Go talk to him and earn your bread the honest way. Martins is looking for another boy to clean the streets. She caught sight of the face of one of the boys, recognizing him in spite of the layer of soot and filth. Except that with the sick infant, maybe they supposed she had a halfpenny tucked away to pay the doctor. The looks of her should have told them that. Fingers darted in and out of her skirt pocket with the nimbleness of an expert thief. Several boys bumped against Mercy, jostling her. The infant’s face was as pale as the fog that hung over the rooftops, and as thin and hollow as the terraced houses that lined either side of the street.
“I’ll gladly trade my boots for you to be seen to by a doctor, my sweet one.” She brushed a kiss against Clara’s cheek. Though the strings didn’t reach the tops of her boots anymore, she was lucky to have them, lucky to have boots at all when so many wore nothing on their feet but rags. She’d tied the frayed laces tight, causing them to break and forcing her to knot them yet again. The mixture oozed through the holes where her toes had worn through the leather and threatened to suck the shoes off her feet. The frequent showers not only soaked her half boots but also turned the streets into swamps of mud and horse manure. Mercy ignored the cold dampness between her toes, the puckered skin on feet that hadn’t been dry since spring had chased away the chill of winter and invited a familiar tormentor in its place-rain. Bates isn’t there, I’ll sell my shoes to pay the fee.”
He’d treat the infant even though Mercy had no way to pay for his services. so long as the Shoreditch Dispensary wasn’t crowded and so long as Dr. Hang on a little longer, my lamb.” Mercy Wilkins shifted the listless infant in her arms without slowing her pace.Ĭlara had stopped responding on Chilton Street, but the slightly warm breath coming from between the little girl’s colorless lips told Mercy she wasn’t too late. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.Ĭover photography by Mike Habermann Photography, LLCĪuthor is represented by Natasha Kern Literary Agency, Inc. Names, characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-for example, electronic, photocopy, recording-without the prior written permission of the publisher. Out of the Storm: A BEACONS OF HOPE NovellaĪn Awakened Heart: An ORPHAN TRAIN Novellaīethany House Publishers is a division ofīaker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, MichiganĪll rights reserved.
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