we can avoid any unpleasantness.Neither of you deserve to have your private pain on display for all to see.”
Freddie took a hold of Hattie’s hand and raised it to his lips.She was a wonderful woman.She could make him feel so small at times, yet every day he still came to work at St John’s because she made him want to do good.To be a better man.
“Go and talk to her.Tell her you are sorry for how things ended.If nothing else comes of seeing her, you will at least have managed to offer up an apology,” she counselled.
He made to remove his apron, then stopped.It wasn’t that he didn’t expect Eve to remain long at the church, rather that he needed her to see him in his true light.To see the real Freddie Rosemount, not the pompous dandy she had set her heart on marrying.
“She likes her tea sweet with a little honey in it,” said Hattie.
Freddie took the hint.It would be hard enough to face Eve—a peace offering in the form of tea might help the situation.
With cups in hand, he stepped out into the warm sunlit garden.Eve turned from examining the herb garden, and the moment her gaze fell upon him, all the bravery he had hastily mustered fled.
Eve straightened her back and confidently stepped forward.Coming to a halt just in front of him, she cleared her throat.
“Freddie.”
He had forgotten how beautiful she was, how the mere sight of her stirred his soul to life.How he had come so close to winning the greatest prize of his life, only to throw it away in a moment of rash selfishness.
