Page 35 of A Devious Secret

“Then it will consume you, leaving you a shell of the man that you once were.”

Stephen huffed. “Pardon me for saying so, but I doubt you understand what I have been through.”

“You are right,” Hawthorne said. “I was never in the Royal Navy. However, I know a thing or two about regrets.”

“What kind of regrets does an earl have?”

“Too many.”

Stephen eyed Hawthorne curiously. “How is that possible?”

“It matters not, but you are not alone in suffering for things that you wish could have been different,” Hawthorne replied. “Life has a funny way of keeping you humble.”

“That it does,” Stephen agreed.

The coach came to a stop in front of a brown brick building and Stephen asked, “Where is the Canterbury?”

Hawthorne reached for the handle. “I informed the driver to drop us off a block away.”

“For what purpose?”

“A hackney already draws too much attention in this section of town,” Hawthorne explained. “If we want to remain inconspicuous, we need to go the rest of the way on foot.”

Stephen followed Hawthorne out of the coach and came to stand next to him on the pavement. Hawthorne paid the driver before stepping back.

A drunken man sat a short distance away, leaning his back against the building, and he was loudly singing.

Hawthorne approached the dark-haired man and dropped a coin into a cup that sat in front of him. The man stopped singing and smiled up at him. “Thank you,” the man said with a slur. “You are indeed kind.”

“Perhaps you should keep the singing down,” Hawthorne suggested.

“And deny everyone the privilege of hearing my singing?” the man asked. “Never.”

Hawthorne chuckled. “I suppose this is better than attempting to sell stray cats.”

“That was ingenious on our part,” the man defended. “You may move along. I am trying to collect enough coins for a hearty meal today.”

Stephen couldn’t help but notice that the slur in the man’s voice had disappeared the longer he spoke to Hawthorne. Thatwas odd. Although, it was more odd that Hawthorne appeared to know this man.

Hawthorne continued down the street and Stephen matched his stride. “Do you know that man?” he asked.

“I do.”

When Stephen realized that Hawthorne had no intention of revealing anything more, he pressed, "May I ask how?”

“That man has done some work for me.”

“What kind of work?”

Hawthorne glanced over at him and replied, “You are being rather nosy today.”

“I am just trying to make sense of it all.”

“I thought we agreed that there would be no questions,” Hawthorne remarked.

Stephen knew he wasn’t going to get any further information out of Hawthorne so he decided it would be best if he dropped it.

Up ahead, Stephen saw the Canterbury. It was a two-level brick building that was positioned between two other structures. A worn plaque by the door identified the boarding house.