The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.
—All’s Well That Ends Well, act 4, scene 3
Adam strode through the front door, taking off his hat. He laid it, and the package he held, on the side table in the vestibule. It had taken much too long at the apothecary’s shop, but it was a job that had to be done. He’d promised Dixon that he’d do his best to find Mrs. Bernewelt a different ointment for her hands, and he’d failed to make any effort to get that done until today.
Who would have known that there were so many different concoctions available to help one’s aches and pains? And none of them smelled like flowers. The man had Adam sniffing so many different ointments, liniments, and salves that his stomach started roiling in protest. He finally had to leave it up to the shopkeeper to pick the one with the least foul scent.
It was really a small thing to do for a little boy who’d lost his parents and was suddenly thrust into a household with a stranger and his large dog, who until recently had scared the daylights out of Dixon. Adam was happy that ever since Dixon had given Pharaoh a bite of his sweet cake in the park that day, he hadn’t seemed frightened by the Pyrenees anymore. And Adam hoped the new ointment would help Mrs. Bernewelt as well as make it easier for Dixon to endure when she was close. If not, there were certainly plenty more for them to try.
“Good afternoon, my lord,” Clark said, coming up to him. “Let me help you with your cloak.”
“I have it,” Adam said, swinging the heavy woolen cover off his shoulders. Pharaoh came running up to him, seeking attention. Adam reached down and gave the Pyrenees a couple of generous pats on his back, then rubbed his head a few times. “No, Clark,” Adam said when his butler reached for his hat. “No need to put my things away. I’m on my way back out again.”
“But you have—”
“Whatever it is,” Adam interrupted him, “I’ll deal with it later. I only stopped by because I wanted to bring you this.” He picked up the small package and handed it to Clark. “This is an ointment for Mrs. Bernewelt’s hands.”
The man looked puzzled but said, “I’ll be sure she gets it.”
Adam saw the blank expression on Clark’s face and knew further explanation was needed. “She’s not expecting it. You’ll have to tell her it’s from an apothecary and it will help ease the pain in her finger joints, but it doesn’t have the foul odor of what she’s using now. She should try this and let you know how it works. I certainly don’t want her using it if it doesn’t work as well.”
Clark’s brows rose. “You want me to tell her all that, my lord?”
Adam picked up his hat and cloak. “It matters not to me whether you tell her or if you give the message and package to the housekeeper and have her handle it. Just see to it that she gets it and that she uses it. I’d like a report back on how it’s working for her.”
“Yes, Your Lordship, consider it done. But I must tell you before you rush out again that Lord Thornwick is waiting for you in the book room. He asked to stay and await your return. I hope that was all right?”
Harrison?
“Of course it’s all right,” he said, handing his cloak and hat to Clark. “I’ll go see what he wants.”
Adam looked over at the tall clock standing in the corner by the door while he took off his gloves. He didn’t have much time before he had to meet with Katherine. He didn’t want to be late. If he wasn’t already there when she arrived, he was afraid she might not wait for him. The server last night had assured him that the note had been successfully delivered to the right young lady. Adam hoped that was true. If it was, he had no doubt Katherine had the courage and cleverness to find a way to return to the orphanage.
Harrison stood in front of the window looking out when Adam walked in, saying, “Good to see you, my friend.”
“You too.” Harrison greeted him with a handshake. “I expected I would find you at home working with your solicitors. I was surprised when you weren’t here.”
“I should be.” Adam knew he should ask his friend to sit down, but he really didn’t have the time to be polite. “I needed a day to do some other things, so I told them not to come today.”
“That’s right. You’ve been here a few weeks now. There’s a lot to learn, isn’t there?”
“More than I could have ever expected,” Adam said, feeling anxious to be on his way.
“But you are up to the task and no doubt probably enjoying learning about the estates more than you thought you would.”
“All true,” Adam admitted. He would also enjoy staying for a long visit with Harrison, but this wasn’t a good time. “So tell me what brings you here? Are you on your way to the club?”
“No.” Harrison smiled nervously. “I wanted to tell you that Angelina had the baby last night.”
Adam felt an instant jolt to his stomach. He hadn’t expected Harrison to say that. He hadn’t even known it was time for the baby to be born. Now that he thought about it, he realized he’d seldom thought about the fact that his two best friends’ wives were expecting babes. It was an easy thing to put out of his mind. He should have at least asked how they were doing once in a while, but he hadn’t. Miss Katherine Wright was the only lady he ever thought about.
“All went well,” Harrison continued when Adam didn’t respond immediately. “The baby and Angelina are fine. I thought you’d want to know.”
“Yes. That’s good news.”
“Yes, it is. You’re the first person I’ve told.”
“Thank you for letting me know.” He appreciated that Harrison had wanted to do that. “I’m happy for you.”
“I knew you would be.”
He shook Harrison’s hand and clapped him on the upper arm. “So, tell me, do you have a son or daughter?”
“Son.”
Adam laughed, and he was glad it was a genuine, cheerful laugh. “What every man hopes for, yes? Congratulations, my friend. And you say everything went well with both of them?”
“I’ll say. An hour after the baby was born, Angelina was sitting up in bed declaring she was starving and wanted a bowl of lamb stew.”
“A healthy appetite. That’s definitely a good sign that all is well. I’m glad.” Adam felt he was doing a pitiful job congratulating Harrison. But hell, he didn’t know what else to say other than that he was happy for him. “So what about Bray’s wife? I mean, is she … you know?”
“No babe yet as far as I know. I’m going to see him when I leave here. I’ll ask how she’s doing.”
Adam nodded. “You have a son. This calls for a celebration. Why don’t we all meet at the Heirs’ Club later for a drink? Unless, of course, you need to stay with Angelina.”
“No, no, later will be fine,” Harrison said. “She needs to rest. Let’s say we’ll meet at six and hopefully Bray can join us.”
“Good,” Adam said. “I’ll see you there. Come on. I was just leaving, so I’ll walk you to the door.”