Chapter Six
Nell waited until her parents were asleep and threw on her warmest dress and thickest coat before she left the townhouse through the rear door. There was a door in the back wall of the garden, and Nell slipped through it before vanishing into the darkness of the streets.
And where she was going was dark indeed. Her destination was past even the docks, no place that her mother would ever be alright with her going, especially unescorted, but she’d taken over for her father and she was going to see that his work lived on.
Nell slipped down through the mud underneath the docks, out and down and to a little islet that was never seen except at low tide and squared off with the man that rose from the little skiff parked on the mud.
“Hello Johnny,” she smiled at him, knowing that he couldn’t see the expression in the dark. “Water treat you alright?”
“Nellie!” Johnny reached out and shook her hand fiercely. “Didn’t know if you were coming or if it was to be your papa.”
“It’ll always be me now, Johnny.” She said quietly. “Papa sends his thanks, but he’s too public now to do what we need to do.”
“And you ain’t?”
Nell shook her head. “I’m an unmarried young lady; we’re a dime a dozen, and Mama’s not watching me at night yet. If she ever starts, we’ll have to come up with another plan to get this to the people.”
Johnny nodded. “You’ll figure it out. You have my payment?”
“I wouldn’t have come without it.” She offered him a sack. “I counted it twice.”
“As did I,” Johnny gestured to the box in the bow of the skiff. “You want me to help you get it back on land?”
She shook her head and picked it up. “It’s just awkward, not heavy. I can handle it. I’ll see you next month, Johnny.”
“Bye Nellie.” He patted her on the shoulder. “You and your father are too good for this world.”
Nell got the box up from under the docks, through the streets and up to the rear door of the temple of healing that served the poor areas of the city.
This temple served the invisible, the beggars, the ones that had given up being respectable.
And as such, there were no offerings to buy supplies, but during the war these were the people that had fought the hardest for their city.
So, Nell and her father had made certain that they had all the medicines that they needed.
Nell pulled her mask down, making sure her entire face was obscured, and knocked on the rear door of the temple.
The door opened, and Nell pointed to the box. “Delivery,” was all she said before turning from the door and vanishing back into the dark streets.
She didn’t get home until near dawn, exhausted, covered in mud and accomplished. Her father was waiting in the back garden for her, grinning like the sunrise when she put her hood down and nodded at him.
“You’re blessing them, Nell. So many of them will live because of you.”
“And if Mama finds out, she’ll chain me to the bed.” Nell laughed. “I’m going to go and bathe. I’ll see you for breakfast?”
“Of course.” He patted her on the shoulder and left her to the silence and the cold.
Nell looked to the sky, to the stars that were slowly losing the sky to the sun, and smiled. “Guard them, Mother, the ones that work in your name.”
“Nell?” A half-familiar voice from over the wall. “You’re up early.”
“Good morning, Nick.” She walked over, laying a hand on the wall. “So are you.”
“That implies that I slept.” He said, and she could hear the frown in his voice.
“Bad night?” she asked.
“You could say that,” he sighed. “My life got a lot more complicated yesterday, and I wish I had someone I could talk to.”
“You can talk to me,” she said. “If I can help?”
“I can’t ask that of you,” he said, and she heard shuffling. “I’ve never even seen your face.”
“That’s an easy fix,” she chuckled. “There’s a gate in the back wall of all these gardens that lets out into the alley.”
“I’ll see you at tea, Nell.” He sounded odd. “And maybe you might consider listening to a rather unorthodox request?”
“Wait, what?”
“My mother is Duchess Graves,” he said. “You met her yesterday.”
She backed up a step, hand dropping from the wall. “I thought you—I never would have intruded, my lord.”
“Don’t do that, Nell. Please don’t do that.” He sounded almost pained. “If it’s alright, could you just call me Nick and be tired of all the faff with me? I need someone sane.”
She nearly fled. She’d spoken to this man only once before in her life, but he sounded exhausted and confused, and she could really use a friend.
“Alright, Nick, let’s make a plan.” She settled on the bench near the wall.
“Will you still come for tea?”
She nodded, realized he couldn’t see her and rose. “I wouldn’t want to disappoint your mother; she’s very kind.”
“She is,” Nick said. “I’m going to go get breakfast. I look forward to seeing you, Nell.”
“See you soon, Nick.” She rose and headed for the townhouse.
Her mother was never up this early, which gave Nell the time she needed to freshen up, get the mud out from under her nails and try to pretend like she’d had a full night of rest.
One night a month wouldn’t hurt her. It was desperately needed, and so she would ensure that it happened.
Her father was waiting at the breakfast table, and they discussed how her mission went. Nell told him it had still been Johnny and that she’d counted the money twice as he’d always told her to.
“I’m glad, Nell,” her father said, swallowing the last bite of his toast. “I have to see the king this morning, so you should tell Mary to wake you and get a bit of sleep before you go to tea.”
“That’s a good idea, Papa.” Nell rose as the servants came to clear the table and headed upstairs. She found Mary, asked her to come and wake Nell in three hours, and went to her bed.
Falling asleep was like taking a breath.