Chapter 34

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Early in the morning, a servant delivered a message from Jake to meet at a tavern later in the afternoon. It seemed his friend was eager to hear about last night's rendezvous. He tossed the message aside with a touch of irritation and proceeded to his study. As usual, his morning time was taken up with administration. He finished the tasks before lunchtime, because today he'd planned to go downtown to check another business of his.

Dressed inconspicuously in a brown morning coat and matching breeches, Matthew made his way out through the rear entrance and into the remote alleyway in the back of the building. The weather was nice so he decided to go on foot. Once he reached the main street, he pulled his hat low over his eyes and put his hands in his pockets. Strolling along the sidewalk, he wandered at a leisure pace, enjoying the anonymity of a commoner as he blended with other passersby.

Strange how after so many things had changed, some things remained the same. He still preferred to stay invisible instead of standing out in the crowd. He'd been missing the comfort of being unnoticed since he inherited the club. His new position had put him in the spotlight, making it impossible for him to maintain a low profile.

Suddenly loud noises from within a bakeshop ahead startled him. A shout rang out before the shop's door swung open and a boy in rags dashed out, running straight across in front of him. The boy clutched a loaf of bread to his chest, his eyes bulging with fear.

"Stop I said! Hold on!"
A stout, red-cheeked man appeared from inside the shop, chasing the boy. Ripping out vicious curses, the man seized the boy by the shoulders, turned him around and slammed him back against the wall. The bread in the boy's hand dropped to the pavement. The man grabbed the terrified child by the shirt collar and spat,
"You little thieving scum!! You're in big trouble!"

"Excuse me, Sir. What's going on here?" Matthew hurried over to interrupt. The angry man turned toward him,
"This rascal stole bread from my shop. I'm bringing him to the magistrate."

"I'm sorry Sir, but this is just a big misunderstanding. Actually this child is with me."

The shop owner's expression slipped into confusion.
"What are you talking about, Sir? Do you know this boy?"

"Indeed. He is my... my coachman's son."
Matthew blurted out the only thing leapt to mind and froze. So strange that he'd just repeated the exact same lie his brother once told his victim a good long time ago.

Quickly he shook off the memory and shifted his attention back to the present.
"I'm taking him out for a walk. I just happened to see your shop and I asked him to buy me some bread, but apparently he doesn't know what it means."

Taking a step closer, Matthew fished into the boy's pocket. The boy's eyes nearly popped out of their socket when Matthew took out a crown.

"See, kid? When you buy something, you should give the money to the shop owner."

With a broad smile, Matthew pushed the shiny coin to the man's hand.
"Here. Keep the change and forget this all ever happened."

The shop owner still looked suspicious, but eventually he left without another word. Matthew waited until the man had gone far enough before turning toward the boy with a conspiratorial grin.
"That was a close one, huh?"

*****

A few moments later, Matthew stood tilting his head to look up at a three story, red brick building.

"W... what's this place, Sir?"
The boy asked with a hint of fear in his voice, and Matthew turned a reassuring smile on him.
"This is a shelter. This will be your home from now on."

Taking the boy's hand in his, Matthew led the way up the short steps to the portico and rapped his fist on the white wooden door. Soon they heard heels clacking from within the house and the door opened to reveal the friendly face of a charming, middle-aged woman.

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