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Back Nightingale House
Chapters (44)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Also by Steve Frech
  4. Praise for Steve Frech
  5. Nightingale House
  6. Dedication
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 1
  40. 2
  41. Acknowledgments
  42. Dear Reader …
  43. Keep Reading …
  44. About the Publisher

It has to be a rat that’s gotten into the wall or into the frame of the bookcase.

Great. Stelowski not only forgot to mention the leaky pipes, now he forgot to tell me about the rats?

Thump.

Shit. I’ve been mentally berating Stelowski and not paying attention. I can’t tell where in the bookcase it came from.

I creep over and sit at my desk, staring intently at the bookshelf.

“All right, you little bastard. Do that, again …”

June 10th, 1900

Three weeks have passed and the crowds that Father predicted still haven’t materialized. Day after day, I stand behind the counter and watch the wealthy people of Kingsbrook go by like they’re on parade. Father and Carol are constantly fighting. Before it was only about the pharmacy, but now, it’s the smallest of things. A cracked teacup in Carol’s china turned into a full-bore shouting match. The leaking kitchen tap caused them not to speak to one another for two days. When they are together at the pharmacy, it’s toxic.

But everything is not entirely terrible. I have had the most fascinating day.

We received a telegram at the pharmacy this afternoon. It was delivered by a courier shortly after we opened. It was from Mr. Carrington! He placed an order for some powders and tonics, but couldn’t be bothered to come into town, and wanted them delivered to the Nightingale House.

Father began hastily putting the order together.

I begged him to let me make the delivery. I was certain that Mr. Carrington had placed the order in the hopes that I would be the one to deliver it.

At first, Father said that was nonsense and that he would go.

I persisted and he asked why I was so eager. I told him that I’m stuck at the pharmacy all day, every day. I wanted to go out for a change. I told him I could take the bicycle and be there in twenty minutes. When he hesitated, I tried to appeal to his business sense. I told him that people know me as working at the pharmacy and that I could be a sort of advertisement. He’s been trying to be the face of the pharmacy and it wasn’t working, so I argued that he should let me try.

It worked!