A Desire to Hide Part 41

As a frosty and unusual silence pervaded the house the next morning, Ann did what she could to not get upset. As it was a Sunday, she could think of no ready means of escape from the house, since all of the shops were closed. There was also no manner in which Peter and Mary could relieve the tension. Peter did not read from the bible. Mary and Ann did not sing hymns. Instead the family simply sat around, each trying not to make eye contact. Ann tried several times to make rather false and brittle conversation, but she met with almost no response. By late afternoon Ann could not stand it any longer. It would be better if it was a weekday and she could work off some of the tension by sewing or something of the like, but she would never work on a Sunday.

“I am going to take a walk,” Ann announced, standing up from where she had been sitting, by the window. “I need some air.”

“Ought I go with you?” asked Peter, looking up from where he had been reading through yesterday’s paper.

“There is no need,” said Mary. “I will not go far, it is just so intolerably hot in this room. I will be back soon. I might call on a friend anyway, if I find her at home, and I think you would find two girls gossiping terribly dull.”

“It is true, I suppose you are not Mary, I need not worry about where you go,” said Peter, glaring at his other sister. Mary ignored him, though Ann winced. She just hoped that the two would not kill one another while she was gone. Something was going to have to be done, and she was going to do the only thing that she could think of.

It took Ann only a short time to reach Charity’s home. Peter had mentioned in the past what the address was, though Ann had never visited it. After their awkward meeting, Ann had not felt comfortable in making social calls. As it was, she hesitated before she rang the bell over the door, but she could think of nothing else to do. As it was, she was watching her domestic situation going up in flames. She took the bell rope and rang it as hard as she could. It only took a few minutes before the door was opened by a gray haired woman.

“I beg your pardon Mrs. Seay, I am Ann Wells, is Ms. Charity Seay at home?” asked Ann. She had no doubt as to the woman’s identity. Charity was an almost spitting image of her mother, only younger.

“So you’d be one of the sisters that Peter has been telling us of,” said Mrs. Seay, her voice warm. The strong Irish accent did not escape Ann’s notice, and she smiled back at the woman. Though Ann spoke of it far less often, being obedient to Peter’s wishes, she was no more comfortable with Peter’s complete rejection of their Irish parentage than Mary. Ann was willing to be optimistic, and hope that Charity would change Peter’s mind about their heritage.

“That’s right, ma’am,” said Ann.

“We just returned from church,” said Mrs. Seay, opening the door wider, to allow Ann to enter. “Peter ought bring you and your sister along, and we should all go to mass together one day. You ought meet our priest. He’s a fine man.”

“I should like that very much, ma’am,” said Ann sincerely. It had been five years since the last time she had gone to confession, since they no longer belonged to a church, and that was a thought that had bothered her more than once. Since it would be ae it was going to be an invitation from the Seay family, Ann doubted that Peter was likely to refuse to go. With even more luck, maybe she would even be able to join the Seay’s church and attend regularly.

“If you will wait in the parlor, I will go tell Charity that you are here to see her,” said Mrs. Seay, opening the door to the room, and showing Ann in.

“Thank you very much, ma’am,” said Ann. While the familiar accent had helped her relax, now that she was going to be facing Charity, Ann felt herself tense again. This could go very badly, but it remained the only thing that she could think of, and she had come this far now. There was no way that she could back out now. She was going to have to enlist the help of the woman with the most power over Peter at the moment.

A Desire to Hide Chapter 40

Ann had thought that perhaps Mary might simply spend the night in their room, thus avoiding the storm when Peter got home, but that proved to be far too optimistic. Instead, on hearing the door slam with Peter’s entrance into their rooms, Mary sailed out of the bedroom like a stately ship of war, ready to meet the confrontation head on. She had changed her clothing now, and looked as much like a proper young lady as any that might be met on the street, though Ann was not certain if this was because she thought that it would lend any weight to her argument with Peter, or if it was simply the vanity that Ann knew Mary had for her own appearance all too well.

“Finally home, are you?” asked Mary, not even attempting to seem friendly.

“I suppose I ought to be surprised that you are home at all,” responded Peter.

“Do you expect that I should spend all of my time here?” asked Mary. “I should go crazy.”

“Most girls go to the shops when they wish to leave the house, they are not brought home by detectives. What he thought of your behavior I cannot imagine.”

“You for one, cannot imagine I care what he thought, or you either for that matter,” said Mary. Ann groaned slightly, but only under her breath, not wanting any of their attention on her. It seemed as if Mary was intentionally making things worse for herself. All Ann could think of was the many diplomatic ways that Mary could be dealing with this situation, but as soon as she thought of them, she dismissed them all, realizing that none of them were like Mary. No matter how fond she was of her sister, she was going to have to face the simple fact that Mary was a straight forward person, who voiced her thoughts with no consideration for others. Ann was willing to accept that in some people this might be considered honesty, but sometimes Mary crossed that line into rudeness.

“You forget that I am your sole source of support,” said Peter. Ann could hardly believe that she had just heard that, and she gave him a look that she hoped made it very clear that she currently felt that he was the scum of the earth. It did not matter to her how angry Peter was with Mary, to threaten to cast her out of the house for a single transgression, no matter how serious, was so shocking, that Ann nearly joined in the fight on Mary’s behalf out of spite. She stopped herself however. Domestic peace was a far more important thing. Ann took a deep breath, and stepped in between the two combatants. It was a brave, but stupid thing to do, and it did no good because both Peter and Mary were angry with one another enough that they completely ignored that Ann was even there. Instead they simply argued around her, with Peter speaking over her head, and Mary leaning around her to rebut.

“If you think I have shamed you now, imagine me, your own sister, wandering the street. I would be careful to assure people of our relation,” Mary added.

“How can you have so little shame?” demanded Peter.

“I have shame, but none of your foolish pride,” replied Mary. “What is there to be ashamed of in wishing to help people? I went to that neighborhood on a mission of charity. The only charity you bring into this house is the one that you have declared you are marrying.”

“Is supporting two sisters not enough for you?” demanded Peter. “If I had no charity then you and Ann would be on the streets, and this is the gratitude I get. It is only due to my kind heart that I do not send you out of this house.”

“Peter,” said Ann, finally no longer able to keep her tongue still. “I’ll not listen any longer to such speech. You ought be ashamed to speak so to your own sister.”

“But what Mary has said meets with your approval, does it?” demanded Peter, both hurt and stung.

“Not in the slightest, but it is less hurtful than the words that are coming from your mouth.”

“Then would you have me do nothing, with her traipsing about in places that the police do not care to go?” asked Peter, in what he felt was a very reasonable voice considering the circumstances. He was suddenly facing an unexpected united front of both of his sisters.

“Not at all, but I will not stand by to listen to you threaten to cut her off,” said Ann. “Please calm yourself. At least Mary is not shaming us now by shouting so loud that the neighbors can hear, unlike you.” Peter blushed.

“While I will not cut your off, Mary, you may consider your allowance at an end until further notice,” said Peter, taking a deep breath.

“Then I will simply have to pawn the coat that I have been working on for you,” said Mary, turning away, and preparing to return to the bedroom. “As it is, I have paid for the trim and the buttons, so I may do with it what I please.”

“I will not have a sister of mine be seen entering a pawn shop,” shouted Peter, as Mary slammed the door between them.

Why I Haven’t Posted, A Short Essay

I try, I really do. So here is my long chain of excuses. Not to mention an unusually personal post by someone who generally tries to keep herself out of her blog as much as possible. First of all, I have been traveling. For a time, I was writing a lot, even on my vacation. Please note that posts did not stop between Feb. 23rd and March 16th. No, I plugged on, despite being busy, and despite wanting to see all of the sights while I was in DC. I normally live in Minnesota, where it is cold, and to see flowers alone was distracting enough that maybe I could have used that as an excuse. I did not. I saw all of the sights, worked, and still posted on schedule.

Then I come back home.

I think it is easiest to describe what I have as being burned out. I am applying to a bunch of jobs. I am working a lot of hours. I am planning a bunch of things. And I am sick. So I sit down to write, and I just can’t. I think this is the worst case of writers block I have had in a long time. I am still forcing myself to write every day, but I am not managing even a page a day right now. This means that yes, I know the next update is really late. I am sorry. I will try to get past this as soon as possible. I have not had much experience with writers block, so I am not actually certain how to deal with it, but I will try and power through it. Until then.

I am so sorry.

A Desire to Hide Part 39

Since Mary and Mr. Krugs had not come home, and had instead went straight to Peter’s office, the first news Ann heard was when Mary came bursting into the door, all smiles. Peter had been forced to go and find himself a meal at a restaurant, since he now would not be able to eat later, and so he had not had time to lecture her too badly. There was likely to be a lot of uncomfortable questions that night about what she had been doing in the slums, but for now she was going to celebrate everything working so well. Peter could shout all he wanted in any case, Mary had finally found an outlet for her energy, and it was a glorious feeling. If she had expected a joyful Ann however, Mary was to be disappointed. Instead Ann stood up, and faced down her sister in a towering anger that made Mary almost afraid. She had hardly ever even heard Ann raise her voice, and now it seemed that Ann would very much like to hit her.

“Do you have the slightest notion the trouble and worry you have caused?” Ann demanded. “And you prance in here, as if you have been on a frolic. I don’t know what I will say to Mr. Krugs when I see him again. I should be very much surprised if he ever calls again. I went to him all in a panic, telling him to search for you, and now I suppose I will have to go and apologize to him for having wasted his time.”

“He certainly did not waste his time,” said Mary, looking surprised. “He found me, and saw me safely back to a street that a woman can walk on without being threatened You would not believe the things that I have seen today, Ann. As for Mr. Krugs, you will certainly see him again, he has promised to take me back there.”

“To the Old Brewery? I cannot believe that he would take anyone anywhere so dangerous as that willingly,” said Ann.

“Not to the Old Brewery,” said Mary, a little embarrassed, “I did not make it so far. There was a street fight, and a man with a gun, it was all very exciting,” she added, trying not to show Ann how frightened she had been. “So instead I was led to a mission that operates right there in the Five Points, and they do splendid work. That’s where Mr. Krugs found me, he does some work for them at times I believe, and he said that he would escort me back there if I wanted to go, so that I did not have any other trouble.”

“Why would you want to go back to such a place?” asked Ann, looking disgusted. “I should never return to a place in which I might have been shot.”

“Might have been, but was not, and that was before Mr. Krugs found me. I shall be much safer in his company. I am very much interested in the work that Mr. Pease is doing there, and would like to help him. Surely you cannot object to my desire to help those who worse off than we are.”

“If I cannot object, I am certain that Peter can. Does he know of your intention?” Ann demanded.

“Naturally he does not, nor shall he until I am ready to tell him. I am owed at least that much from you, as I have done you a good turn today,” Mary added.

“I cannot imagine what good you think you have done me by causing me so much worry, and putting everyone to such trouble,” said Ann coldly.

“I introduced Peter to Mr. Krugs, as my savior. Peter knows all about me having gone into the Five Points, and knows nothing Mr. Krugs visiting here before. Peter now has to like him, and Mr. Krugs can court you properly now.”

“You let Peter discover that you had gone off in such a fashion?” asked Ann, who was far more concerned about her sister at that moment, than her love life.

“Peter was bound to find out sooner or later, and I would rather he find out now. It will make things easier in the future. The same is true for Mr. Krugs. In this way you will not be surprising him with a secret courtship, but rather you will be keeping the company of my hero, the man who saved me from my own foolishness.”

“So you admit it,” said Ann, her voice slightly triumphant.

“I was speaking as Peter will see it, not as myself,” said Mary, taking off her hat and sitting down. “I clearly do not think it foolish as I mean to repeat it, and I am not the sort to repeat something I feel is making me a fool.”

“What of what the rest of the world thinks,” asked Ann.

“The rest of the world has not seen how those people live, Ann,” said Mary, for once showing something other than good nature. “If they had, they would not be able to remain still either. I mean to mend something of what I have seen, even if all of the world tries to stop me. That goes double for Peter,” she added.

“Is this all about his marriage?” asked Ann, her voice suspicious.

“Why is it that everyone thinks that?” asked Mary, now her voice growing even more annoyed.

“Because that is very much what it sounds like,” said Ann.

“Peter has nothing at all to do with this, I assure you,” said Mary, and she stood up, and stormed to the bedroom. Ann meanwhile sat down, and tried to compose herself for what she knew was going to be a stressful and trying evening once Peter got home.

A Desire to Hide Part 38

Peter did not think much of the man who entered the office at first. He barely looked up from what he was doing in fact. No one who entered the office had any business with him after all, and they all had to go past the secretary, who was at a large desk at the front of the office. The man did indeed stop at the secretary, and hold a whispered conversation, before the secretary, much to the shock of Peter, pointed him out. The stranger then walked through the rows of desks, before stopping at his.

“Mr. Peter Wells?” he asked.

“That is my name, sir,” responded Peter. He was not certain if he should say sir, as the man’s clothing was rather shabby, but Peter always tried to ere on the side of caution when he was not certain. He could always change his manner of speech once he knew more about the man.

“My name is Arthur Krugs, Mr. Wells,” said the stranger, sticking his hand out. Peter rose and accepted it, well aware that the eyes of the room were on them. Peter had never received visitors during business hours before, and there was clearly not a man in the room who did not wonder at him having a guest now. The stranger noticed it too, because now he lowered his voice.

“Is there any way that we can speak in private, Mr Wells?” he asked. “I would like to speak business.”

“Is it of an urgent nature, sir? As you can see, I am rather busy at the moment.”

“I am afraid it cannot wait, Mr. Wells. I have been sent here in regards to your sister, Mary.” Peter turned slightly pale at that, something that also did not escape the notice of Mr. Krugs.

“Please wait here, sir, I will ask my employer if I may have my lunch early,” Peter said, standing up quickly. He rushed to the door of the inner office and knocked on it. As soon as Mr. Huntley answered, Peter opened the door.

“Excuse me sir,” Peter said, trying his best to remain humble in tone and voice, even though he was now entering full panic. “A personal emergancy has arrisen with one of my sisters, and I find myself called away. May I please take my lunch hour earlier than normal to take care of it?” Peter was painfully self conscious about this, feeling that he had already taken a great advantage of Mr. Huntley’s kindness and goodwill, but Mr. Huntley simply nodded.

“Thank you very much, sir,” said Peter, and he closed the door quickly, just in case his boss changed his mind.

“Would a restaurant to suitable to speak in?” Peter asked, once he was back with Mr. Krugs.

“Just the street should do,” said Mr. Krugs, smiling in a way that Peter found vaguely offensive. Still, Peter allowed the man to lead the way out of the office building. He was amazingly shocked when he saw Mary standing on the street, right outside of his office.

“What are you doing here,” demanded Peter, in his surprise forgetting that he was in front of a stranger. Mr. Krugs stepped in gracefully however.

“It is for that reason that I wished to speak, Mr. Wells,” he said, while Mary did her very best to look shame faced. It was difficult for her, especially since she wished to smirk in the most unlady-like fashion over Peter’s discomfort, but she was able to restrain it, reminding herself that what she was doing now was repaying both Mr. Krugs, and Ann, for the trouble that she had caused them.

“I am a private detective,” Mr. Krugs continued, and ignored the slight grunt of derision from Peter. “As you would imagine, Mr. Wells, my business often takes me to less than desirable neighborhoods. I was in the Five Points on a case, when I was called over by a friend of mine, who works as a missionary there, with the news that there was a lady who had wandered into the district, and was sheltering at his mission. He asked me if I would see her safely home, as he did not know anyone he could trust of the men at his mission. I thought it better however to inform her guardian of where she had been, I would not care for this incident to be repeated. This whole matter has greatly disrupted my business.”

“I am very grateful to you, sir,” said Peter, his attitude towards the man changing entirely. He was not fond of private detectives, having learned to scorn them from his early childhood, but everyone heard stories of what happened to those who wandered too far into the Five Points without a guard. Mary was safe, and Peter was willing to give Mr. Krugs the credit for that.

“I was in no danger,” protested Mary, her voice sulky, she was only half acting now.

“You do not have the experience to properly be a judge of that,” said Mr. Krugs, equally dropping his act for a moment. “Having said my piece however, I will be leaving her in your care, Mr. Wells. I need to complete that business I was on, before it grows too late.”

“Thank you very much for your trouble. I do not have the money now, but if you will come around to the house tomorrow evening, I will pay you for your time,” Peter added.

“No need for that,” said Mr. Krugs quickly, eager to make a good impression. “It was a favor for a good friend, nothing that I need paying for. Good night.” Mary smiled happily Mr. Krugs quickly retreating back, step one was complete, and little did Peter realize it, but he was going to see far more of the private detective. If Mary had any say in it at all, the next time he did, it would be with the detective’s arm around Ann’s waist.