Oh, bother, Charlie thought. If she was a nurse where he was in the hospital, chances are she saw his back.
Suddenly the cake didn’t seem so appealing. Instead he felt the cake he just ate sitting like a brick in his belly. His palms were sweaty, and he wiped them on his pants. He felt the panic start to rise and counted to five, taking deep breaths. It was a trick Sam had taught him on the train.
“I need to get home. My sister is expecting me.” He stood suddenly, knocking the cup that was sitting in front of Georgina into the bowl she was mixing in her lap.
“Oh!” she cried. “Look what you have done!”
“I am so sorry,” Charlie said.
“I don’t have any more cocoa left. What should I do, Auntie?” Georgina looked at her aunt in horror. She removed the cup from the bowl, but the coffee swirled on top of the batter. “I don’t think I can pour it out.”
“I really do need to get back home. I am sorry I ruined your cake, Georgina. I’ll get you some more cocoa from the mercantile. I’ll bring it by the bakery tomorrow.”
He grabbed his hat and the purchases he made that day and quickly left. He made his way down the alley trying to get as far away from the mess he just created.
As he approached the gate leading into the garden behind the house, he noticed Mr. Gladstone sitting in the middle of the yard grooming himself.
The cat seemed fastidious when it came to keeping itself clean. Charlie approached the cat and he rolled over on his back, presenting his belly for Charlie to rub.
Charlie knelt down and stroked the cat’s belly as the cat happily purred, kneading its paws in the air. Charlie would need to talk to Cassie about feeding the cat. Mr. Gladstone had quite the belly on him. It must be a combination of whatever Cassie was feeding him plus the mice from the gardens.
Suddenly Mr. Gladstone had enough and swatted at Charlie before jumping to his feet and strutting off, his tail held high in the air.
Charlie sighed. He couldn’t even pet a cat correctly. He looked at the bear. “Maybe you’ll be the one thing I get right today.” The bear looked back at him with button eyes. “Not going to say anything, huh? Well, that’s alright. Let’s get you to Cassie. I think you’ll be the first gift Baby Blue has received.”
Charlie picked himself up and headed into the house, unsure of his next steps.
Chapter 8
“Well, that didn’t go as planned.”
Charlie sat up. He was lying on the settee with Mr. Gladstone on his chest. He had become quite fond of the cat over the past few days.
Mr. Gladstone made a loud protest as Charlie deposited him on the floor. The cat righted himself and looked at Mr. Pennyworth before hissing and strutting out the door.
“What are you doing here?” Charlie asked. Mr. Pennyworth was sitting on the corner of Max’s desk again. “I forgot to ask my sister about you.”
“Cassandra has other things on her mind right now. I’m the least of her worries.”
“Should she be worried about something?” Charlie was concerned. He didn’t want anything upsetting Cassie.
“Oh no. I just meant with preparing for the baby.”
Charlie looked at the bear sitting on the desk. Cassie was thrilled and had given him a hug. “Is everything going to be all right?”
“I’m not a fortune teller, Charlie. I’m an angel. One of God’s appointed. Cassie has her own angel watching over her. I’m here for you.”
“You don’t look very good,” Charlie said. “In fact, you look very pale.”
“Charlie, I’m dead. I don’t think you would look your best either.”
“I’ve been near death.”
Mr. Pennyworth shook his head. “That isn’t the same. You recovered. Dead is dead, Charlie.”
“Sometimes I think I would be better off if I hadn’t survived. I don’t know if Weston will come out looking for me. Or if he will send his henchmen.”
“Don’t say that. You are meant for great things.”
“Do you know what they are?”
“I can’t say. Only the Creator knows.”
“Well I wish He would tell me.”
“You can ask Him anytime.”
“How’s that?”
“Through your prayers. He is always listening. He wants you to talk to Him.”
“Then why did he leave me alone? Why wasn’t He there when I was burning? Why did James die?”
“Perhaps He was. The burning was limited to your back. It could have been all of you. You were sent to a hospital where the doctors saved you. You were brought to Creede safely. As for James, I don’t question things like that.” Mr. Pennyworth shifted his position. “Did you ever think that your suffering helped someone else? That maybe they were made better because of your sacrifice?”
Charlie shrugged his shoulders. “I just don’t know. I can’t even think about it.”
“Well then, let’s talk about something else.” Mr. Pennyworth clapped his hands. “Have you seen anything unusual lately?”
“No. Like what?”
“I’m still searching for my Louisa. Normally we’d leave clues for each other. Little signals only we would know about. Sometimes it would be love notes. Other times it would be something only the two of us knew about.” He wiped his eyes with his fingers. “I’d leave her sunflowers in the summer. She’d leave buttons on my dresser.”
“Buttons?” Charlie asked.
“Yes. It was always three pearl buttons. They had fallen off one of my dress shirts. The buttons told me she’d always be there to fix anything.”
“Wait… I saw three buttons…”
“Charlie,” Cassie interrupted. She walked into the office and looked around. “Who are you talking to?”
Charlie looked at Max’s desk. There wasn’t anyone there. Mr. Pennyworth appeared to have vanished. “I was just talking to myself.”
Cassie looked at him a moment. “Our guests have arrived. I think you should come out and visit with us.”
“Do I have to? I’d rather just stay in here tonight. Or at least until it is time to go to bed.”
Cassie marched over to him and pulled on his hand, lifting him from the sofa. “No more, Charles Stockton. You aren’t going to lay around having pity parties anymore. You are going to come out to dinner, meet our guests and participate like an adult. And then after dinner I need you to help me fit a costume so I can sew it tomorrow.”
“Aww, Cassie. I don’t want to try on a costume.”
“You are the same size as the actor, and he needs his costume repaired before he leaves for wherever they are off to next.”
Cassie didn’t give him an opportunity to respond as she took his arm and led him into the foyer. He saw his father and Frances talking to a woman sitting in a chair. They moved aside and Charlie saw that it was Maybelle, her leg propped up on a small stool.
He looked around but didn’t see Georgina. Did she not come? Was the cake she made today for dinner tonight? He thought about the cookies he purchased. He would just save them for coffee tomorrow.
Georgina came into the foyer. She was carrying a basket, which she placed by the front door. “I’m going to leave this here, so I don’t forget it. I put the cake in the kit…. Oh, Charlie, I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight.”
Even though it had only been a few hours, Charlie would swear she had grown more beautiful. She wasn’t covered in flour, so he could see that her hair was just as he remembered it. The color of honey.
Her skin was a peaches and cream complexion and as he watched her biting her bottom lip he groaned silently. Her lip was swollen and just perfect for kissing.
“Cassie is my sister,” he managed to say.
Georgina smiled. “She was telling me about Mr. Gladstone. I guess he really is her cat.”
“And Max’s. Max brought him all the way from New York.”
“I hope you like the cake I made. We are having it for dessert.”
“I’m sure it will be
delicious.”
“Dinner is ready,” Max said.
Charlie breathed a sign of relief. He followed them into the dining room and purposely sat as far away from Georgina as possible. He didn’t think he could speak to her without saying something silly.
“Dinner was absolutely delicious,” Georgina said, wiping her mouth with the cloth napkin.
“You can thank Frances. She brought the beans over last night. I just cooked them today,” Cassie said.
Charlie rubbed his belly. Their dinner of steak, beans and potatoes had filled his belly and now he wanted a nap.
“Should we get the cake now?” Max asked. “I’ve really missed you not being opened, Maybelle.”
Maybelle gave a chuckle and patted Max’s arm. “Georgina will be opening the bakery tomorrow morning, so you won’t have to wait very long. I think she has finally mastered my jelly tart recipe. And you should taste the cake. I finally … well Georgina did. You just really need to taste it yourself.”
“I can’t wait then.”
Cassie brought out the cake and put it on the sideboard where dessert plates were stacked. Charlie’s mouth watered as he looked at the cake. It had butter cream frosting dusted with cocoa. Cassie sliced the cake and pieces started making their way down the table.
Finally, a piece stopped in front of Charlie. He lifted the plate to his face and inhaled deeply. Chocolate cake was one of his favorites. He didn’t smell the cinnamon that he experienced earlier. Instead, this cake had an earthy, bitter scent to it.
Charlie took a bite letting the flavors explode on his tongue. Oh my, was that good! He took another bite and another and before he knew it the plate was empty.
He looked at Georgina who was sitting there with her eyes closed, savoring her bite of cake. She opened them and looked at Charlie. He would swear her eyes were smoldering. They looked like golden orbs and hypnotized him.
She looked at him and a slight smile appeared on her face. “Did you like the cake?” Maybelle asked.
Voices started to respond in unison. Charlie continued to look at Georgina until she blushed and turned away.
“I can’t believe you are responsible for this, Charlie.” His father’s voice boomed in his ear.
He tore his gaze away from Georgina. “What?” he asked.
“This cake. It is the best cake I’ve ever had. Why I hate to say this, but it is even better than Mother’s, God rest her soul.”
“It has to be one of the best cakes I’ve ever eaten.” He swiped the little bit of frosting from the plate and licked his finger clean.
“What ever made you think of doing that, Charlie?” Cassie asked.
Charlie froze. Did he miss some part of the conversation? “I’m not sure what you are talking about.”
“Maybelle said that you added the coffee to the batter,” Frances offered. “I would never have dreamed of that.”
Charlie’s eyes flew back to Georgina. She gave him a half-smile before turning to Hal. “It was quite by accident, but I think Charlie has a natural gift in the kitchen.”
“You should put him in charge of creating new flavors. Imagine what other combinations he could come up with,” Hal boasted, stuffing another bite of cake in his mouth.
Georgina looked at Charlie. “I’d like that very much. Maybe he can come to the bakery and help me out.”
“At least it would get him out of the house,” Cassie said.
“I can’t see a problem with that,” Charlie said.
“Good,” said Maybelle. “You can help Georgina starting tomorrow.”
Georgina was exhausted. Dinner was lovely, but she was ready to go to bed.
Max carried Maybelle home and deposited her in her favorite chair in the sitting room. She insisted on walking, but Max didn’t want her to risk falling. It was, after all, his cat that got her into this predicament.
Georgina reflected back on the events of the evening. It was a surprise for sure, to see Charlie there, especially after he left so abruptly that afternoon. Since they didn’t have any extra ingredients, Maybelle insisted that Georgina not waste the cake batter. So, she baked it anyway and let it cool.
She had enough for two layers and a little tiny cake that she and Maybelle could split to taste the flavor. That was a trick Maybelle taught her … always create a tester that could be eaten immediately. That way you weren’t destroying the entire cake to make sure it tasted good.
The cake smelled heavenly while it was cooking, and Georgina’s mouth watered … it actually watered… as she pulled it out from the oven.
The first cake she made was all but forgotten as she and Maybelle gobbled down the sample of the chocolate cake with the coffee in it.
Georgina was so happy it was well received by everyone. Maybelle swore them to silence, stating that she wanted to keep the recipe for the bakery only. Everyone agreed.
Max bid them goodnight and Georgina watched him walk out the garden gate. He opened and closed the gate three times, before making sure the latch was secure. Georgina drew the blind and went into the sitting room with her aunt.
“I think that went very well this evening, don’t you?” Georgina nodded. “I noticed you were very attentive to Charlie,” her aunt said.
“I don’t think I was. I paid as much attention to him as I did to everyone else.”
“Yes, but it was the way you looked at him. I’ve seen that look before.” She adjusted her skirt, pulling it from underneath her splints. “Your mother had that look when she first met your father. I would look at my Phillip that way. And now, you are looking at Charlie that way.”
“I am not looking at Charlie in any way. I’ve only known him for two days.”
“And you are going to be spending a lot of time with him at the bakery.” Her aunt closed her eyes, laying her hands on her belly.
“I don’t know anything about him. I don’t know what he does for a living. Nothing. I want to marry a man that I know can support me.”
Aunt Maybelle opened one eye and looked at her. “Interesting. No one said anything about marriage, and you bring it up.”
Georgina stood and stomped her foot on the carpet. “I’m going to go get everything ready so I can get to the bakery early. I promised Charlie I would make him a pound cake.”
“Alright. I’m just going to close my eyes for a few minutes and then I’ll go to bed.”
Georgina went back into the kitchen and started putting together the items she needed when she opened the bakery tomorrow.
She was going to try giving away samples of the chocolate coffee cake, in hopes of drawing people into the bakery. She added an extra coffee pot to the growing pile of items.
When she had everything done, she looked around for her basket. Oh bother, she had left it by the front door.
She heard the gentle sounds of her aunt snoring coming from the sitting room. Poor soul. She had spent so much time the past week teaching Georgina her recipes, no wonder she was exhausted. Georgina took a blanket from the back of the settee and covered her aunt. There was no need to tell her aunt she was leaving, as she would only be gone a minute.
She quickly dashed down the alleyway and around to the front of the Blue’s house. Cassie came to the door after the second knock.
“Georgina, what brings you here?”
“I forgot my basket. I need it to carry my supplies to the bakery tomorrow morning.” She looked by the door. “I thought I left it right there,” she said, pointing to the spot where she had placed the basket.
“You did. I didn’t know who it belonged to, so I moved it. I put it in the study. That seems to be a catch-all for everything nowadays.”
“Thank you for dinner. I know Auntie enjoyed it and I certainly did.”
“We were so glad to have you. You should stop by for tea sometime.”
“I’d like that.”
“I’m just getting ready to pin a costume that I need to sew this week. Charlie has been kind enough to be a dress form for me.”
“I don’t see him standing still.”
Cassie laughed. “I think I might agree with you. He was always on the move when we were younger. But something happened right before he came here. He’s changed. I wish I knew what it was.”
They walked into the study and Georgina let out a gasp. Cassie let out a cry and her fingers flew to her mouth. “Oh, my word. Charlie,” she said.
Georgina saw he was trying to unbutton the costume so he could change into it. His back was to them, but he had taken off his shirt.
Georgina let a sob escape and moved further into the room. His back was covered with whip marks where someone had beaten him so badly the flesh had been torn away, leaving deep scars. On top of that, the flesh was scarred as if it had been burned from his back.
Charlie spun around. A pained looked came over his eyes, and he backed himself into a corner.
Georgina moved closer. She had heard about a patient at the hospital where she worked that had injuries such as these.
He was found unconscious in a warehouse along the river. He had been tortured, but he was still alive. Barely. The doctors kept him in a comatose state until he had finally healed enough.
Georgina had never seen the patient herself, as it was too gruesome for a nursing student, the doctor said. Only the doctors and one nurse attended to his care.
Now that patient was standing in front of her.
She walked to Charlie, who was looking for a way to escape. She put her hand on his cheek, so he was forced to look at her.
“Charlie?” she asked, “Who did this to you?”
Chapter 9
October 1893
Georgina pulled the last of the cookie sheets from the oven. She quickly dropped them on the racks, shaking her fingers where the heat burned her through the apron. Oh bother, she thought, as one of the cookies broke when she dropped the tray. She would save that one for a cup of tea later.
She couldn’t believe that the bakery had been open a month. She owed most of the success to Charlie. He was always suggesting new ideas for cakes or pies. In fact, he suggested a variation on fruitcake that was more cake and less fruit. The initial tastings were a huge hit and Georgina secured several orders for the upcoming holidays.
Beauty and the Baker Page 7