Page 86

“I have the feeling you’ll be seeing quite a bit of us,” Maggie said, tucking her arm into Tom’s offered elbow. “Agatha has asked us for a few more items for the children.”

Sam’s face relaxed, and his smile became genuine. “She knows quality.”

“Now you’re a flatterer,” Tom said bluntly.

“No,” Sam replied, fingering the collar of his shirt. “Just … appreciative.”

Maggie nodded. “Good day, Reverend.”

“Good day, Maggie. Tom, Bridgers.” Sam turned to greet the next set of people, and Tom drew Maggie away.

“Sudden change,” he remarked as they walked down the dirt path towards the village, keeping Maggie’s arm trapped in his.

“I think he knows when he’s outsmarted,” she replied, thoughtfully, nudging Tom’s hip with hers. “I have the feeling he’s not quite what he seems, is Sam.”

Pearl had insisted—Pearl was very good at insisting—on helping them with their backlog of orders. She was quick-fingered and very adept at cutting cloth into measurements that she could eyeball without use of a tape. By the end of the Monets’ second day visiting, she had caught them up on the raw pieces they needed, and Lou and Maggie were able to complete orders twice as fast as usual. Everyone sat in the kitchen now, enjoying a lamb stew that Tom had thrown together. Theo had used the lamb meat delivery as an excuse to stop by, and naturally Pearl had insisted that he stay for dinner, particularly as he had armed himself with Emmy. The little one, for her part, was perched quite happily on her father’s lap, dunking crusty white bread into the stew and gnawing on it with her sharp little teeth, humming in satisfaction every so often. Lou was on her third bowl, and Bridgers was pouring everyone fingers of brandy—a fine sort, he had said, imported from France itself.

“Not for you, badger,” he scolded Emmy when she made to reach for Theo’s glass. She turned betrayed eyes on him, and he shook his head. “Save those crocodile tears for someone else, you menace.” He then kissed the top of her head and returned to his task, completely missing the sunbeam of a smile Theo sent his way.

“How much longer are you planning to stay, Reverend?”

Jack grunted into his spoon of stew. “We should be heading back on Thursday. It’s not a long journey, but we’ve been here imposing on our sons long enough.”

Maggie’s heart stuttered. Bridgers smiled. “You’re welcome here anytime, you know that."

"We hate that you’re so far,” Pearl said, patting Tom’s hand, “but we’re so glad we got to see your new home. And your new business! You must be very proud, Matt. Who knew you’d be so successful at sewing!”

“To be clear,” Tom said, “Bridgers can’t sew two washcloths together.”

“I bet I could,” Bridgers protested. “If I had to.”

Theo wiped a final piece of bread across his bowl to sop up the gravy and took a bite, handing the rest to a now-drowsy Emmy; she yawned and slapped the bread onto his chest. Without giving it much thought, Maggie rose and plucked Emmy up, tucking her into her side and getting Theo a damp cloth for his shirt. Emmy made a fussy noise and Maggie carried her around the room, murmuring soothing nothings at her while the rest of the family finished up their dinner.

“I think Emmy and I will head home,” Lou said, taking her niece from Maggie’s arms.

“Am I invited?” Theo asked, sounding startled. He was clearing the table, bringing dishes to the basin.

“Tom said he’d walk us,” Lou responded cheerily. “Why don’t you stay and help clean up?”

“Oh, let’s all walk them home!” Pearl said, clapping her hands together. She’d been casting Maggie poorly concealed looks of approval all night but this was a step farther than anticipated.

“Surely that isn’t necessary,” Maggie said, wiping down the table with the same cloth Theo had used to wipe gravy off his shirt.

“You want to deprive your child of a protective ring of adults on the walk home?” Lou asked, aiming Emmy at Theo like a rifle. “This sweet innocent baby?”

“I … No?” Bewildered Theo was one of Maggie’s favorite versions. “Thank … you?”

The group dispersed with remarkable agility, even Reverend Monet, who appeared as baffled as Theo by the sudden exodus.

Maggie and Theo washed dishes in pleasant silence for a while, him softly humming something she didn’t recognize as he dried. As he placed the last clean dish in the cabinet, he turned to Maggie, throwing the towel over his shoulder. He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter, his hip hitting the corner with a quiet thud.

She clasped her hands behind her back, swaying slightly. “That’s a bit like how you looked when I first saw you in the shop, you know.”

“Oh?”

She nodded slowly, moving closer to him. “You had that bloody, disgusting towel on your shoulder as you emerged from the mysterious backroom. Before you saw me.”

“Before I recognized you,” he corrected. “I thought I was losing my mind, seeing you. I’d been thinking of you ever since we met.” He wrapped a loose arm around her waist, lifting his free hand to brush her hair off her forehead.