Faces of the Wind

Chapter 36

Hazel released a sigh of relief the moment she was out of the teashop. The last twenty minutes passed at their leisure, draining her nerves and paving the way for a friendship between her and a prostitute. She pictured a gang of medical men barging into the teashop, forcing her into a straight-jacket before the sleepy-looking eyes of Dora Medley, and dragging her in disgrace into a lifetime sentence. Dora would certainly grin and show her dauntingly big teeth.

The weather was getting warmer every day, but today a strong breeze blew, bringing with it thick clouds. She walked past a hat shop. She stepped back. On the display was a piece of art. She stood so as her reflection was beneath the lovely burgundy hat and smiled. One of her favorite colors. It has been a while since she felt beautiful. Her thoughts skipped back to Dora in her handsome coral dress, flaunting her enormous set of teeth with so much confidence. She looked down at her plain teal dress, sighed and resumed her trip back home.

Her thoughts now drifted to Adrian. She felt the breeze cool her neck and smiled widely then pulled a wisp of hair from her mouth. He was not the frivolous brat she once knew, and she no longer found him vexing. And did he look... refreshing? Despite his recent gauntness, he wasn't unkempt.

To her, Adrian had always been the embodiment of male privilege, and he was an easy target for her wrath. It made her blood boil that he did as he pleased, and society often seemed to turn a blind eye to his mischief. His life seemed easy and drama-free. He broke several hearts and had no remorse. She wondered if he had the slightest idea what he was doing – or maybe women are nothing to him but chattel! Things to be snatched from other men to prove his worth... and then discarded when his interest ends. Some of the past's venom seeped into her heart and a tremble sneaked into her bones. She was glad at his current state. She hoped George would be suffering even more for he was no different from Adrian—in fact, he was worse. He came off as the perfect, most thoughtful gentleman, but that was merely a façade with which he lured his prey before he grew bored of her and discarded her. She was wrong to give her heart away to a man beneath her station—but now she had no station.

A squad of urchins ran past her like a stampede of clumsy baby goats, one of them crashing into her and falling in a small pond, leaving her with a soiled skirt. He quickly jumped back to his feet and bounced after his friends. With a frown puckering her forehead, she bent a little to see the damage done to her cheap dress. She never liked kids nor understood why women were so eager to pop out several of them.

"Arden, is that you?" A man said and something lurched inside her. She looked up on impulse.

***

This was the first time Adrian got invited into the Medleys' town house. He wondered if Dora would be there and cling to his arm like a puppy desperate to be pet. The furniture was lavish, with Turkey carpets of different colours covering the shiny wood flooring, paintings by some of the most famous artists in England covering the walls, and ornate drapes falling glamorously over long windows. The mantelshelves carried elaborate vases, most of which seemed to be from India. This was nothing like the establishment in which he worked—well, save for Edgar's office.

It always surprised him that Edgar, despite his wealth and power, was still a bachelor in his early forties. There had been rumours of him courting the daughter of a baronet, but this gossip was at least five years old.

A well-dressed, stone-faced footman led him into the dining room, where Edgar was having a late breakfast. His mother, Cora, stood near the long table. She stared Adrian down, wrinkling her nose as if an unpleasant smell has upset her fancy nostrils, then turned to her son and said, "I shall leave you now to youw affawes." She bent and gave him a quick kiss on his plump cheek then shouldered past the guest unheeding.