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“If you must know, I worked a case for him,” he lied.
“Have you been inside Hawthorne House before?”
“I have.”
“What is it like?”
He smiled. “It is quite impressive.”
“I can only imagine.” Esther perused the length of him before saying, “I see that you are back to wearing your own clothing.”
“I am,” he said, tugging down on the ends of his worn, blue waistcoat.
“That is a shame,” Esther remarked. “It was a good look on you.”
“Those clothes were not a reflection of who I am.”
Esther gestured towards a chair. “Why don’t you sit, and I will get you some breakfast?”
“I would appreciate that,” Guy said, sitting down. “I brought home a small crate of books for you.”
“You did?” Esther asked. “How did you come by that?”
“They were given to me.”
Esther placed a bowl in front of him. “By whom?”
“I befriended a young woman on my assignment, and I mentioned that you enjoyed reading,” he explained. “So she collected some books and delivered them to the coaching inn.”
“That was most thoughtful of her.”
“It was,” he agreed.
His mother interjected, “Was this young woman beautiful?”
Guy paused. “She was.”
“I could tell, because you smiled when you spoke about her.”
Guy reached for his spoon. “It matters not,” he said. “I will not be seeing this particular young woman ever again.”
“Why is that?” his mother pressed.
“I was on an assignment, and I was forced to lie to her about why I was there.”
Esther came to sit down next to him. “Did you tell her the truth?”
“Only partially,” he replied.
“Doesn’t she deserve to know the full truth?” Esther asked.
He shook his head. “I’m afraid that is impossible.”
“Why?” his mother inquired.
“I have secrets, and I’m afraid I can’t share them with anyone,” he said.
“We all have secrets,” Esther attempted.
