Inside Pops Antique Shop, the apprentice bustled about, preparing tea. Before the three of them sat down, Jenkins deliberately flipped the sign on the shop door to "CLOSED," then asked the two women their purpose for visiting.
"This is... my friend, Miss Broniaons... a friend from my church."
Miss Audrey's introduction was quiet, and she still seemed somewhat reluctant.
"Oh, hello. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Broniaons."
She corrected him. Jenkins immediately extended his hand for a handshake, but the woman merely offered him the back of hers. Understanding, Jenkins nodded and performed the traditional kiss to the back of her hand.
"Your etiquette is quite interesting. It seems to have a touch of the northern kingdoms. I spent a great deal of time in the Hamparvo Kingdom in my youth and was on good terms with the royal etiquette tutor."
The woman smiled as she spoke, carefully surveying the entire shop. Her eyes lingered for a moment on the cat perched on the counter before moving on naturally.
The cat, feigning sleep, rose, adjusted its position, and lay back down. It did not uninvited woman.
"The Hamparvo Kingdom, you say? Yes, my etiquette instructor did indeed spend time there. That noble lady was quite..."
He was about to launch into a long-prepared lie when the shop door was pushed open once more. Robert Williams, Jenkins's father, walked in, carrying a large black briefcase.
Seeing the cat on the counter, he knew Jenkins was in, but upon noticing he was with guests, the handsome middle-aged man decided to wait. His eyes, however, drifted to the faces of the three people in conversation, and his brow furrowed.
"Oh, Father. Is something the matter?" Read full story at novel⁂fire.net
Seeing Robert make a rare visit to the shop, Jenkins immediately assumed something was wrong at home. He left the two women and stood up, walking over with a worried expression.
"What is it? Is the family..."
"Everything's fine. I came to talk to you about some business."
Standing on the doormat, he shook the briefcase at Jenkins, producing the sound of rattling stones from within. But Robert still wasn't looking at his son; his gaze was fixed on Miss Broniaons's face.
Something was definitely amiss. As far as Jenkins knew, his father, Robert, was a devoted man, just like him.
"Excuse me, miss," Robert began. "Have we met somewhere before?"
If any other man had uttered such a line, it would have been a cheap attempt at flirtation, but Jenkins knew his father.
"I'm sorry, sir, I believe we..."
Miss Broniaons was about to issue an annoyed denial when her eyes suddenly narrowed.
She spoke the name in surprise, her gaze darting between Jenkins and Robert—their resemblance was uncanny. Of the three Williams children, Jenkins was the one who looked most like his father.
"Oh, I remember now!"
Robert's eyes widened. He pointed a finger at her, a gesture of profound impoliteness, his voice booming as if he had just discovered his son was secretly a philanderer.
"Gods, I remember! I remember now! You're the diviner who was on the same stowaway ship as me when I fled to Nolan thirty years ago!"
"You're still alive?"
Robert and Miss Broniaons exclaimed at the same time.
Jenkins had no idea what was happening, so he glanced at Miss Audrey, hoping for an explanation. She just gave a slight shake of her head, clearly as clueless as he was.
"Father, you... you know this customer?"
Robert seemed incredibly excited. He shoved the briefcase into Jenkins's hands and began to explain at a rapid pace.
"I never thought I'd run into an old acquaintance after all these years. Jenkins, you know the story of how I fled my hometown thirty years ago. This lady was on the same ship, but she disappeared midway through the journey. I thought... So you didn't die! How fortunate."
"I feel very fortunate as well..."
Miss Broniaons had already composed herself. She rose from her seat by the fireplace and walked toward the door, her eyes still flickering between Jenkins and Robert.
"I remember when I left that ship, everyone on board had contracted the plague. I never thought you... That truly is fortunate."
Despite her words, her mind reeled with disbelief. Forgetting her reason for visiting the antique shop, she exchanged a few more words with the excited Robert, offered a polite farewell, and quickly pulled Miss Audrey out the door.
"Teacher, what on earth are you doing?"
Once she was certain the two men inside couldn't see them, Miss Audrey angrily wrenched her arm from the older woman's grasp.
"Teacher, what were you really trying to accomplish today? And how do you know Jenkins's father?"
"Today was... quite unexpected. Fine, if you must know... it was a mission from my youth..."
Miss Broniaons's expression was grave, but she seemed unwilling to elaborate on what that mission entailed.
"The issue isn't the mission. The issue is why that Mr. Robert Williams is still alive."
"What's so strange about that? The plague's mortality rate is high, but recovery isn't impossible. Perhaps he was just lucky?"
Miss Audrey replied dismissively as they turned into a narrow alley. On one side, heaps of foul-smelling household waste were piled high, a clear sign they had been there for some time, as they were still covered with snow from a few days ago. A black cat, rummaging for food, heard their footsteps. Its back arched, fur standing on end, and it hissed at the two women before darting deeper into the alley.
"The problem isn't the plague," Miss Broniaons declared, holding up two fingers. "The problem is that on my way back from that mission, aboard that ship, I performed a divination for that Mr. Williams. His fate was sealed. He was supposed to die there. He had no future."
"Since I turned thirty, I have only made two completely erroneous divinations. The first was due to my immaturity at that age, and the second was because it involved the plan of a great deity. Now, you tell me, Audrey, what is so special about Williams... or rather, why did you come to Nolan, and why have you stayed?"
Miss Audrey furiously slapped the woman's hand down, her composure a stark contrast to the grace she had shown before Jenkins.
"Why am I here? Don't you really know, Teacher Broniaons!"