Ultimate Nyssa Glass H. Burke (bookstand for reading .txt) 📖

“I’m really fine,” he assured her. “It’s just a scratch.”

“I do wish they would’ve left an officer on guard,” she continued. “What if that monster comes back while we’re sleeping?”

“We have an alarm system. I never bothered to activate it, but it will only take a few minutes.” Nyssa raised her cup and inhaled the earthy scent of the tea. “If Theo helps, it’ll be no time at all.”

“Ah, our little hero.” Mrs. H ruffled the boy’s hair. Theo’s cheeks bulged from another batch of oatmeal cookies. “I hate to think what would’ve happened to us if you hadn’t fetched a policeman. What a blessing you are.”

Theo’s face reddened. He lowered his eyes and mumbled something unintelligible. Crumbs dropped onto the tabletop.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” Nyssa put down her cup. “We need to sort through the mess in the shop, see what we need to fix or replace in order to get back in business.”

Back in the shop, sunlight filtered through the windows.

I’m sure the other shops are all doing brisk commerce. Nyssa shook her head then walked over and flipped the sign to “closed.” There is no way I’m entertaining customers in this mess.

Glancing over the counter, weariness grabbed her like Uncle Al’s rough hands. Her carefully organized tools were scattered. Boxes of electrical components lay upended on the floor, and the clock she and Theo had repaired was smashed. She picked up the broken timepiece, and her throat tightened.

Criminals have no respect for hard work. What a fine lesson for Theo, fixing something only to have it torn apart.

The grinding of Ellis’s chair made her look up. He wheeled to her side.

“It sounds like a gear is slightly bent somewhere,” she commented, reaching down to touch one of the wheels.

“Yeah. I have an idea what’s off. I’ll worry about it later. Let’s fix the shop first.”

For the next half hour, Nyssa sat cross-legged on the floor, handing things to Ellis who would then shelve them. In spite of the damage, his chair was still able to convert to braces, so he could reach the upper shelves. After a bit, Theo joined them.

“Mrs. H went to market. Said we needed a special supper after today.” Theo’s eyes sparkled, overcoming the mood of the room.

Nyssa smiled.

“I admit, a feast might perk me up right now.” Ellis stowed away the last vacuum tube and flipped the dial to return to his “chair” setting. “So what’s the damage, you think?” He pointed towards the pile of components too twisted or smashed to be salvaged.

Nyssa let out a long breath. “Maybe about two hundred worth … two weeks’ salary at my old job.”

Ellis shrugged. “Could be worse.”

Nyssa chewed on her bottom lip. When they’d left New Taured, they’d taken as much as they could carry of Ellis’s fortune, mostly in cash and bearer bonds. At the time that satchel of money had seemed enough for a lifetime … and perhaps it would’ve been if they hadn’t bought the house and outfitted the shop and hired the housekeeper. Now, with no customers and expenses piling up, red ink flashed before Nyssa’s eyes.

Ellis reached for her hand. “We’ll turn this around somehow. We’ve still got over half of what we brought with us.”

She nodded. “We need to go over expenses tonight. See how long it will last. If this place fails—”

“It won’t. Nyss, we thought this through. Your uncle isn’t going to sneak in and sabotage our lives. I won’t let him.”

Her jaw clenched. How are we going to stop him? With the sheer power of naive optimism?

But she didn’t speak. Ellis had been through enough today without her snapping at him just for being positive.

“Theo, grab a dustpan and sweep up the broken glass … carefully. I’ll get the big things out to the curb. The scrap-man might want some of it.”

The door to the shop slammed. Nyssa whirled around as Mrs. H huffed in, her face crimson and her arms full of parcels. Nyssa hurried to help her.

Relieved of her bags, Mrs. H adjusted her hat and dabbed at her brow with her sleeve.

“Are you all right?” Ellis asked.

“I had the worst encounter with another cook at the grocery store. Miss Nyssa, you wouldn’t believe the awful things she said about you, and what’s worse,she heard it from Mr. Augustine’s butler. How can people spread such rumors?”

Nyssa’s stomach tightened. “What are people saying?”

“There is a rumor going around that you financed this shop with money stolen from a dead man, and that you killed the dead man … well, that you killed him and that’s why he is dead … whichever, it doesn’t matter, horrible slander. The cook told me I should quit for fear of my life. Oh, I gave her an earful, the nasty biddy.” She beckoned to Theo. “Be a gentleman, Theo, and take the groceries from Miss Nyssa. You can help me cook, though I think my temper is hot enough now that we won’t even need to light the stove.”

Nyssa kicked at the trash on the floor as Theo and Mrs. H disappeared into the kitchen.

Ellis scowled. “We need to do something. We can’t stand for this.”

“It’s no good. Once the rumor’s out, you can’t stuff it back in the bottle. No one in San Azula will do business with us.”

“Well, according to Chester, we might make a swift business in black market jewelry.” Ellis snorted. He then let out a long breath. “Maybe we should consider paying him off. It’s not like we don’t have ten thousand dollars.”

“I’m not giving him a cent!” Nyssa snapped. “That man almost ruined my life. He’s not going to bully me again.”

“All right.” He held up a hand. “I guess I agree. It wouldn’t guarantee him leaving, anyway. A man like that will never be satisfied with a single payment.” He brushed his hair back. “What about going to Renard and Amara? They have influence in San Azulan politics. Maybe they