A Letter Read

Casey Longfellow shrugged out of her heavy winter coat, using the same motion to shake off her overly attentive husband's grasp on her elbow. It was a minute indication of annoyance, but Thomas Longfellow reacted immediately stepping away from his wife and shrugging out of his own coat.

A young maid suddenly stumbled into the entryway, caught confused by the sudden appearance of the household masters. Casey held out her coat for the girl as she slipped out of her shoes. Thomas grinned at the puzzled expression on Beth's face, the newest household help had yet to grow accustomed to the mysterious and evasive ways which South and Cricket would never outgrow.

"Miss Audrey in her room?" Thomas asked as he hung up his own coat. Thomas voice snapped Beth out of her daze and she shuffled forward loudly to receive Casey's coat.

"There's at least three more callers today for that girl, ever since that Halloween Masquerade she's been quite the sought after… I can not allow her to keep ignoring these requests." Casey murmured as she shuffled through the silver platter covered in tiny calling cards.

"No sir, ma'am…" Beth tried answering both Longfellows at one time.

"I left specific orders that Miss Audrey was not to leave." Thomas glared up the stairs.

"Hadn't you also told Miss Audrey not to drink your liquor? Casey mocked quietly.

"Mr. O'Connell came calling earlier sir…" Beth whispered frightened of the unfiltered conversation happening in front of her.

"Did he now? Did he yell?' Casey smiled softly. She ignored the odd sensation of fear that crept up her spine as she imagined the deadly whisper Critter must have adopted for most of the lecture he delivered to her wayward ward.

"Yes ma'am." Beth nodded.

"Where is Miss Audrey?' Thomas sighed.

"In your study, sir." Beth pointed unsure if this answer would inspire more anger.

"Help Mrs. Longfellow to bed, please Beth?" Thomas smiled lightly at the girl again.

"You remember you were furious with that girl," Casey warned as she rolled her eyes while accepting the help from the young maid to get up the stairs.

Thomas ignored as he wandered further into his home. The hallways were barely illuminated by gas lamps and as Thomas pushed open the doors to his study, the darkness surprised him but didn't fool him.

Audrey was curled up on the windowsill, tightly clutching the curtain around her body. The muffled whistling had alerted her to the arrival of her guardians in the house, but the knowledge had not moved the young lady.

"Audrey." Thomas sighed. He noticed, even in the darkness, how the lump behind the curtains tensed at his tone. Lights abruptly filled the room and Thomas turned around to find Nancy smiling at him.

"She didn't have any of that." Nancy shook her head. Thomas was standing near his liquor cart, examining the contents carefully.

"It might be the first time she's done what she was told." He glared at the still unmoving lump under the curtain.

"Christopher was merciless." Nancy whispered. A choked sob escaped the lump behind the curtain and Thomas forgot his anger immediately.

"He lacks that trait." He excused as he took two steps to the window. He pulled the curtain aside to find the girl hugging her knees.

"Oh, Audrey."

She looked up with tear streaked cheeks and a hopeless expression that broke Thomas' heart. The man wasted no time in picking up the girl in his arms, as if she were really nothing more than a rag doll.

"You are freezing. Nancy will bring you some tea." He murmured into her hair.

"You told Critter." Audrey accused in a hoarse whisper.

"I wouldn't dream of telling him you were a handful." Thomas smiled trying to lighten the mood. Audrey hiccupped burying her face into his chest.

"Critter's scolding made you cry?"

"No." Came the muffled response. Thomas shook his head and moved to sit the girl on the plush seat near his desk.

"Audrey," Thomas leaned over and lifted the girl's chin so her gaze was level with his own. "I've had a dreadful long afternoon and I was rather displeased with you earlier today, so I won't have anymore of this nonsense…"

"You can go to bed." Audrey spat at him trying to pull her chin around from his hold.

"Do I have to call a bird in here?" Thomas demanded forcefully shaking Audrey slightly.

"I just want to go to bed." Audrey pulled away from Thomas as she stood up decisively, defensively. Thomas watched her drift out of the room, not once moving to stop her. He waited until he heard the familiar rustling of skirts on stairs before he stood up.

In four strides, Thomas stood at the windowsill Audrey had been curled into just moments before. His eyes traced the outline her body had left against the windowpane, trying to decipher how long she had been there. As he dropped his gaze to the pillow seat, he noticed the crumpled up pages that had been stuffed between her body and the wall. Thomas sat down, reaching out for one of the crumpled pages. Using the base of his right hand, he smoothed out the crumpled letter against the wall.

"Jack. I should have known." Thomas muttered. He took the two other crumpled papers over to his desk. He smoothed out each piece of the letter with his hand before collecting them in order and setting them under a large book. He dropped down into his office chair and pulled out the evening paper to read while waiting for the letter to flatten back out.

A teacup clattered nervously against a plate and Thomas looked up to find Nancy standing at his door again.

"She went to bed?" The maid guessed.

"That's what she wanted." Thomas shrugged. Nancy smiled but shook her head as she carried the tea to Thomas' desk.

"I don't think it's what she wanted." Nancy provided.

"Well she should learn to say what she wants." Thomas muttered annoyed. Nancy didn't respond though Thomas knew she had an opinion on the matter. He started sipping the tea and looked up at the only maid he had taken from his parents' household. A woman just barely older than himself, that had known him most of his adult life.

"You are helping her. These things take time, no matter how impatient Christopher O'Connell is on the matter." Nancy gritted her teeth. Thomas set down his tea and quirked an eyebrow as he waited for Nancy to speak her mind.

"You don't agree with Critter?" Thomas smiled.

"I think all of you forget that child has had herself a lifetime of worry and hurt. She might be looking like a grown woman, but she's still child. You all expect a great deal from that girl." Nancy crossed her arms and glared at Thomas. A glare so familiar, as Nancy had been the only maid in his parents' home that had ever known he was a bird. She would glare just like this every time he knocked on the service door in the middle of the night, scrapped and bruised.

"She's yet to actual disappoint me, so I suppose it's her own fault we all expect a great deal from her." Thomas defended. A light tap on the window interrupted the conversation. Nancy jumped over to open the glass, to find a boy no older than six clutching to the rain gutter pipe.

"Laces took off a couple of minutes ago." The boy squeaked. Thomas was on his feet and at the window in seconds, he reached out and pulled the little boy into his study.

"Where did she go?" He demanded.

"Out the servants door, back on the other side of the house. I don't know where she went sir, I was just told that if she left I had to tell you." The boy shook nervously as he stammered into his chest.

"Why'd it take you so long to tell me?" Thomas demanded shooting a glance out the window. Someone had to be following her. Someone was always following her.

"I had to climb in to tell you." The little boy whimpered. Thomas ran hand over his face, calculating it would take exactly three minutes before Critter O'Connell found out his newest charge had disappeared into the night.

"Do you know where she went?" Thomas asked.

"No, sir." The boy squeaked.

"Do you know why she left?"

"No, sir." The boy shook his head apologetically.

"Go on then, back to your perch then." Thomas waved the boy off. Nancy rustled away with the boy and left Thomas pacing alone in his office. Thomas Longfellow was not overly worried about Audrey. She was never alone in the city, no matter how much she tried. He was concerned with why she left.

Something had happened. Audrey had been drunk that afternoon. The kind of drunk that happens only when something happens. Thomas hadn't seen it before, hadn't thought about it before. Audrey had been destructive before. Sadness overtook her that was inexplicable to most and usually out of the blue. But today, it had been as if something had snapped. Thomas walked back to his desk, scooted the book from the letter and read.

…on a train to Pasadena, we'll go to Santa Fe sooner or later.