Page 73 of Mending the Baron's Sins
“He is not perfect.”
“What?”
“Baron De Rees. He is not perfect,” Orla added fast. As the water boiled, she lifted it from the fire and poured it into the teapot ready for their tea.
“Pah! No man is, dearie,” Sarah continued to laugh. “Yet he has done much good for us. In fact, I think our whole family has reason to be indebted to him. Look at us. Look at you, for you enjoy your position with him, don’t you? Ha, what an eager nod that is.” She gestured at Orla’s reaction. “And Colm too. He must be so relieved for Baron De Rees’ benevolence to him. At any time, the baron could have withdrawn his patronage and given it elsewhere, but he did not. Colm has been favored greatly by the people in this city ever since. He is never without work.”
“No, it is true.” Orla didn’t reach for her tea but had frozen solid, her hand hovering in the air.
She couldn’t help wondering what Uncle Colm would make of the situation when he discovered that Horace intended to move to London. No doubt he would be upset, believing Horace to be taking great risks with his health, even though he had had a marked improvement in recent weeks, but there was another thought at play. A thought which shocked her.
That will be one of Colm’s income streams gone.
“Is something bothering you, love?” Sarah said, leaning toward her. “You look… troubled.”
“No, no, I’m quite well.” Yet Orla was struggling to organize her thoughts. They were flicking one minute from her family to Horace, and what the future might hold. She parted her lips, ready once again to ask her thoughts about her leaving the county, but before she could, the door opened.
“Sarah, could we have your help?” her father called. “We’re inundated out here!”
“Of course. I’ll be back soon, dearie.” Sarah stood and patted Orla lovingly on the cheek, then left and hurried back to the shop floor.
Orla stayed where she was, sipping her tea and looking around the room. She loved this place, very much, but she felt keenly how it was no longer home. She could quite easily live somewhere else these days, and yet come back here to visit her family.
As the sounds from the shop floor grew worse and Orla realized that her mother would not be back for some time, she put down her teacup and took the opportunity to visit her old chamber. She climbed up a spiral staircase to the top floor of the small and narrow building, moving toward the back and through a small door that was firmly shut.
Orla opened it wide, at once struck by the scents of the dried herbs that still lingered around the room. It was a warm andwelcoming fragrance, one that urged Orla to sit on her bed, her gaze darting about the space. In one corner were botanical drawings she had made of various herbs and plants. In another corner, were a stack of books and diaries.
Orla reached for these diaries and lifted them into her lap, one by one, looking over the various things she had written when she was young. Something that struck her again and again as she had written of her dreams was for the chance to travel, the opportunity to make something of her own life, to be a midwife. She spoke of it again and again, at such length and with such enthusiasm that Orla ached, wishing she could talk to the young girl she had once been.
Did I know how hard it would be to leave my family’s home? To even make the decision to go after all?
Yet she wouldn’t be completely alone. This time, Horace had offered to take her with him.
She was so busy tracing her written words of hope in the diary, she did not notice she was being watched.
“Knock, knock,” a soft voice called from the open door. She lifted her head, looking around to see Thomas was standing in the doorway.
He was not covered in as much cotton as usual. In fact, his hair looked its normal color once again, not patch-worked with white fluff.
“Thomas,” she said with a happy sigh. “How are you?”
“How are you?” he countered, walking into the room and sitting at the far end of her bed. He sat down, his long limbs taking up most of the space. It struck her that over the last few months, he had grown considerably. “Is something wrong? Is that why you have come back?”
“No, no, nothing’s wrong, I just came to see you all.” She held tightly to the diary, pinning it to her chest.
“Good,” he said, his face stretching into a smile.
“And you?” she asked, eager to have an answer to her question.
“Aye, I’m well. I no longer work on the factory floor. They’ve got me in the offices instead.” He sat up straight, his voice betraying his pleasure. “I like it much more there.”
“That’s wonderful news. They recognized your talent at work?” she asked excitedly, and he nodded, yet there was another nagging thought in the back of her mind.
Did Horace have something do with this? One word in the right man’s ear, and Thomas has been taken away from danger?
She reached forward and took her brother’s hand, holding it warmly.
“I’m much happier there.” He nodded eagerly. “In all honesty, it feels easier to breathe.”
