He made to lead them through the foyer, but Minnie placed a light hand on his arm. “We know the way but thank you.”
It was strange, being in this house again now that it was no longer home. But it hadn’t taken long for that small suite above the blacksmith’s shop to become the place where she belonged. While a few of her own touches, such as a painting on the wall and some flowers on the table, had slightly changed the space, Minnie knew, deep within, that it wasn’t so much the place where she lived but the people within it. Tommy made her feel more welcome and cherished than her parents ever had.
“Minnie,” her mother said, her tone icy as she filled the doorway. “How surprising.” Her eyes fell upon Tommy with distaste, which he ignored, his smile more forced than usual but as present as always.
“It is good to see you, Mrs. Draper,” he said. “You are as beautiful as your daughter.”
Her mother’s expression remained stoic at his compliment.
“What brings you here tonight?”
Minnie froze, uncertain of what to say, but of course, Tommy knew exactly what would put a dent in those walls her mother had forged around herself.
“I might not be what you planned for your daughter, but we would like to find a way to continue to stay close to her family,” he said smoothly. “We hoped to have a conversation, to find civility.”
“It would have helped had we known you were coming,” her mother said frostily, but she did take a few steps into the room, taking a seat on the sofa while Minnie’s father filled the doorway behind them.
He was wary, but he also approached Tommy with a measure of respect, likely formed due to his own understanding of how his actions had led to this situation.
“Ward,” he greeted him. He had obviously heard their conversation with his wife, for he didn’t ask any more before he held the door open. “Shall we have a drink?”
“That would be nice,” Minnie said softly. While she no longer held her parents in the same measure of respect as before, she did appreciate that they were amenable to this conversation.
Their discussion was stilted as they spoke of nothing of consequence, Tommy leading most of the discussion. He told them of his family, of his profession, with no measure of shame but more pride that Minnie echoed in her heart. He had worked hard for what he had accomplished, and he loved his family deeply.
It meant more to her than any title or measure of wealth ever could.
When Tommy began to lightly nudge her with his knee,she realized that it was time she executed the next steps of their plan.
“Mother, would you mind if I go upstairs and pack a few things from my bedroom?” she asked.
She wasn’t sure she had ever seen her mother’s brows lift any higher.
“Are you in need of your ball gowns for dinners?”
Minnie ignored the comment, knowing how much they needed this time.
“There are a few small personal things I would like.”
“Very well.” Her mother sniffed, and Minnie smiled her thanks, practically sprinting once she was out the door. She decided to go to the study first. Relieved to find it unlocked, she looked through the ledger as best she could with the dim light from the moon through the window and the simmering embers in the grate. She had to decide between leaving the door open and risking discovery, or keeping it closed to hide herself from any passing eyes.
Choosing the latter, she squinted as she attempted to read the front of each ledger, finally finding one that appeared promising. She tucked it in her clothing, between multiple layers, trying to make it comfortable, before slipping out the study door, thankfully unnoticed, and hurrying up the stairs to her bedroom.
No one was about, and when she walked into the room, it was as though she had never left. The book she had been reading was still lying on her bedside table, splayed out to the page she had left it on. Still curious about the ending, she placed it in a small valise kept in the bottom of her wardrobe and added a few other dresses that could work for everyday wear. She had already taken most of her personal items, so there wasn’t much else. She glanced at the miniature of her parents on the desk but decided against it. From the wayTommy was charming them downstairs, she would see them often enough still.
And the truth was, she wouldn’t overly miss them either.
Minnie wondered just what state she would find the three of them in when she returned to the parlor, but they seemed perfectly at ease.
When she caught Tommy’s gaze, all he did was wink and look down to the waistband of her dress with a twinkle in his eye. The ledger. Why hadn’t she moved the ledger to the valise when she was in her room? She had been moving too quickly. She bit her lip and hoped her mother wouldn’t notice.
Apparently, Tommy was more observant than most, for her parents made no comment, and it was not as though they were coming close to her for an embrace.
Their farewells were as awkward and stilted as the rest of their evening, before they were seen out the front door.
Tommy waited until they were a few houses away before he turned to her and asked, with a giddy smile on his face, “So? Did you find it? Or is that another treasure you have stuffed in your gown?”
“I did!” she cried, unable to help the smile that broke out across her face as she stepped around a corner before pulling out what was becoming an increasingly heavy ledger beneath.
