Page 48 of Margins of Love
“It should be on the other side,” Arnold said, holding the wrinkled envelope.
They crossed over and walked toward the row of identical townhomes with black iron fences leading to black iron railings, up the same number of stairs to every house. They kept walking. And then some more. Fave was beginning to despair.
“Let me see this again, Cous.” Arnold checked the address and stopped at the corner of York Street. A corner house with a white front door had a letter N painted on the top panel. Arnold walked up the front steps and rushed back down. “There is no name.”
Someone was trying to half hide their existence with this obscure marking on the door. It was all too familiar. Gustav had groomed them both to take over the business one day. He had dreamed of a storefront on Oxford Street.Pearler and Sons, he would name it. Arnold was like a son to Gustav. But they had to tread carefully for now. If any of their dear gentile ton clients found out they were Jewish, it would be business with the Jews, not the jewelers, the same problems their peers had. Mendelson’s son had been nearly beaten to death last month when he demanded payment from a client. Gustav, however, delivered a two-carat engagement ring to Lord Nelson’s son’s apartment and returned with payment in full. It made a world of difference to be a trustworthy jeweler and not aJewishjeweler to the ton. The aristocracy could not overcome their prejudice.
Fave stopped a passerby. “Do you know who lives here?”
The old man said, “Nay, my Lord. Haven’t been here long.” The old man took Fave for a nobleman, understandably, for he dressed and behaved like one. His camouflage had always been impeccable.
“You have not?”
“Nay, my Lord.Iwas born right over there, never lived anywhere else. A family with a whole staff moved intherea few years back, not too long ago.” He pointed to the corner rowhouse.
“And do you know anything about them?” Arnold asked.
The old man shook his head. “Secretive folks, even the kitchen maid. Wouldn’t tell my wife as much as her name.”
Arnold handed him some money.
The old man hid his hands in his coat pockets, “I don’t know anything, my Lord. Can’t take your money.”
“Have you had any interaction with the members of this household?” The slightest bit of information may be just enough for Fave to ask around the club.
The old man rubbed his hands and eyed the money in Arnold’s hand. “Well, we had that snow last winter. Remember the cold?”
Arnold nodded.
“A small man, elegant fella, knocked on my door one day. Said he saw our lights go out.”
Fave waited for him to continue.
“Told’m we’d run out of candles. My wife forgot t’send the maid out for more. We don’t need a big staff anymore, we’ve nine grandchildren, y’know?” Fave’s heart warmed when he saw the old man’s wrinkled smile.
He thought of his own grandfather and how proud he had been of him and Lizzie.
“Sent a footman with firewood, two dozen candles, and some pastries, little buttery ones with cherry preserves. Never had anything like them rolled up pastries, pretty darn things. My wife still talks about them. The lad they sent did not speak English and could only say one word.”
Arnold’s brow crinkled and mirrored Fave’s thoughts exactly.
“What did he say?”
The old man looked at the money again. “I really cannot tell you, My Lord.”
Arnold gave him the money. “Please take it. For your wife.”
Fave nodded and thanked him.
After the old man was on his way, Fave turned to Arnold. “You don’t think he meant rugelach, do you?”
“Certainly sounded like rugelach, like the ones grandfather used to make.”
They walked around the house to the corner of York. Most of the windows had drapes, and they could not see inside. There was a smaller door, most likely for servants. Arnold stepped up to check for a name again. Then he froze. His gaze stuck on the doorjamb.
“What is it?” Fave whispered as he joined Arnold.
His cousin raised one shoulder and tilted his head to the right of the door frame. When Fave saw the decorative case with a Hebrew letter “Shin” on it, he gaped. Voices from inside the house rattled them and they stepped back onto the street, heading back to the square.
