gloves. Hurry… hurry! He squeezed his eyes shut.
“ There now. All done.”
Done? He opened his eyes cautiously, afraid of what he might see. Those instruments the surgeon-dentist used were positively ghastly. However, instead of the giant tool used previously to remove his sore tooth, Mr. Fletcher held a miniscule piece of hard, white material with very thin forceps. “That’s it?”
“ That’s it.”
“ That small bit of nothing caused my gums to hurt and my jaw to ache?”
Mr. Fletcher laughed. “That’s right. Doesn’t look like much, does it?”
Conrad squinted at it. “No, it really doesn’t at that.” Relief poured over him. “I was afraid when it hurt again that it was…”
“ No, no. Just a tiny bone splinter. Nothing to be concerned about. Although you did right by coming in. It might have come out on its own, but if not, you could have swallowed it.”
“ Good heavens.” The thought of a piece of bone floating around in his body was nearly as nauseating as the stench of Mr. Fletcher’s building.
“ Lord Lofton?” Cecilia asked, “Are you feeling well enough to stand?”
That’s it? “I believe so.” Just to be sure, though, he used caution when rising from the chair. Once upright he waited another few seconds. He didn’t feel faint. His vision didn’t darken. In fact nothing bad happened at all. How fortunate. He gratefully reached into his pocket to retrieve money to pay Mr. Fletcher. Thanks to Oliver, he had some cash at the ready. When he’d paid before, it was at the expense of not paying his tailor. Again.
The man waved it away.
Conrad frowned. “But I owe you for your services.”
“ This little procedure is included with the first.”
“ I see. Thank you.”
“ You’re quite welcome, my lord.”
Conrad tipped his hat and turned to leave.
“ If I may, Lord Lofton…”
Conrad looked over his shoulder. “Yes?”
“ When you were in the other day… Your mother accompanied you.”
“ Yes, that’s correct.” Although I wish she hadn’t.
“ She seemed somewhat familiar to me. I’d wondered if perhaps we’d met in the past.”
Highly doubtful. Conrad couldn’t imagine in what capacity his mother would have lowered herself to even speak to someone like the surgeon-dentist unless she had to. “I’m afraid I don’t know.”
Mr. Fletcher rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s the strangest feeling I have. That I should know her.”
“ Her Christian name is Miriam, if that helps.”
Face gone pale, Mr. Fletcher’s mouth gaped open.
Cecilia grabbed his arm. “Papa, are you ill?”
Papa? Conrad reached out as well and grasped Mr. Fletcher’s arm. It took all of his strength to help lower the large man into the chair that Conrad had just vacated.
“ I’m… fine. Just a bit of a shock is all.”
“ Shock? How so?” Did this man really know Mother?
“ I knew she looked familiar. She’s changed in appearance somewhat but that’s to be expected. It has been a very long time, after all.”
“ I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“ I knew Miriam, your mother, quite a long time ago. We were… At least I thought we were…” Moisture formed in his eyes. “And then one day, she was gone. I never saw her again.”
What in blazes was the man going on about?
Some color had returned to Mr. Fletcher’s face. “I looked for her for a while. Asked around about her whereabouts. But no one seemed to know where she’d gone.”
That didn’t sound like his mother. Not at all. “I’m not sure what to say, Mr. Fletcher.” Surely the man had his mother confused with another woman of the same first name.
“ Oh…” He waved his hand. “Don’t concern yourself with me, Lord Lofton. Just an old man babbling about his past.” He glanced at Cecilia. “I’m fine now. Truly.”
She bit her lip. “Are you sure?”
“ Yes, daughter. Quite sure.” He stood on his own and did seem steady enough.
More than I did at my first
“ There now. All done.”
Done? He opened his eyes cautiously, afraid of what he might see. Those instruments the surgeon-dentist used were positively ghastly. However, instead of the giant tool used previously to remove his sore tooth, Mr. Fletcher held a miniscule piece of hard, white material with very thin forceps. “That’s it?”
“ That’s it.”
“ That small bit of nothing caused my gums to hurt and my jaw to ache?”
Mr. Fletcher laughed. “That’s right. Doesn’t look like much, does it?”
Conrad squinted at it. “No, it really doesn’t at that.” Relief poured over him. “I was afraid when it hurt again that it was…”
“ No, no. Just a tiny bone splinter. Nothing to be concerned about. Although you did right by coming in. It might have come out on its own, but if not, you could have swallowed it.”
“ Good heavens.” The thought of a piece of bone floating around in his body was nearly as nauseating as the stench of Mr. Fletcher’s building.
“ Lord Lofton?” Cecilia asked, “Are you feeling well enough to stand?”
That’s it? “I believe so.” Just to be sure, though, he used caution when rising from the chair. Once upright he waited another few seconds. He didn’t feel faint. His vision didn’t darken. In fact nothing bad happened at all. How fortunate. He gratefully reached into his pocket to retrieve money to pay Mr. Fletcher. Thanks to Oliver, he had some cash at the ready. When he’d paid before, it was at the expense of not paying his tailor. Again.
The man waved it away.
Conrad frowned. “But I owe you for your services.”
“ This little procedure is included with the first.”
“ I see. Thank you.”
“ You’re quite welcome, my lord.”
Conrad tipped his hat and turned to leave.
“ If I may, Lord Lofton…”
Conrad looked over his shoulder. “Yes?”
“ When you were in the other day… Your mother accompanied you.”
“ Yes, that’s correct.” Although I wish she hadn’t.
“ She seemed somewhat familiar to me. I’d wondered if perhaps we’d met in the past.”
Highly doubtful. Conrad couldn’t imagine in what capacity his mother would have lowered herself to even speak to someone like the surgeon-dentist unless she had to. “I’m afraid I don’t know.”
Mr. Fletcher rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s the strangest feeling I have. That I should know her.”
“ Her Christian name is Miriam, if that helps.”
Face gone pale, Mr. Fletcher’s mouth gaped open.
Cecilia grabbed his arm. “Papa, are you ill?”
Papa? Conrad reached out as well and grasped Mr. Fletcher’s arm. It took all of his strength to help lower the large man into the chair that Conrad had just vacated.
“ I’m… fine. Just a bit of a shock is all.”
“ Shock? How so?” Did this man really know Mother?
“ I knew she looked familiar. She’s changed in appearance somewhat but that’s to be expected. It has been a very long time, after all.”
“ I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“ I knew Miriam, your mother, quite a long time ago. We were… At least I thought we were…” Moisture formed in his eyes. “And then one day, she was gone. I never saw her again.”
What in blazes was the man going on about?
Some color had returned to Mr. Fletcher’s face. “I looked for her for a while. Asked around about her whereabouts. But no one seemed to know where she’d gone.”
That didn’t sound like his mother. Not at all. “I’m not sure what to say, Mr. Fletcher.” Surely the man had his mother confused with another woman of the same first name.
“ Oh…” He waved his hand. “Don’t concern yourself with me, Lord Lofton. Just an old man babbling about his past.” He glanced at Cecilia. “I’m fine now. Truly.”
She bit her lip. “Are you sure?”
“ Yes, daughter. Quite sure.” He stood on his own and did seem steady enough.
More than I did at my first
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