Page 106 of Familiar Things New

“Of course,” she said with a bow of her head. “Now, what would you two say to some tea? It’s a nice, soothing beverage. One that always helps me when I find myself seized with worry over one thing or another. I’d be happy to prepare the three of us a pot to share.”

“That would be lovely,” Andrew said, his smile brightening. “Thank you. Again.”

Prudence caught Edwin’s eye. “Don’t fret too much, Edwin. I know how hard it is not to think the worst, but our Andrew will help you reach your family as soon as the snow lets up.”

“I will.” Andrew found Edwin’s hand and laced their fingers together. “It’s a promise.”

Edwin’s lips curled into a barely-there smile, and he nodded.

Prudence left for the kitchen. After the sound of her retreating footsteps faded, Edwin let out a breath and leaned sideways, resting some of his weight against Andrew’s arm.

“I hope the Whitneys won’t hate me,” he said.

“For not traveling through what looks like the worst blizzard in Albany’s history to take care of a room full of plants?” Andrew asked.

He hoped the playful lilt in his voice might help Edwin realize how ludicrous the notion sounded.

Edwin huffed a light laugh. “No, not only for that, though it will probably mean they’ll be in a foul mood when I do tell them something that really does have a high chance of making them hate me.”

Andrew shook his head in bewilderment. “What, uhm, what are you planning on telling them?”

“Who I once was,” Edwin said simply.

Andrew’s heart sank, worry immediately curdling in his stomach.

“Oh, Edwin, what if—”

“I know. But William will be marrying Agnes someday,” he said. “Once this storm is over, I just know William will request Agnes’s company so that he can propose to her. He has something else that he needs to talk to her about first, but it won’t change how she feels about him. I know it in my bones.” He let out a breath. “And so, William and Agnes will be together soon. Officially. And my options will be limited after that. Either I’ll have to tell the Whitneys who I am, or I’ll have to leave. Leave home. Leave their lives, really, for the most part. Dammit, I’d miss so many big, important things if I left. I’d miss their engagement, their wedding, holidays.” Edwin’s brow creased. “I wonder whether they’ll have children. I hadn’t thought to ask William about that.” After a beat, Edwin clicked his tongue. “Well, if they have them, then I’d miss that too. And I know they’d still visit me, but I wouldn’t be part of the family anymore. It might seem selfish on my part, but I really want to be there for those things, Andrew. I love both Agnes and William so much. I have to chance it. William says his parents will accept me, but I . . . well, I’m not feeling so confident about it. Still, I want to try. And I hope that’s . . . all right with you.”

Andrew turned to face Edwin more squarely and cupped the man’s cheek with his free hand.

“Of course it is.”

“But if things go poorly . . .” Edwin’s eyebrows pinched together, forming that beautiful little vertical line. “Andrew, they’re the Whitneys. You know how important they are here in the city. I might have to leave Albany.”

“And I’d leave with you,” Andrew said, without even the slightest bit of hesitation, either in his words or his heart.

“But what about your business? Or Mrs. Meyer?”

“Prudence would understand. And I can be a photographer anywhere, Edwin.” He lifted his hand to stroke Edwin’s worry line with his thumb, smoothing it away. Once the line was gone, Andrew cupped Edwin’s cheek again. “We might struggle for a while, if we left, but I know we’d manage to build a life for ourselves somewhere. I mean, I had to when I left home. And I was pretty successful, at least enough not to starve to death, even though I was doing it alone. But neither of us would be alone if we left Albany. We’d still have each other.”

“You’d really leave with me?” Edwin asked with a small, tentative smile.

Warmth swirled in Andrew’s chest, and he smiled back.

“In a heartbeat.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Edwin

Sometime overnight, the snow had finally stopped, and now, Edwin and Andrew were preparing to shovel their way to Edwin’s home. Normally, the walk would have only taken them around eight minutes or so at a brisk pace. But Edwin could only imagine how much longer it would take thanks to the conditions they were facing. Could they even make it by nightfall?

Outside on the stoop, the snow had accumulated to approximately forty-six inches high, but in all likelihood, there were worse areas thanks to the fact that the fierce wind had blown heaps of powder around. Edwin could see a mountain of snow just on the other side of the street. He didn’t have a clue how he and Andrew would make it if they encountered any of those in their path. But he had to reach his family. He needed to make sure they were safe.

Bundled in plenty of clothing—his best suit overlayed with two ill-fitting layers of extra knee-length (or, on Edwin, mid-calf-length) overcoats, one of which belonged to Andrew and the other to Mrs. Meyer’s late husband—Edwin adjusted his pack. It was filled to the brim with canned goods and salted meats from Mrs. Meyer. Beside him, Andrew was putting on his gloves. Inside Andrew’s pack, he had as much coal as he could reasonably fit, which had made the pack almost too heavy to carry, even for Andrew. How unfortunate it was that neither of them was particularly strong. Regardless of their ability to carry all of these too-heavy things, they had to try. Edwin’s family needed the supplies. What other choice was there?

Earlier, Andrew had managed to contact his and Mrs. Meyer’s neighbors—a nice couple who seemed to be in their thirties or forties—by hanging out one of the windows and calling for them. He’d asked them to check on Mrs. Meyer while he and Edwin were with Edwin’s family streets away. Lucky for Andrew and Edwin, those kind folks had agreed. And so, they had to trust that Andrew’s landlady would be all right while they were gone. Hopefully she’d have enough heat and food for the length of time they were battling the elements and checking on Edwin’s family.