Chapter Thirty-One
Freddie made it back to Grosvenor Square and proceeded to lay low for the next few days.The swelling around his nose and eyes made it difficult to see.
He finally made it out of the house and to Covent Garden late in the morning some two days after Francis had done his best to rearrange his face.Being the hour, it was, he knew Hattie and her bodyguards would have come and gone some hours earlier.He made his purchases and headed home.
After putting his shopping away and feeding Zeus, he emptied his coat pockets of coins and deposited them onto the kitchen table.Among the coins he found a small folded up piece of paper.
He frowned, unable to recall where the paper had come from.He unfolded it and let out a small.“Ah.”
St John’s Church, High Street, Holborn
Hattie Saunders’s soup kitchen was based out of the church.He read the address a second time.It wasn’t too far a walk to High Street, similar to the distance he had regularly walked to the House of Commons.
She was the one person in London he did know who might give him a fair hearing.Hattie had offered for him to come to the church.To share a meal with her and the parishioners.She was someone who had changed her life, and now led an existence with meaning and purpose.
Trenton’s words rang in his ears.You need to search for the truth of who you really are.
It was a humbling thought that the two people he had ridiculed the most were the very same people who seemed to know him best.
His face was still a bruised mess, but no doubt Hattie would already know the cause of his injuries when she saw him.He closed his eyes, sending out a silent prayer.If he was to seek a way back to the Freddie he had once been, he would have to find a new path to tread.
“Sorry, Zeus.I don’t think they would appreciate you coming in and trying to eat their supper.You shall have to stay here,” he said.
He jammed a chair against the door to keep Zeus from going upstairs while he was gone.He put his coat on, ruing the fact Eve had bought him a dog who could open doors.
“Try to be good.If you cannot, I would appreciate you don’t start chewing on any new pieces of my mother’s furnishings.You have made a mess of enough of them already.”
He closed the door behind him, in the full knowledge Zeus would have the door open by the time he got to the garden gate.His mother would kill him when she found out what the dog had done to her favourite couch.
The church was not as easy to find as he had thought it would be.Freddie walked past it before he realized the simple stone-fronted building was in fact a house of worship.He stood outside for a short while, unsure whether he should go inside.
The thought that going home would only give more credence to Trenton’s opinion of him being a coward kept him from turning on his heel and leaving.Finally, he mustered up enough courage and pulled on the brass handle of the solid oak front door.
Once inside he found himself standing in a simple, but well-kept church.He had been half expecting to find beggars on the front steps and homeless families asleep inside.There were little of the trappings of the wealthier churches such as St George’s, Hanover Square, where his parents attended when they were in town.The windows were plain glass, with no expensive leadlight to add color to the room.Two small vases with red roses were the only sign of decoration.A fire burnt in a nearby hearth, adding a little warmth to the place.While it lacked the towering gilt-edged columns and highly polished wood of St George’s, St John’s still had a dignity about it.
He walked farther inside, unsure of himself.He wasn’t certain as to why he was there; what he did know was that he had been drawn by the promise of change.
The door to the right of the chapel opened, and Hattie stepped inside.She had a basket filled with vegetables in her hands, which was clearly heavy from the way she struggled to carry it.Freddie hurried to her side and quickly relieved her of the heavy burden.
“Thank you.I am very pleased to see you,” she said, wiping sweat from her brow.Her gaze fell on his bruised face, and a flush of red burnt on his cheeks.“Oh dear, it’s as ugly as I thought it might be.How is the face healing?”
“The swelling has gone down, and I can sleep on my back once more.Other than that, it is as well as can be expected.Not that I deserve anything less than what Francis dished out,” he replied.
She shook her head and tut-tutted softly.
“If you would be so kind as to bring the basket, I will show you the kitchen,” she said.
He followed her out to a room that ran off the side of the church.It was very similar to the kitchen at his home, but with a much bigger fireplace.Over the fireplace hung two large pots, the contents of which were giving off a heady aroma.Soup.
His stomach growled loudly.
Hattie chuckled.“Here, put the basket down and grab a bowl.The afternoon meal will be served in an hour so you have time to eat before the hungry hordes from the St Giles rookery arrive on our doorstep.”
When he hesitated with embarrassment, Hattie took a ladle and filled up a bowl before handing it to him.“Go on.You look like you could do with a hot meal.”
Freddie sat down at the table, and she took a seat opposite where she began to peel onions.
“I find if I get a head start on the evensong meal about now, we can get everyone fed and out of the church by just after nine o’clock.Will gets impatient with me if I come home any time after ten,” she said.
