Page 36 of Beauty and the Baker
“It isn’t what someone says. It is how they follow through. You took an oath to heal those patients in whatever capacity you could. If it was the undesirable tasks, so be it. Someone needed to do them.” He looked at Georgina. “It is harder to stay and do the right thing instead of just running away because you don’t like it.”
“I was not running away.”
“Then what would you call it?”
“I was running towards something.”
“Which is?” Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow.
“My future.”
Charlie motioned around the room with his knife. “Here? Your future here in this bakery?”
“You don’t know anything, Charlie.”
“I know more than what you think. I know how hard it is to make the right decision. When you are terrified that it is going to cause harm to your family. To your friends. But even if you are scared you do it anyway.”
Georgina stilled for a minute. “I didn’t tell them.”
“Tell who?”
“My parents. I let them think that I came out here to take care of my aunt so she wouldn’t lose the bakery. I never mentioned I was on my way to San Francisco.”
“So, you lied to them?”
“I wouldn’t say I lied.”
“Then what would you call it. You left in the middle of the night to run away for whatever reason, and then you let your parents think oh, she just went to visit her aunt. Who does that?”
“Don’t judge me.”
“I’m not. I’m telling you to judge yourself. There is a lot of evil in the world, Georgina. You don’t need to become mixed up with it.”
“I am getting married.”
Charlie stopped frosting his cake. “What did you say?”
“I said I’m getting married. I didn’t want to tell my parents because my father thinks I couldn’t get any suitors.”
“Why not. You are a beautiful woman.”
“Yes, but I work. Do you know how many men want to be with a working woman? The number is very low.”
“So, you were headed out to San Francisco to marry someone?” Georgina nodded.
“Did you even know him?”
“No. I found an advertisement in the paper. He is a shipping magistrate. He didn’t want me to work.”
“Did he send you money for a ticket?”
Georgina shook her head. “No, he didn’t.”
“Doesn’t that strike you as odd? That a man who is probably very rich, didn’t send you money for a ticket to come out and marry him.”
“I know. He wanted to take me to the West Indies. Spend our days sailing on the waters. I know it seems silly now.”
“It isn’t silly, Georgina. It is dangerous. Let me tell you about men like that.”
