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He waited for her to close the door beforehis foot on the floorboards to the left, he found the one he wanted and prised it loose With his cheek pressed flat to the floor, he ferreted about inside the gap and pulled out a book with a blue cover

“This is what I stole from Mama’s room” Jacob blew dust and cobwebs off the surface and handed it to her “When a letter came, she always left the house in a hurry”

“Is that why you stole theer One would need aso ses, she found a handful of letters The broken red seals bore no identifying marks “Did you read them?”

“I tried”

No doubt as his reading progressed so did his understanding of the context

“May I read the told her to hand them back, to nail the board to the floor and never speak of theain “You have my word I’ll not reveal their contents without your permission”

Jacob’s small hand settled on her arain”

Her heart grew heavy A child should not have to live with such pressure on his shoulders A man deserved to have peace in his life, to have some semblance of happiness, too

With some trepidation, she removed a letter, tucked the book under her arm and scanned the missive She would have described it as a love letter, except the contents focused on the gratuitous aspects of a physical relationship A blush rose to her cheeks Heavens What would a child e?

“I understand why you didn’t want to show theained Jacob’s perh?

The absence of a signature was not surprising The gentle theh’s hoance

“Mama kept them in the drawer next to her bed”

Oh, the poor mite How had he kept theled to hold their oater let alone so Jacob wanted was to hurt his father

“Why did you keep theht find them?”

Was that another reason he chased the women away?