Page 84 of An Unwitting Alliance
Tom froze. “Alan doesn’t know about his mother.”
Ian’s eyes widened. “Are you certain?”
“Completely. We were just planning to find her when I was waylaid.” Tom swallowed. “The news will crush him.”
Paul cleared his throat. “We need a strategy beyond telling him. Where will the boy go? What is your plan, Tom?”
Blast Paul’s logical ways. What mattered most was the here and now. Alan’s mother was dead! But despite the anger stealing over him, Tom knew Paul was right. They needed a plan, and he did not have one. “I... I had hoped to have a doctor see to Mrs. Kelby’s needs until she was well enough to find better work. I planned to write a reference for her. And maybe get the boy into a school.”
The carriage fell silent.
“I want to be the one to tell him.” Tom could hardly believe himself capable of forming words, but the desire punctured through his hurt in a desire to comfort Alan. “He knows me a little.” His voice caught on the last word.
“Let us get him away from here first,” Louisa said as Paul took her hand. “If this Longbottom is as bad as you say he is, he won’t simply watch Alan go.”
“Right.” Ian reached through the open carriage window and tapped the side of the conveyance. It lurched forward, and the group sat in silence all the way to the inn where Tom had arranged rooms for the Kelbys to stay.
Upon arrival, he called for a warm bath to be sent to the room he had reserved. The women took Alan up and assisted him while the men gathered around a table in the inn’s dining area to wait. A maid served them meat, cheese, and warm bread, but everyone picked at their food. Tom could not even touch his.
When Louisa came down to join them, she motioned for Tom to take her place upstairs. “He has been asking for you.”
The thought should have made him smile, but it only meant he was that much closer to crushing the lad’s little heart. After a hike up a narrow flight of stairs, Tom knocked once. “Charley,” he whispered. “You’ll have to help me.”
Tom heard Lisette’s voice and let himself inside. To his surprise, he was nearly pummeled over by Alan’s small body being thrown around his waist. “Thank you, sir. The clothes don’t even itch.”
His chuckle was weak. “You are welcome, Alan.”
After all the boy had been through, he was still eager to trust Tom. It made no sense after the cruel way he’d been treated. Still, it touched a chord deep inside him—one he guarded fiercely.
Jemma stepped forward. In her arms, she’d gathered the old workhouse clothes to return. “Would you like me to send up a tray of food for Alan, or do you want to bring him down?”
“A tray would be nice.” He worried that Alan’s appetite would disappear as soon as he told the boy the news. Perhaps Tom would distract him until after he ate and then tell him. However, the ladies had not even left the room yet when Alan asked, “When can we rescue Mama?”
Tom caught Lisette’s sympathetic glance as she and Jemma let themselves out. He looked at Nancy. He had forgotten she had come ahead in the first carriage. Somehow, having the Vails’ nursemaid, with her knowledge of children, close reassured him. He looked at her now, desperate for help.
Nancy patted Alan’s shoulder. “He is strong for his size. I will give you some time alone.”
Tom chewed on his lip. “Shouldn’t you stay?”
“He knows you better than he does me. You are the one he needs most right now.”
He wanted to be the one Alan turned to for comfort, and her reassurance inspired him to step into the role without further hesitation. “Thank you, Nancy... for everything.” When the door closed behind him, he led Alan to the bed to sit. “Alan, about your mother.”
“Yes?” Alan’s brown eyes were so sweet and imploring, it nearly killed Tom.
“Sit by me.” He patted the quilt-covered mattress.
“All right.” Alan climbed up onto the bed and sat next to Tom.
“You suffered a lot in the workhouse, didn’t you?”
Alan shrugged. “Mostly because I didn’t listen. But I wanted to be with Mama.”
“I know you did, Alan. You are a good boy.”
“Not averygood boy. Mrs. Harding, our governess, lets the big boys punish me when I am bad. Last time they all dumped cold water on me when I tried to sneak out and see Mama.”
So that’s why Tom had discovered him in a tub of cold water. “I am sorry for your suffering.”
