Chapter Six
It didn’t takeEli long to clear the damaged glass and old putty, raise the new pane, and anchor it with fresh glazing putty, with the boy’s help. The framing hadn’t been damaged, easing the repair. Wil absorbed the process with eager curiosity.
“I didn’t know solicitors repaired windows,” Wil said.
Eli almost laughed out loud. “Most don’t. I grew up in a coaching inn. We had to do most things ourselves. Now I’m a steward and put it all to good use.” Da had taught him how to repair windows when he’d been Wil’s age and a drunken traveler had thrown a chair through the window in the taproom. That man hadn’t been welcomed back to the Willow. Eli put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “A man can’t have too many useful skills. You never know when you might need them. Now we best get cleaned up if we want to impress the invaders at three.”
“Impress them?”
“The secret of success in life is to always look like you know what you’re doing. A clean face and a fresh suit help. Even if you aren’t exactly sure what you’re doing, you can’t let parties in negotiation see weakness. Confidence, Wil, is our best weapon today.”
Pursed lips overshadowed Wil’s nod when he turned away. The boy’s skepticism saddened Eli.
That boy learned too early not to trust anyone, even you.
Eli shook it off. He wasn’t certain he could do the family much good, and until he had the full picture, he had few ideas.
Rounding the top of the stairs, Fanny, stiff-backed and determined to face her stepfather’s debt, caught his eyes and assaulted his heart. Resolute in the face of disaster.She may be dainty, but her frame is steel.
*
The clock tickedpast two-thirty. Fanny added the suit she held to the asset list and laid the garment down on Horace’s bed. She added the bed to the list, too. They wouldn’t need it.
Benson’s enthusiastic approval of her idea to catalog her stepfather’s personal belongings had gratified her more than she found comfortable.You don’t need that man’s approval, Fanny-girl. You know your worth.
Listing assets proved difficult. Two suits had never been worn, but she doubted they were worth the purchase price unless she and Eli had a buyer who stood a scant inch above Fanny and ran to portly. Three others showed signs of wear. She’d included his linen, but she suspected that would only bring pennies from the ragman.
The contents of the box on the top of a chest rocked her back on her heels. The pocket watch had value and…When did Horace acquire three jeweled stickpins? If the gems are real, they ought to count for something.But would a jeweler give her what they cost?
She grimaced.When did you become so greedy?Wil and Amy deserved keepsakes. He may have been a worm, but he’d been their father. She hardened her heart against the thought. A keepsake would do no good if they went hungry, and taken as a whole, the pile on the bed didn’t seem much to build hope on.
“Mr. Benson would like you below stairs, Fanny, when you are ready,” Amy called from the door, scanning the items on the bed with avid eyes.
Fanny ushered Amy out in front of her and closed the door with a snap. Benson had been quite clear about appearances. She’d donned one of the gowns she wore in the shop. It would have to do; it was her business uniform, after all. She hurried to wash her face and see to her hair.
*
Eli studied Fannycarefully when she entered the shop. Did she know her gown was the same green as her eyes? A simple muslin with a modest neckline and fichu, it flattered her figure just enough to give any man entering the store ideas. What healthy male could resist feasting his eyes on her? She’d done up her hair, too, in a simple bun that showed off the graceful column of her neck. Eli almost regretted insisting she join him in the drama they were about to enact. The distraction would take him off his game. Then again, she might unbalance the debt collectors as well.
How old is the woman, anyway?Hope and his baser instincts raised that question. He mentally increased his estimate.Nineteen perhaps.Male interest, unleashed, ratcheted upward.
He blinked his eyes shut and peered at her again. She wore a cap and looked the perfect picture of a competent businesswoman, exactly as he had asked. She also refused to meet his eyes, alerting him to the discomfort his scrutiny caused.
“Perfect,” he said, unable to conjure a full sentence.
“What is?”
“Your appearance,” he said, his throat tight. “It suits our purposes,” he added belatedly lest she mistake his meaning.
When Eli tried to send the children back upstairs, Wil objected vociferously, insisting he was the man of the family and needed to hear what was said.
Eli had no argument for that. “Very well. You may serve as doorman. You will call them in one at a time by name and guard the door.”
To Amy, he added, “You may go up or sit on the stairs quietly.”
Fanny intervened. “Not one word out of either of you ducklings or back up you go!”
Wil muttered, “I’m not a duckling,” but agreed to her terms.
