Page 7 of Bride in Blue
Max took a seat and poured tea from the jug into the cups. It was still piping hot and had brewed to a lovely dark color. He pushed a cup towards his guest.
“It might be better if I know your name.”
The woman looked at him and lifted her fingers to her mouth. “Oh my, I am a bit addled, aren’t I? Totally forgot my manners. Mrs. Louisa Pennyworth.”
“Mrs. Pennyworth,” Max sighed, “as much as I would enjoy having tea with you, I do have a shop to open.”
Mrs. Pennyworth blinked slowly. Her large brown eyes moving like one of those mechanical dolls he saw in a New York shop window. “But Maximillian, no one will be here for a few hours. Your first customer won’t arrive before noon. So, enjoy your morning. You worry too much.”
Mrs. Pennyworth reached inside the box and placed a treat on the plate in front of him. Max turned his plate three times and sighed. He hated people touching his food.
“Do you know what you need, Maximillian?” He looked at her but didn’t respond. “You need some excitement. You know, shake things up a bit.” She waved her hands at him.
“I don’t need that.”
“Yes, you do. Look at you. You are a handsome man. Your hair is slicked down in the latest fashion. Your beard is neatly trimmed, and oh such a lovely chestnut brown. You aren’t ugly in the least.” She shook her head. “But then there are those peculiar habits. You live alone with Mr. Gladstone, who, by the way is consorting with Miss Pippin down the lane. He’ll be back this evening.” Mrs. Pennyworth lifted the pastry and was about to take a bite. “Oh, my teeth,” she said, placing the pastry back on the plate.
She rummaged through the silk bag tied to her hand and popped a pair of teeth in her mouth. “I keep forgetting to put them in.” She smiled at Max, displaying a set of bright white teeth. Almost too bright. “They are porcelain, you know. Much better than the ones they would make from animal teeth. Imagine that!”
“They make dentures from animal teeth?”
“They used to! But in this case, it is just the base which made from the bone of a rhinoceros. Imagine, that bone travelled all the way from Africa to be made into a pair of dentures.” She gave a romantic sigh and crossed her hands next to her cheek. “I would have loved to have taken a holiday there, but Edward insisted on moving to New York instead.”
Max was getting impatient and confused. “Mrs. Pennyworth, what are you doing in my store?”
“I’m here to help you, Maximillian Blue.”
“If you think my only peculiar habit is living with my cat, who is consorting with the cat down the road, then I don’t think I need any help.” Max stood.
“Sit down, Maximillian,” Mrs. Pennyworth said rather forcibly. She didn’t even look up at him. Max felt like a child but dropped back into the chair. “Mr. Gladstone is the least of your problems. I’m talking about your avoidance of the fairer sex.”
Max shifted in his chair. He didn’t feel comfortable around the ladies. He didn’t feel comfortable around anyone. Which is why he lived alone. With a cat. And the cat would rather be with the feline down the road instead of him.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t play shy with me. I know you better than you think. I know you desire love and a wife and maybe even children.”
Never children. He wouldn’t want to have children if they lived with the torment he faced on a daily basis. Even though he owned his own business and it did rather well, he still heard the comments when they thought he wasn’t listening.
Some even said he should be in an asylum. That his scrupulosity must come from sinning. He didn’t drink, gamble or consort with loose women, so he didn’t think that was true. He was this way as long as he remembered.
“You may change your mind,” Mrs. Pennyworth said, drawing his attention back to the present. “Something is going to happen in the next few days, and I want you to simply keep your mind open to the possibilities?”
Max stood up and tossed his napkin on the table. “This is ridiculous. You follow me to my shop, discuss the latest fashions, touch my notions, forget that you forgot to put your teeth in place, and you want to give me advice about marriage and children?”
“It isn’t easy getting older,” she said. “I really do need to remember my teeth.”
“Arrrrgh,” Max said, through his teeth. “I do not know what is going on today, but I wish it would stop.”
“I can make that happen.” Mrs. Pennyworth rose and gathered her cape closer around her. “Remember, Maximillian. Just be open to the possibilities.”
Max walked to the display of cravats. Some were short, some were double-bowed. Others had pointy ends. He had worked in the factories in New York. He knew fashion. He didn’t need to listen to anything Mrs. Pennyworth said. He turned to let her know, but she wasn’t there.
The box of pastries was tied back up with the string and resting in the middle of the table where he had left it. The cups and plates were missing too. Max walked to the table and picked up his handkerchief. It smelled lightly of roses and smoke.
He placed his hand against the terracotta jug. It was cool. It shouldn’t have cooled that quickly.He couldn’t share what just happened with anyone. The town already thought he was peculiar.
Suddenly he heard the bell, signifying that someone was entering the shop. He quickly gathered up the box and jug and placed them in the cupboard. He opened and shut the door three times before keeping it closed. He placed his hand against the wood and counted to five.
