Grabbing a tiny book and slipping it into her pocket—most of her frocks contained large pockets where she could easily carry things—she wandered across her beloved shop to the door and stepped out onto the walk.

People were scurrying about, some on their way home from their jobs, others from their shopping expeditions. The fragrance of freshly baked bread wafted on the air, courtesy of the bakery two doors down. They were no doubt finishing up the order they would deliver to the hotel for the guests who dined there that evening. The elegant dining room was gaining a reputation for serving delicious meals—not that Mick would have settled for anything less than perfection. After locking up, Fancy strolled up the street.

“Hello, Miss Trewlove,” a young woman with a lad and a lass clinging to her skirts called out as she hurried the little ones along.

“Good evening, Mrs. Byng. Will I be seeing you during story time tomorrow?” Every Friday afternoon, Fancy gathered children in her shop and read to them.

“My moppets wouldn’t miss it.”

Fancy suspected her son and daughter favored the sweets she provided as much as the stories. While this area resembled the rookeries not in the least, she was very much aware that many of these folks had little money left over once they’d paid for necessities and it made her feel charitable to offer them something extra. Her afternoon readings provided a bit of respite to many of the mothers, especially those with numerous small tykes. She often noticed some of them dozing while Fancy worked to keep their little ones entertained. Knowing few households contained books, she liked the notion of not only introducing children to the power of reading, but possibly giving them a desire to attend school. While the recently passed Forster Education Act provided public funding for children whose parents couldn’t afford to pay their education fees, it hadn’t made school attendance compulsory, which she found unacceptable. Not all parents cared to see their children’s lives improved. She’d grown up in an area where some had felt it was more important for their broods to work and provide coins for the family coffers than to spend a few hours each day in a classroom.