that’s exactly what Peter wants,” Lawford remarked.
“Peter is my younger brother, Mr. Lawford. I won’t give up on him.”
“An admirable devotion, Miss Colston,” Lawford murmured, his gaze on her face.
A pink flush colored Alice’s cheeks as she handed him a cup of tea. Talia set her teeth, disliking all the implications of Lawford’s attention toward Alice…and Alice’s response.
“How is your uncle, Mr. Lawford?” Talia asked brightly.
Lawford’s mouth thinned with disgust. “The same, my lady, thank you for asking. He intends to retire soon, after which Newhall and eventually the Shipton Fields prison will be under my governorship. Did I tell you more about the lodging for the governor and warders, Miss Colston?”
Alice shook her head, tucking a stray lock of hair beneath her cap as she settled beside him on the sofa. “Please do, Mr. Lawford. It sounds quite impressive.”
Unwilling to leave her friend alone with Lawford, Talia waited for another forty-five minutes before Lawford finally left; then she told Alice she’d stop at the Ragged School Union offices to speak with Sir Henry after running another errand.
“If Peter does come home, I’ll send word,” Alice promised. “Though I’m not hopeful.”
Neither was Talia. For some reason, Peter Colston seemed determined to make life difficult for himself, a tendency that likely had grown stronger during his incarceration at Newhall. Talia took her leave of Alice, wrestling with the uncomfortable feeling that she needed to find Peter before Lawford did.
She tilted her hat against the morning sun as she stepped outside. Her father’s carriage waited at the curb, and she instructed the driver to take her to Mudie’s Library on bustling New Oxford Street. Shelves of books and journals lined the interior of the shop, and several patrons sat at the desks situated along the walls.
“Good morning, my lady.” Mr. Hammersmith, a tall, thin man with a fringe of white hair, stood from behind the front counter as Talia approached. “The magazines from America arrived just two days ago. We’ve got them packaged up for you.”
He hefted a tied bundle of magazines onto the counter.
“Lovely, thank you. And do you have the recent editions of the Boys’ Journal ?”
“Yes, I’ll fetch it for you. Would you care to have a look around? We just received some new books for children.”
Talia nodded and went to the shelves where Mr. Mudie kept the most recent arrivals. There were several books of stories for children, and a primer on geography. She paged through the primer, which included lessons on the shape of the earth and how to read maps. She looked at maps of the vast United States, the Russian colony in northwest America, and the continent of Africa.
She loved maps, all the curves and lines representing mountain ranges, oceans, cities, wide plains, and valleys. When James was off on his expeditions, Talia could look at a map and imagine where he was at any given moment. She could picture him hiking through a jungle, climbing a mountain peak, guiding a boat over a serpentine river.
Warmth filled her chest. She tried to smother it, tried to remind herself that she no longer felt anything for the man who had rejected her.
Then his voice spilled over her like a ray of sunshine on a chilly day.
“Good morning, my lady.”
Talia turned, her heart giving a wild leap at the sight of James standing just behind her. A shaft of light gilded his brown hair, and his eyes crinkled with a warm amusement that never failed to ignite flutters in Talia’s belly.
She clutched the primer to her chest, as if she could use it as a barrier between them. “How did you know I was here?”
“Soames told me you’d intended to come here during your errands.”
“And why did you go to the King’s Street house?”
“I wanted to apologize.” He stepped toward one of the shelves and picked up a thin book of lessons. “I should have written to you,
“Peter is my younger brother, Mr. Lawford. I won’t give up on him.”
“An admirable devotion, Miss Colston,” Lawford murmured, his gaze on her face.
A pink flush colored Alice’s cheeks as she handed him a cup of tea. Talia set her teeth, disliking all the implications of Lawford’s attention toward Alice…and Alice’s response.
“How is your uncle, Mr. Lawford?” Talia asked brightly.
Lawford’s mouth thinned with disgust. “The same, my lady, thank you for asking. He intends to retire soon, after which Newhall and eventually the Shipton Fields prison will be under my governorship. Did I tell you more about the lodging for the governor and warders, Miss Colston?”
Alice shook her head, tucking a stray lock of hair beneath her cap as she settled beside him on the sofa. “Please do, Mr. Lawford. It sounds quite impressive.”
Unwilling to leave her friend alone with Lawford, Talia waited for another forty-five minutes before Lawford finally left; then she told Alice she’d stop at the Ragged School Union offices to speak with Sir Henry after running another errand.
“If Peter does come home, I’ll send word,” Alice promised. “Though I’m not hopeful.”
Neither was Talia. For some reason, Peter Colston seemed determined to make life difficult for himself, a tendency that likely had grown stronger during his incarceration at Newhall. Talia took her leave of Alice, wrestling with the uncomfortable feeling that she needed to find Peter before Lawford did.
She tilted her hat against the morning sun as she stepped outside. Her father’s carriage waited at the curb, and she instructed the driver to take her to Mudie’s Library on bustling New Oxford Street. Shelves of books and journals lined the interior of the shop, and several patrons sat at the desks situated along the walls.
“Good morning, my lady.” Mr. Hammersmith, a tall, thin man with a fringe of white hair, stood from behind the front counter as Talia approached. “The magazines from America arrived just two days ago. We’ve got them packaged up for you.”
He hefted a tied bundle of magazines onto the counter.
“Lovely, thank you. And do you have the recent editions of the Boys’ Journal ?”
“Yes, I’ll fetch it for you. Would you care to have a look around? We just received some new books for children.”
Talia nodded and went to the shelves where Mr. Mudie kept the most recent arrivals. There were several books of stories for children, and a primer on geography. She paged through the primer, which included lessons on the shape of the earth and how to read maps. She looked at maps of the vast United States, the Russian colony in northwest America, and the continent of Africa.
She loved maps, all the curves and lines representing mountain ranges, oceans, cities, wide plains, and valleys. When James was off on his expeditions, Talia could look at a map and imagine where he was at any given moment. She could picture him hiking through a jungle, climbing a mountain peak, guiding a boat over a serpentine river.
Warmth filled her chest. She tried to smother it, tried to remind herself that she no longer felt anything for the man who had rejected her.
Then his voice spilled over her like a ray of sunshine on a chilly day.
“Good morning, my lady.”
Talia turned, her heart giving a wild leap at the sight of James standing just behind her. A shaft of light gilded his brown hair, and his eyes crinkled with a warm amusement that never failed to ignite flutters in Talia’s belly.
She clutched the primer to her chest, as if she could use it as a barrier between them. “How did you know I was here?”
“Soames told me you’d intended to come here during your errands.”
“And why did you go to the King’s Street house?”
“I wanted to apologize.” He stepped toward one of the shelves and picked up a thin book of lessons. “I should have written to you,
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