Part 6 (2/2)
Which is what he'd told himself.Yet he could not shake the feeling that he ought to have done more.
”You cannot,” his wife said, as if reading his thoughts. ”You dare not, under the circ.u.mstances.”
Again, she spoke true. His position was precarious enough of late, worse now with the baby on the way. If he were to argue against listening to these men when his daughter had survived and his wife was with child . . . ? Who knew of what they might accuse him.
”I'm going to start teaching Latin to the younger children,” Sophia said, thumbing through a well-used book. ”Simple words, as I do with French.The names of animals and such.”
What younger children? he wanted to ask. The three below the age of eight who'd survived? He knew they could not think like that. Better to focus not on the loss but on those that remained, on how the smaller cla.s.s would mean more attention for each pupil, more work they could do, such as starting Latin sooner.
Preacher was saying just that when the front door banged open, Addie rus.h.i.+ng in, words spilling out so fast that they couldn't decipher them. Both Preacher and Sophia leaped from the table and raced over, thinking she was injured.
”No,” Addie said. ”I'm well. It's the men, what they're offering.To bring back the children.”
”Yes, we already know,” Sophia said, leading the girl inside. ”It's terrible and-”
”Terrible?” Addie pulled from her grasp. ”They say they can resurrect the children. It's wondrous.”
Sophia winced.
Preacher moved forward, bending in front of the girl. ”Yes, it would indeed be wondrous . . . if it was possible. It's not. They're taking advantage of our grief. Promising the impossible because they know we're desperate enough to pay the price.”
”You're wrong,” Addie said, backing away.
”So they aren't charging a fee?” Preacher asked softly.
Addie said nothing.
”Adeline?” Sophia said, her voice equally soft but firm. ”Did they say there would be a cost?”
”Yes, but they're reducing it, on account of there being so many children-”
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