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“I doubt we’ll see Welch today,” she told him. “The detective’s probably not feeling well.”
Raven glanced up to find Brax watching her. She knew he might be many things, but a mind reader he was not, so she wasn’t worried about him figuring out what her mother meant. She took a small bite out of a biscuit.
Harrison cocked his head. “You’ve spoken with her?”
“No.”
“Then how can you be sure?”
“Let’s call it women’s intuition.”
He studied her and then Raven before asking, “Why do I get the feeling that there’s something here you aren’t telling me?”
“Because there is.” She directed her attention Brax’s way. “Braxton, do you have any less tailored or older clothing with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“If you’re going to be playing the part of a houseman, you should dress like one, not like the house’s owner.”
He nodded and gave her a smile. “I understand, but no, I don’t.”
“I’ll have Raven take you to a shop where you can purchase some things more fitting for your station. The supremacists have been attacking our well-dressed men. I don’t want you to become a target.”
“Neither do I.”
“Raven, will you take him to see Etta?”
She dearly wanted to say no, but she knew better. Spending the morning with him hadn’t been on her list of things to do for the day. “Yes, ma’am. Is there anything else you want me to do for you while I’m out?”
“No. Getting him appropriately outfitted is enough for now. I have some things I need to put in place before we leave for Charleston. I’ll swing by Etta’s place and let her know you’re coming so she can have some things picked out for him. Harrison, if you’d like to come along, you’re welcome.”
His face brightened at the invitation. “I’d like that.”
“Raven, if you see anything you need for the journey while you’re there, have Etta add it to my account.”
“Okay.” Etta, short for Henrietta, was among her mother’s many first cousins and owned a small cluttered shop that sold secondhand clothing and other goods. She was a tiny woman whose outrageous personality had always been a familial source of legend, laughter, and joy.
Hazel pushed back from the table. “Then Harrison and I will leave after I get these dishes cleared up.”
Raven countered, “Don’t worry about that, Mama. I can take care of them. You and Harrison go on.” Any delay she could find to put off her time with Braxton Steele was one to grab.
“I’ll be glad to assist,” Braxton added.
Raven studied him. He’d grown up with servants and probably knew next to nothing about the chore. “Thanks for the offer, but I should be fine alone.”
“Many hands, quicker work, no?”
He had her, and she sighed. “I suppose.”
Her mother looked on approvingly. “Harrison, let’s go get the carriage. Raven, I’ll leave you the wagon. Eden should be here shortly to keep Vana company.”
“Okay. Where’s Dorrie? She said yesterday the Mother Superior isn’t allowing her to returnto school.” Raven remembered that Dorrie also had a question for Steele.
Hazel was plainly displeased by the decision. “I’ll be having a word with the Mother soon, but for now, Dorrie’s out back with Vana and Drina. Drina’s going to tutor her until we get this resolved.”
Drina was one of Emile’s younger sisters. She was studying to become a teacher, which made her an ideal substitute for the nuns. In a perfect world Raven would have a tutor, too, to make up for her truncated education, but at her age, she doubted her desire to read better or learn about the things that piqued her curiosity was realistic.
Hazel and Harrison made their exit, leaving Raven to finish her breakfast while Brax drank his coffee.
