night, Mrs. Murphy. I’ll see you again soon.”
The gray head nodded under her cover. “You are quite considerate for a ghost, young man. I’m sorry you passed before your time.”
He had told her many times that he wasn’t a ghost, but it was just as well that she didn’t remember. The lighting of unexplained fires and the appearance of extra food were easily blamed on the supernatural.
In under an hour he had brought warmth to every room but one. That door didn’t have a bolt. A heavy lock made it impossible to get inside.
The investigator in him wanted to know what was in there. He’d heard stories of other institutions where the inmates were actually tortured in the name of research. One of these days he’d find a way into that second-story room.
Having done everything he could for the inmates, he went outside. He stepped beside his own footprints going away, thinking that it was a good thing for the old ghost stories. A spirit would be credited with all manner of strange happenings.
* * *
Had she not been homeless, freezing and responsible for two children, Lilleth would feel quite pleased.
Dinner at the hotel could not have gone better. In the end they had been kicked out of the restaurant, but she and the children had caused a bucketload of complaints to be served up to Mr. Hotel Owner.
Mary, having been confined to Lilleth’s arms for much of the day, wanted to crawl about on the floor. She wailed and carried on because she was not allowed to do so.
Jess accidentally spilled his milk on the tablecloth three times. Naturally, Lilleth had insisted on fresh linen with each accident.
And, by the saints, why could the kitchen not prepare her steak correctly? The waiter had to return it several times before it was cooked just so.
As annoyed as the other patrons were at her little family, they were aghast when the owner, with his own hands, escorted them out into the elements with orders not to return. Surely the fellow deserved every frown cast his way.
But what to do now? It was not that Lilleth couldn’t afford a room, there simply were none to be had. Perhaps the livery would have a stall, but wouldn’t that cause a stir? It might be fodder for gossip from one end of town to another. Poor frazzled mother of two, denied rooms at both the hotel and the brothel, ending up in a pile of straw?
She had slept in worse places than a clean pile of straw before, but she couldn’t afford the attention that it would draw to her. She needed to remain in the shadows.
Oh, dear, she should have considered that during dinner.
While delivering Mr. Hotel Owner his just rewards had been deeply satisfying, the little show had drawn the attention of every diner in the hotel restaurant. She would have to be more discreet in the future.
“At least the snow has quit,” Jess said, fitting his sister into the curve of his elbow.
The poor little thing continued to squirm and fuss. She hadn’t been out of her or Jess’s arms in ever so long.
Pain cramped Lilleth’s fingers. They felt like frozen claws clutching the handles of the valises. “That’s a mercy, but the wind! Make sure to keep the blanket over Mary’s head.”
“She keeps pulling it off.”
It wouldn’t take long for her tiny ears to freeze, even covered by a hat. They needed shelter and they needed it now. The dark and the cold were swiftly becoming mortal enemies.
A church, then. Perhaps they would find sanctuary there, if only for this night. Lilleth scanned the rooftops of town, looking for a steeple. Where could it be?
Every town had a church! Hopefully, she’d find one with someone in attendance.
“Look there.” Jess pointed down the street. “There’s a lamp on in Mr. Clarkly’s library.”
“Hurry, Jess, we’ve got to get there before he puts it out and turns in for the night.”
Doing so took longer than she dreamed it would. The boardwalk had grown icy. Jess half slipped a dozen times. In the end, she abandoned the valises in front of Horton File’s Real Estate, Homes for Sale or Rent. She took Mary from Jess’s arms and steadied him.
“The lamp’s just gone off!” Her brave young nephew sounded truly alarmed.
“We’re nearly there. He’ll hear us when we knock.”
She prayed that he wouldn’t turn them away. For all that he was a stranger, Mr. Clarkly seemed a decent fellow.
It took forever, but at last they stood in front of the door of Clark Clarkly’s Private Library.
Lilleth knocked. Stabbing pain shot through her frozen hand. She bit her lip to hold in the agony and keep the tears out of her eyes.
Footsteps sounded inside, coming toward the door. Lilleth would simply faint into his arms if he attempted to turn them away, and it might not be an act.
The door opened.
“Mrs. Gordon!” Mr. Clarkly gaped at her without his spectacles on. Even in her desperation, she noticed that he had uncommonly appealing eyes, blue with green flecks. Bless the man for a saint, those eyes reflected more than a bit of concern.
He reached for Mary and tucked her in the crook of his arm. With his free hand he touched Lilleth’s shoulder and drew her inside.
“Come in, young man,” he said to Jess. “You look frozen through.”
“I’ll just go back,” Jess said with chattering teeth, “f-for th-the bags.”
“Well now, that won’t do.” Mr. Clarkly poked his head out the door and peered at the bags lying on the boardwalk a block down. “They’ll be safe enough until I get a fire going. Here, take your sister and sit on that chair. There’s a book beside it on the table. That should keep her distracted until she’s warmed through.”
Clark Clarkly knelt beside the fireplace, urging a small flame to life. He performed the chore quickly. His shoulders flexed and contracted under his shirt with his brisk movements.
Praise everything good that the man built a fire with more skill than he displayed walking.
He stood up after a moment, seeming taller than she remembered, straighter of form.
“Thank you, Mr. Clarkly.” That simple phrase didn’t begin to express her gratitude. “I can’t think of what might have happened if—”
“No thanks needed, Mrs. Gordon.” He took her cold hands in his big warm ones for an instant while he led her toward a chair by the fire. “Sit tight while I fetch your bags.”
Mr. Clarkly hurried out the door and closed it behind him before the wind could sweep away the warmth beginning to hug the room.
His gait had been quick, efficient. Judging by his swift return, he hadn’t taken a single tumble while he was fetching the bags.
He
