Page 40 of Mending the Baron's Sins
It’s time to start making amends.
He stepped down from the door, this time able to steady his own balance, even when his vision swam a little.
“Horace?” Adam called after him in surprise.
“My Lord?” Orla’s voice followed too. “Where are you going?”
Horace reached for the door of the shop and stepped inside. Thomas was close on his tail, with Adam and Orla both practically scrambling into the shop to follow.
“Good day, what can I do for you…” A pleasant voice trailed off in surprise. The shop owner, Mr. Byrne, looked at them all, his eyes darting from one to the next in shock.
Horace looked around the shop. It was old, yes, perhaps there weren’t as many hats on the stands as there should have been, and only a few bolts of materials where there should have beenmany, but it was a pleasant place indeed. It was clean, well kept, nicely designed, and with not a speck of dirt anywhere.
Neither is there cotton fluff hanging in the air.
“Good day to you.” Horace turned back to Mr. Byrne and bowed. “Allow me to introduce myself, Mr. Byrne. I am Baron De Rees.”
At once, Mr. Byrne hurried to bow, so low that Horace feared he might fall over.
“My Lord? Has something happened?” He at once reached for Thomas’ shoulder, pulling his son protectively to his side. “If it’s something my son has done in the factory–”
“What? No. Your son has done nothing wrong.”
Mr. Byrne’s eyes then shot to Orla.
“Neither has your daughter,” Horace added just as fast. “In fact, I have much to thank her for her healing skills.” He coughed, trying to cover up the awkward air in the room as everyone stared at him, wondering why he had come into the shop. “It’s a pleasant shop you have here. I hope you’ll forgive my curiosity to see it. You are open?”
“Yes, yes, indeed,” Mr. Byrne added hurriedly.
Two faces appeared behind him in an open doorway. One of the ladies, Horace presumed, was Orla’s sister, and the other, her mother. Both held bonnets they were making in their hands, thread still loose and needles perched in pin cushions.
“Good day,” Horace said to the two of them, bowing once again.
“My wife, and my daughter, Mrs. Aisling Warren.” Mr. Byrne gestured to the two of them as they curtsied, struggling to make room for one another in the doorway to the back room.
“Horace?” Adam stepped up behind him. “Is there a reason?”
“I’m in need of gifts,” Horace said with some desperation, cutting into his cousin’s words. “I have birthdays coming up, and you can never be too early for Christmas, can you?” he asked, looking around to see Orla frowned, her arms folded across her chest. She clearly wanted to challenge him on this point when it was only February. “Would you be so good, sirrah, to show me some of your wares?”
“Yes. Yes, of course.” Mr. Byrne released his son and promptly showed Horace around the shop.
There was a whir of activity as Thomas was bustled into a back room to clean himself up, and the two ladies started to follow Horace around, too.
He was shown an entire selection of moleskin hats, some so finely made that he couldn’t put them back down. He really only needed one, for he went out so rarely these days.
“I’ll take four, please,” he said, passing them to Mrs. Warren, who eagerly took them from his grasp to wrap in tissue paper.
“Four?” Orla repeated from across the shop. By the time Horace glanced her way, her mother was waving her hand madly at Orla to hold her tongue.
“And these gloves.” Horace shifted his attention to a display of fine leather gloves.
“All handmade here, my Lord,” Mr. Byrne explained. “We make them ourselves with local materials. We can add lettering or embroidery, if you like.”
“Yes, please.” Horace gestured to one set. “Please, place my cousin’s initials on these. An A and a C.” He glanced at Adam, who shook his head.
“Cousin, I have no need for gloves.” He held up his already gloved hands.
“In this cold weather, we could always do with more. In fact, I’ll take another hat too for my cousin. He’ll have a spare then.” Horace added to his order, then followed Mr. Byrne around the room a little more. “How has business been?” he asked after some minutes.
