Among the Darkness Stirs

“Your mother is very entertaining.” Audrey said. “I like her very much.”

“Entertaining is exactly what she is.”

“And your house?” She looked about the conservatory. “It’s gorgeous!”

“Do you think so?” he asked her.

“How can you doubt it? It is everything a house should be. The wood-carved staircase, the attractive foyer. This conservatory. It’s stunning.” It was exactly as a house should be.

“You haven’t seen the best part. The reason I bought the land. Come.” He led her outside through the hallway and the back parlor, down the brick steps, and into the sunken garden that led to the river.

“How lovely.” She sighed at the sight of the green lawn spread before her and ended at the river’s edge.

“It’s the reason I purchased this land. I wanted to build my little legacy here. Summons on Yare,” he said.

She glanced over at him. “Summons on Yare?”

“A play of words. Summons is a law term and yare the river.”

“I like it.” She gazed back at the river. “You chose well. No, you chose perfectly.”

“I thought so, too.”

“Your mother really was kind to me,” she said, turning back to him. “I enjoyed meeting her.”

“I’m glad. She can be quite overpowering.”

“She was nothing of the sort.” Audrey hesitated, noticing how late it was getting. “I should go.”

“Back to the workhouse?” he asked her.

“Actually, no. I wanted to go into the city. Maybe see the library,” she said. “I haven’t had the chance to look at it properly.”

He was quiet for a moment before speaking. “Would you like some company?”

His offer surprised her. “You’ll be my guide?”

“If you like,” he said softly.

They walked back to the grand house, and there, he retrieved his gloves and hat. Together, they struck out.

“If I’m to be the guide, I think I must recommend you first see Norwich Cathedral,” he said with certainty.

She didn’t hesitate. “Norwich Cathedral? Lead the way.”

Audrey smiled to herself as Henry hired a hansom cab. He took her hand and helped her inside. She hadn’t felt like this in a long time. She felt free of worries and the many heavy burdens that she now carried. She wasn’t worried about death or her family or the children in the workhouse. She was just a woman seeing the sights of the city she now called home.

“Here we are,” he said as the cab slowed.

After he helped her out, she looked up in disbelief at the stunning building with its beige façade and majestic spire soaring to touch heaven.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, gazing up at the intricate stained glass. “What lovely stained glass!”

He came to stand next to her, and she could feel the heat from his body against her side. “It’s from the eleventh century. It took forty-nine years to build. The spire there,” he pointed it out, “it’s three hundred and fifteen feet tall.”

She bit her lip, excitement coursing through her. “Can we go inside?”

“Certainly.” He motioned for her to lead the way.