Secret World of Occultists-Chapter 45: New Beginning

The following day, Abel attended Madam Whitmore’s classes right on time despite returning home late at night.

He did find out that the Society for Natural Philosophy had a set of private rooms available for its members.

The entirety of the third floor of the building actually served as the members’ quarter!

While regular members had to pay a fee to check into the rooms, it was entirely free for the special employees of the Trust.

However, none of the rooms were available last night, or else he would have prefered to much rather stay the night in one of the luxurious rooms.

Another thing he found out about the Club was that on the ground floor, there existed a bathhouse! The bathing chambers came with hot water which was a rare luxury in this era!

Abel had always worried about not being able to take a proper bath in his flat. In fact, he had never properly taken a bath since he had transmigrated.

But with the option of a bathhouse provided by the Club, he was immensely grateful that he was able to attain a membership there.

At the moment, he was in his house on 42 Millbrook Street, packing everything necessary and storing them in a small wooden chest.

Thankfully, there wasn’t much that he needed to move out—just his clothes and a few books and diaries.

He was planning to keep everything else the way it was. He had a plan in mind.

After checking several times that he had put everything he’d need inside the chest, he exited his house and knocked on the door of Unit 43.

With a bright smile on his face, he waited for the door to open. A few moments later, a kind elderly woman opened the door slightly, cautiously peeking from the inside.

"Aunt Peggy, it’s me!"

"Abel?" The elderly woman slowly opened the door. When she confirmed that it was indeed him, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Lord above, I thought it was the landlord," she exclaimed patting her chest lightly.

Abel felt his heart ache a little. Aunt Peggy’s family’s financial condition was not good at all. Despite that, she would always drop by from time to time, carrying food with her.

After all, she knew that he was living alone and that there was no one to take care of him. So the kind woman, who was like a grandmother to him, had taken it upon herself to do the best she could for him.

"What’re you doin’ here, dear?" She asked. "Ain’t you supposed to be at work?"

Abel snapped out of his daze. He looked at the woman and asked in a soft voice, "Aunt Peggy... how much money do you owe your landlord?"

The old woman was taken aback by that sudden question. She then immediately waved her hand in dismissal. "Oh, it’s nothin’. Nothin’ I can’t handle!"

Abel’s lips quivered. He took a deep breath, forcing a smile. Then he gently grabbed the old woman’s hand and led her into his house.

"Good Lord! Dear boy, have you finally gone mad? I’ll be on the floor at this rate!" she exclaimed.

"Hehe," the youth chuckled abashedly. For some reason, it felt nice when Aunt Peggy scolded him. She felt more like family.

"What do you think of this house?" He asked with a grin.

The old woman looked at him with squinted eyes. "Abel, are you unwell? What do you mean by what I think of this house? Mine looks just the same!"

"Hehe," Abel chuckled foolishly. "Close your eyes. Show me your hand. I wanna give you something."

"My goodness, you really have lost your senses!"

"Aunt Peggy, just do as I say!" Abel urged.

"Good Lord!" The old woman could only shake her head helplessly.

She then closed her eyes and stretched her hand forward. She felt Abel gently hold her hand and then place a cold item in her palms.

"Okay, now open your eyes," he said.

The elderly woman opened her eyes, curious to see what was in her hand. "A pair of keys?" She frowned. But then it dawned on her, and her hand involuntarily trembled.

"No!" She scolded the youth sternly. "Don’t be foolish, lad! So what if I owe the landlord a few shillings? It’s nothin’ I can’t handle. Hmph! Now, be quick and take those keys back."

Abel’s heart was warmed by her words. Although she was scolding him, it was out of deep love and care for him.

"Aunt Peggy," he said, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "You know the new job I got, right? Well, they’ve provided me with a flat to live in. So..."

He looked around his house and added, "I don’t have a need for this place anymore. So instead of selling it, I thought I’d gift it to you."

"Gift it to me? Boy, you’ve truly lost your senses! This house is where you and Tommy grew up! It belongs to your family! How can you just give it away?" The old woman said angrily.

"Aunt Peggy." Abel smiled gently. "You are also my family."

The scolding that the old woman was about to give got caught in her throat. Her lips quivered and her eyes involuntarily teared up. "You... foolish boy! I can’t take this... I just can’t..."

Her shoulders trembled and she began sobbing, slow and silent at first, then she burst into tears, crying loudly.

Abel hugged her gently, patting her back. "It’s okay, Aunt Peggy, it’s okay. Don’t cry. Everything will be alright."

After a long time, the kind old woman finally managed to rein in her emotions. She looked at Abel, her gaze filled with concern, and couldn’t help but ask, "Are you mixed up with the wrong sorts, Abel? Be honest with me."

She was experienced enough to know there were no employers out there who would send private carriages for their prospective employees just so they could come for interviews.

That, and then suddenly Abel telling her that his employer has given him a flat to live in made her think that the youth has gotten himself involved with the local gangs.

Then there was also the incident more than a week ago when he came back home bloodied and unconscious.

"No, Aunt Peggy, I promise you I’ve not joined any gangs. Just trust me, alright?"

Seeing the old woman still hesitate, he added, "Think of your family, think of your grandkids, Aunt Peggy! You’ll save a lot of money if you move into my house. Think about all the food you can buy with the extra money."

The elderly woman thought of her little grandchildren and couldn’t help but relent. She pulled Abel into a tight embrace as she whispered, "Thank you, dear boy... Thank you..."

"Oh, and one more thing," said Abel. "Upstairs in my bedroom, under my bed, you’ll find a wooden plank slightly jutting out.

"If you pull it out, you’ll find a metal box inside. There’s 2 sterling and some change inside the box. Use that money to clear off any dues that you might have."

Before the old woman could refuse, Abel added, "Just think of it as a loan, alright? When you’ve cleared your dues and saved up enough money, you can repay me in the future. How about it?"

Of course, that was a lie. Neither was he going to take the keys of the house back from her, nor would he take the money that he’d been saving since before he transmigrated.

This was the least he could do for Aunt Peggy.

Seeing the old woman silently nod with tearful eyes, he retrieved a piece of paper from his coat’s inner pocket. "This here is my new address. If you ever need anything, tell one of your sons to find me, okay?"

"Good Lord, Abel... this..." The old woman was at a loss for words. It was too much for her to take in. "Are you moving out today?"

"Yeah, right now!" Abel grinned.

He then went upstairs and carried the wooden chest over his shoulder. He briefly stopped by the the old woman and smiled brightly.

"Don’t forget! If you ever need anything, you know where to find me!"

With that said, he walked out of the house that he was born and spent the first eighteen years of his life in.

He didn’t turn around, afraid that his eyes might moisten.

It was a new beginning for him—one that he was fully going to embrace!

Aunt Peggy walked to the entrance of the house, gazing at Abel carrying the wooden chest on his shoulder and running down the street.

Tears rolled down her cheeks and her grip around the keys to Unit 42 tightened ever so slightly.

"Thank you..."