to chase them down and when I have that stupid child safely back in my possession I will decide how to deal with a servant who lets his master down, who disobeys orders, who cannot be trusted. Now get out of my sight!”
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Fyn Alexander
Chapter Five
Evangeline walked into the small dining room of the boarding house, surprised to see a young gentleman sitting there. “I thought this house was for lady boarders only,” she whispered to Mrs. Brackett.
“It seems not, Miss Evie. Anyway, he looks harmless enough,”
Mrs. Brackett replied.
“I’m sure he is, but I’m steering clear of gentlemen until we are settled.”
The young man rose at once, bowed slightly, and sat down again only when they were seated. Evangeline returned his good manners with a small nod. A hearty breakfast of eggs and kippers was served by a pretty young girl in a plain dress and sparkling white apron who smiled a rosy-cheeked smile at them. A little flowering African violet plant sat in the middle of the table making springtime seem not so terribly far away.
“What a contrast,” Evangeline said as she tucked into toast and marmalade after her kippers. “Everything here is so alive and bright.
This is exactly the kind of atmosphere we will provide when we settle on our boarding house. Flowers on the tables, a fire in the hearth on cold days and crisp white linen.”
Mrs. Brackett buttered more toast before generously spooning marmalade on to it. “That’s right, my pet, sparkling windows, not a cobweb to be seen, everything shipshape. But ladies only, we can’t be putting up with gentlemen.”
Evangeline stole a glance at the young man under lowered eyelashes only to find him looking at her. They both smiled and blushed at the same time, and Evangeline made a quick grab at the Sanguinarian 81
milk jug to hide her embarrassment, only succeeding in knocking it over. “I thought you were steering clear,” Mrs. Bracket reminded her.
The young man made a speedy exit while the lady of the house came hurrying over to clean up the mess. “Don’t worry about that, Miss Rudge.” She dabbed at the milk with a cloth before sitting down with them. “Now, since you both arrived so late last night and were so tired, we did not settle on how long you would be staying?”
Evangeline was unsure what to say. They had found themselves back in London not knowing where to go. London was big and familiar and they could hide there. She wanted to stay out of the way until Raven’s birthday was over, but she also wanted to begin looking for a house to buy.
The journey by coach had been blessedly uneventful, bringing them to London well after dark. They did not want to ask the coachman for advice in case Raven spoke to the man and found out where they were staying, so for more than an hour they had walked the streets looking for a suitable boarding house, staying well away from Wimpole Street in case they saw people who knew them and who would point them out to Raven if questioned.
“Perhaps as long as a month, Mrs. Goddard. We plan to buy a home of our own soon with my inheritance,” she whispered, leaning forward. It was hardly proper for a young lady to talk about money and she did not wish to engender any ill will by telling the lady of the house that she too intended to open a boarding house.
“Oh, very nice, Miss Rudge,” the woman whispered back. “And are you a relative, Mrs. Hinge? That was not made clear last night either.”
“I am Miss Evie’s old housekeeper,” Mrs. Brackett replied. “And we would appreciate it if you would keep our presence here a bit quiet.”
The woman leaned closer. “Why would that be necessary? I can’t have any scandal in my house, you know. This is a respectable establishment.”
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Fyn Alexander
“Scandal?” Mrs. Brackett could scarcely contain herself. “Don’t mention that word and my young lady’s name in the same breath.”
Mrs. Goddard began to apologize at once. “Oh, I
80
Fyn Alexander
Chapter Five
Evangeline walked into the small dining room of the boarding house, surprised to see a young gentleman sitting there. “I thought this house was for lady boarders only,” she whispered to Mrs. Brackett.
“It seems not, Miss Evie. Anyway, he looks harmless enough,”
Mrs. Brackett replied.
“I’m sure he is, but I’m steering clear of gentlemen until we are settled.”
The young man rose at once, bowed slightly, and sat down again only when they were seated. Evangeline returned his good manners with a small nod. A hearty breakfast of eggs and kippers was served by a pretty young girl in a plain dress and sparkling white apron who smiled a rosy-cheeked smile at them. A little flowering African violet plant sat in the middle of the table making springtime seem not so terribly far away.
“What a contrast,” Evangeline said as she tucked into toast and marmalade after her kippers. “Everything here is so alive and bright.
This is exactly the kind of atmosphere we will provide when we settle on our boarding house. Flowers on the tables, a fire in the hearth on cold days and crisp white linen.”
Mrs. Brackett buttered more toast before generously spooning marmalade on to it. “That’s right, my pet, sparkling windows, not a cobweb to be seen, everything shipshape. But ladies only, we can’t be putting up with gentlemen.”
Evangeline stole a glance at the young man under lowered eyelashes only to find him looking at her. They both smiled and blushed at the same time, and Evangeline made a quick grab at the Sanguinarian 81
milk jug to hide her embarrassment, only succeeding in knocking it over. “I thought you were steering clear,” Mrs. Bracket reminded her.
The young man made a speedy exit while the lady of the house came hurrying over to clean up the mess. “Don’t worry about that, Miss Rudge.” She dabbed at the milk with a cloth before sitting down with them. “Now, since you both arrived so late last night and were so tired, we did not settle on how long you would be staying?”
Evangeline was unsure what to say. They had found themselves back in London not knowing where to go. London was big and familiar and they could hide there. She wanted to stay out of the way until Raven’s birthday was over, but she also wanted to begin looking for a house to buy.
The journey by coach had been blessedly uneventful, bringing them to London well after dark. They did not want to ask the coachman for advice in case Raven spoke to the man and found out where they were staying, so for more than an hour they had walked the streets looking for a suitable boarding house, staying well away from Wimpole Street in case they saw people who knew them and who would point them out to Raven if questioned.
“Perhaps as long as a month, Mrs. Goddard. We plan to buy a home of our own soon with my inheritance,” she whispered, leaning forward. It was hardly proper for a young lady to talk about money and she did not wish to engender any ill will by telling the lady of the house that she too intended to open a boarding house.
“Oh, very nice, Miss Rudge,” the woman whispered back. “And are you a relative, Mrs. Hinge? That was not made clear last night either.”
“I am Miss Evie’s old housekeeper,” Mrs. Brackett replied. “And we would appreciate it if you would keep our presence here a bit quiet.”
The woman leaned closer. “Why would that be necessary? I can’t have any scandal in my house, you know. This is a respectable establishment.”
82
Fyn Alexander
“Scandal?” Mrs. Brackett could scarcely contain herself. “Don’t mention that word and my young lady’s name in the same breath.”
Mrs. Goddard began to apologize at once. “Oh, I
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