A Better Man
Chapter Eighteen:
Buy a Flower?
"Darling, those buttonholes are lovely - but I think they are just a little too large, don't you?" Eliza inquired of Jack, silently thanking providence for being blessed with such an industrious child.
"They are for large men, Mummy."
Eliza's eyebrows shot up nearly to her hairline, as she choked out an astonished, "Oh?".
Jack nodded, and then sighed impatiently when she offered no other reply. "They won't feel so fat if the buttonholes are a little bigger."
Eliza bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. Jack was being quite serious, and she did not want to bruise his sensitive feelings.
"How wonderful, my love! Just make sure to make a few smaller ones for the not-so-large men."
"Yes, Mummy."
"Mrs. Hill?" Eliza turned her attention away from Jack's workspace to one of her regular customers. He was a slim and tall young man of about twenty-five - rare nowadays - with a shock of white-blond hair, fair skin, and brilliant green eyes. He walked with a slight limp, wearing gloves at all times. Eliza supposed that it was in effort to cover chemical burns, as his complexion was slightly marred by tell-tale pock-marks.
"How do you do, Mr. Elton?" She greeted warmly. He frequented the shop quite often- moreso than most, actually - and her heart went out to him, for she was sure he was in ardent pursuit of a ladylove. She had quite forgotten what it was like to be courted, but it was quite nice to live vicariously through the various swains who cluelessly wandered into her shop, asking for advice on the best bouquets, or corsages. It seemed most of her customers were male, come to think of it. Odd, considering how the woman vastly outnumbered them.
"Oh, f-fine, M-mrs. H-hill," Mr. Elton stammered. Eliza's smiled sadly. It could not be easy, wooing someone when words were so painful to formulate.
"How may I help you, today?"
"I, nuh-need a c-corsage - or-orchids... " He struggled over a mighty plosive before managing to specify that the bloom should be pink.
"Of course, Mr. Elton - one moment, please."
Eliza went to the workspace, working diligently on the request. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled and stood on end; she threw a glance over her shoulder to discover Mr. Elton, staring intently at her as she worked. She suddenly felt extremely self-conscious. She finished, hurriedly, and took the corsage to the front of the store, where Mr. Elton stood.
"Here you are, Mr. Elton." The transaction was made, but the young man continued to stand in front of the counter. "Mr. Elton?"
It happened so fast that Eliza scarcely had time to react. The young man leaned forward, and with a sharp stab of pain on the left side of her chest, Eliza realized that the boy had pinned to corsage to her blouse. She yelped in pain, which made Mr. Elton jump back, startled and red-faced.
"What on earth?" Eliza cried, unsticking the corsage from her person and dropping it onto the counter as though it were some sort of pest or vermin.
"F-f-forgive..." Mr. Elton trailed off, unable to continue. He fled the store, shamefaced, nearly bowling over Clara in the process as she entered.
"There's an odd duck," Clara remarked, nearly unruffled by the incident. She grinned at Eliza, and waved at Jack, who had been too intent on his project to notice the whole thing. "Was that one of your suitors, Eliza?"
Eliza's jaw dropped. "My suitors?"
"Oh, yes. You know - one of those boys that only buy flowers from here in order to be near you?"
Now Eliza was blushing. "That is so untrue, Clara!"
Clara shrugged as she bent over to kiss the top of Jack's dark head.
"I know more people than you, darling, and the men of my acquaintance are always so curious about my 'damned lovely widow of a sister-in-law'. I tell them that you are quite content to have nothing to do with them, whatsover, but they still insist on queuing up."
"Who said I wanted nothing to do with them?" Eliza inquired, feeling a stab of annoyance.
"Oh, no one, darling. I am just trying to give that handsome, older professor a sporting chance. I can tell them that you've thrown off your weeds for good, if you like."
"Handsome, older professor?"
Clara nodded. "That repressed old goat is absolutely dying of love for you, didn't you know?" The cheeky flapper plucked a red rose from one of the displays, and tucked it behind her ear. "Doesn't your Auntie look pretty, Jack?"
The young boy nodded with a shy smile.
"Clara, do not change the subject; everyone knows that Professor Higgins only puts up with me because he is fond of Jack."
"Uncle Henry likes you, Mummy - he is always looking at you," Jack chimed in.
Eliza frowned at her son and her sister-in-law; clearly, they were both touched in the head. She remembered that horrible day when she thought he may have felt something... but she had been dead wrong. She would never let her mind wander in that direction ever again.
"That is just wishful thinking on your part, Jack."
"What, Mummy?"
"You would like to be able to be around Uncle Henry all of the time, so you imagine he wants to marry me."
Jack's eyes lit up. "Could he? I would like to live in Uncle Henry's house very much - he has a library."
"Oh, yes, Eliza - a little library is always very nice!" Clara added, smirking at her sister-in-law's obvious irritation.
"I am very sorry -Jack - but I do not think that matrimony is very appealing to Uncle Henry. Clara - I've got my hands full raising one little boy, I do not need another."
Jack frowned, obviously not comprehending his mother's last statement. Clara only rolled her eyes, and waved a dismissive hand at Eliza. "You know what is best for you - dear sister - I am sure."
The ringing of a tiny bell heralded that another customer had arrived. Eliza's jaw nearly dropped to the floor when her eyes beheld Professor Higgins. He had never stepped foot in her shop since... ever.
"Speak of the devil!" Clara announced. Jack immediately ran to the older man, bearing a buttonhole (small) as a gift. Professor Higgins took the proffered present, and ruffled the boy's hair.
"I thought I felt my ears ringing - hullo, Miss Hill, always a pleasure to see your shining face before noon - now what on earth would you all be talking about?"
"Mummy said you would not like- "
"What brings you here, Professor Higgins?" Eliza interrupted her son. There was a time and a place for childlike honesty, this was not one of those times.
"Well, none of the servants can be arsed - pardon me, Jack - there is no one at Mother's house who is readily available drop of these arrangment specifications for her birthday party tomorrow." Professor Higgins thrust out his right hand, in which a piece of paper was clutched. Eliza took it, read the instructions, and smiled. "Oh, this is fairly simple - yes, I believe I can just arrive to the party early, and have them brought myself."
"Well, that is good." Henry took a quick glance around the shop. It was not much more than four very sturdy walls, but the flora and fauna made it bright and cheery. "You've done very well for yourself, Eliza," he found himself saying.
Eliza felt pleased, despite herself. "Thank you, Professor Higgins."
He looked to Jack, who was back at the worktable. "Boy, what are you doing out of school, and where is that little ninny that shadows you?"
"It's a half day, Uncle Henry - and Rosie is ill."
"I don't suppose you would like to go to the Zoo?"
Jack's eyes glowed with promise, and he turned to Eliza. "Mummy, may I?"
"Of course, darling. Thank you so very much for helping out an old woman with her flowers."
Jack giggled. "Mummy, you are not old!" He ran over to Professor Higgins's side, and took the man's hand.
The two were about to head off, when another man entered the store. This one was older than Mr. Elton, maybe slightly younger than Professor Higgins, if the wings of white in his dark hair were any indicator. He was definitely more debonair, and took great pains to always be perfectly turned out every time he appeared in Eliza's shop. His dark eyes glittered with purpose, and a tight smile graced his full lips when he spotted Eliza.
"Mrs. Hill, how well you look," he greeted in a deep, smooth voice. Professor Higgins visibly scowled, as did Jack.
"And what of your stepsister?" Clara inquired. The visitor was Mr. Linton Pryce, eldest son of Clara's mother's now deceased second husband. He was independent (and old) enough to have been detached from the scandal that Eliza had supposedly incurred by marrying his stepmother's only son. Clara intrigued him - as far as stepsister's went - so the two of them maintained correspondence, and he had helped her out of a few financial scraps over the years. He had also tried to encourage Clara to patch things up with her mother - who had mellowed considerably, in his opinion - but to no avail. She refused to reconcile unless Mrs. Pryce also mended her relationship with Eliza.
"You always look smashing, Clara - however- Mrs. Hill always managed to do so without the slightest adornment."
Eliza blushed, and was suddenly conscious of the dark look on Professor Higgins's face. "Mr. Pryce, what can I do for you today?"
"Nothing of the floral nature, I assure you. I was rather hoping you would accompany me to the opera tomorrow evening."
Eliza was stunned into silence, and remained so until the loud 'bang!' of the front door brought her back. Henry and Jack were gone; Mr. Pryce and Clara were waiting patiently for a response.
"T-that is very kind - Mr. Pryce - but I am afraid that I am engaged elsewhere; a birthday dinner for a very dear friend."
"You could not throw them over this once?"
Eliza bristled. "Certainly not."
"Another time then?"
"Perhaps, Mr. Pryce."
Shortly after her refusal, he left the shop.
"Someone is quite popular," Clara announced in a sing-song voice.
"Hush."
"What will you be wearing to Mrs. Higgins's birthday? You know it has to be quite stunning, in order to show that jealous professor what he is missing."
"I am afraid I am short on 'stunning', but have more 'serviceable' clothes than I can manage."
Clara clapped her hands together. "Brilliant! Close up the shop a little early, and we will go to SoHo!"
"SoHo?" Disgust was plain on Eliza's face.
"Oh, you prude! You must know that the best, and cheapest dresses are in SoHo."
Eliza relented, but with a twinge of regret. Even in her flowergirl days, she had tried to stay away from the sin-soaked streets of that neighborhood, just as her Sunday School teacher had told her to. Clara really was the dizzy limit.
Eulalie Pryce sat on a park bench, and watched as her deceased husband's grandchildren played. They were a horrible lot - whinging, screeching creatures with the manners of field hands. Not like her own children had been... well, Clara had always been a bit of a strange creature, but Freddy...
She missed her sweet, thoughtful boy.
Eulalie reckoned that volunteering to spend more time with the grandchildren would ease the persistent sting in her heart, but it caused her to do nothing but compare. With one child dead, and the other not on speaking terms, Eulalie was terribly lonely.
"Uncle Henry, did you see the size of that Black Bear?" The sweet, chirping sound of a child in the distance caused Eulalie's ears to perk, and she turned towards the noise. Her heart nearly stopped in her chest when her vision was filled with the sight of the sensitive features of her deceased Freddy. There were a few marked differences, but once she beheld the boy's eyes, she did not notice those. She immediately recognized the boy's chaperone as Professor Henry Higgins, son of her former best friend. That meant...
Without thinking, she rose to her feet, and walked towards the pair. The professor noticed her, and stepped in front of the boy in a protective stance.
"How do you do, Professor Higgins?" Eulalie inquired of the cautious man.
"Mrs. Pryce."
"Who is it, Uncle Henry? I can't see!" The boy stepped out from behind the professor, and scrutinized the old woman before him.
"My name is Frederick John Eynsford-Hill, ma'am - what is yours?" The child gave a little bow, and Eulalie burst into tears, much her observers' mutual mortification.
"Come along, Jack."
The pair left Eulalie to weep alone.