The Magician's Sons

Chapter 41

"There now!" Mrs. Pearson exclaimed cheerily, straightening the collar of a new waistcoat which Copernicus had put on. "You look as polished and fine as a brand-new copper!" She gave him a teasing smile, and Copernicus flashed her a glance full of good-humored fun as he caught her joke.

"Thank you, ma'am," he laughed. "I like bein' a shiny new Copper instead of an old, dirty one!"

"Well, you certainly aren't dirty anymore," the housekeeper said. She pressed a kiss on his cheek and tidied his hair with her fingers. "Now come along, dear. Breakfast should be ready by now, and your father—" the woman caught herself as that word escaped her lips. "Pardon me!" she laughed, "I always feel as if I am speaking to Norman when I am with you; I don't know why. Mr. Sterling and Master Norman will be down in the dining room waiting for you."

The boy gave her a little smile, but there was a touch of sorrow quieting his joy.

"Why, dearest, what is the matter?" Mrs. Pearson asked with a touch of concern. "Perhaps you are not well enough to walk downstairs yet."

"Oh, no ma'am, it isn't that! I feel a great deal better today," Copper answered. "I dunno what's wrong with me," he went on a little shyly, "I reckon, sometimes, I wish I had a father. Sometimes, I'm sorry I don't. I never knew my mum or dad."

"Poor lamb," the housekeeper said gently. She wanted to give him some word of assurance. But what could she say? She didn't know what the lad's future held. It had been a question stewing in her and Sterling's minds ever since they had taken the boy in. Neither of them had the heart to come to a real decision about it. Would the boy be sent back to The Imperial Bakery? Would the Hannovers even want him after he had run away? They couldn't bear the thought of his childhood being squelched by a life of working hard at night, sleeping through the day, and enduring a temperamental master.

I know what I would do if the decision was mine, the lady thought, almost agonizing over the fact that she wasn't in control. I would pay the baker a sum of money as recompense and adopt the lad myself! It isn't as if the man owns the child like a slave. But who am I? Best just keep my mouth shut about it.

She finished fussing over the boy's appearance and then nodded in satisfaction. In the mirror, Copernicus could see the change he had taken. His disheveled hair had been trimmed and combed, his clothes were stylish and new, his face and hands were spotlessly clean.

What would Charlie think of me now all dressed up in these fine things? he wondered with a grin. Now and then, he really did miss Charlie. But every time he thought about the bakery, a cold shiver ran through him. How hard it would be to go from Sterling's beautiful home and kindhearted care back to the comfortless attic and the rough-spoken baker. Mr. Hannover's house had seemed like an oasis of safety and respectability when he had found himself trapped as a tosher. Now, things were balanced by reality in his mind. Life with Hannover would be bearable. He would make the best of it. But he knew that Henry would never love him, and love was what he craved.

Mrs. Pearson wrapped an arm around the boy as she led him out of the room. He leaned into her embrace. He might not have been so bold if he hadn't had a good excuse, but he still felt wobbly on his legs, and the doctor had warned that he wasn't altogether well yet. He needed the lady's support still, and with her so close, he sometimes let his mind imagine that she was his own mother.

Mrs. Pearson was in her mid-forties. She was sweet-faced and hazel-eyed with a silver streak in her dark-brown hair. She was beautiful and soft spoken. Every touch of her hands was like the gentle touch of a summer breeze. She was everything he had ever thought a mother should be.