Her and I

Chapter Two - Peggy

"Keep out the oss road, Peggy," called Mrs. Umber as she stepped out the door.

"Merits to you!" Peggy cheered back, smiling warmly as she watched the old woman scuttle away.

Wiping the flour from her apron, Peggy blew a wisp of brown hair out of her face. It was the evening now, and Mrs. Umber was always the last buyer to visit, so Peggy was confident her father would not be cross if she closed the bakery.

A family-run shop, Peggy had started working there nearly ten years ago, when she had been thirteen.

With years of practice, Peggy set into her routine of blowing out all the lit candles and locking the door behind her. Just two steps away was the door leading to her family's apartment, which sat atop the bakery.

It was nestled in a narrow stone building, three stories tall, on the edge of London. During the day, the cobblestone street would be bustling with friendly faces, but at this time, so near sunset, it was empty.

Empty, save for one familiar face.

"Peggy," came a greeting, before she could open the door.

A man with short, spiky brown hair and warm grey eyes sauntered toward her. He was adorned in his half dress; a crisp white muslin shirt, an equally white waist coat, and a navy tailcoat overtop. To compliment he wore rich cream breeches and polished black boots.

Standing there in her apron and flour-stained dress that was three years old, Peggy felt greatly under-dressed.

"Good evening, Thomas," Peggy returned, taking in her childhood friend with a warm gaze.

The duo had known each other since their youth and spent more time together than was likely appropriate for two unmarried adults of their age. Not that there was any doubt amongst the neighbourhood that Peggy would make a fine spinster.

"Care to join me for a stroll?" Thomas queried, one arm perched behind his back, the other extended as though offering the stroll on his palm.

Peggy smiled. "Allow me to ask Papa, and if I am permitted you will need to wait while I dress."

"I would wait an eternity for you, your Highness," Thomas said teasingly, turning to sit on a nearby bench.

With a laugh, Peggy pushed through the green door and climbed the narrow wooden staircase that led to an equally narrow hallway. Through a tight archway, she emerged into a cluttered dining room.

A stack of books nearly three feet tall stood precariously in one corner to her left, and a cabinet of even more stood across from it. In the center of the room was a narrow oak dining table, fashioned with a mix-match of chairs that her father had collected over time. Pencil sketches were framed and hung on every wall.

At the table sat Peggy's father and stepmother, along with her brother and sister. Everyone was chattering away, shovelling mouthfuls of chestnut soup.

"Bakery's closed," Peggy called loudly to be heard, as well as to announce her arrival, which had gone unnoticed.

"Ah, Peggy, come join us," Peggy's father greeted, waving his hand.

Elliott and Violet, Peggy's siblings, paid her no mind and continued their conversation.

"Clean yourself up first, dear," Jane, Peggy's stepmother, warned. "Most improper to track flour to dinner."

Peggy smiled dryly, "While I thank you all for waiting 'til I arrived to begin your meal, I was hoping I'd be excused to stroll with Thomas."