I watched the sun set and thought of gelatin. The sky resembled the carefully mixed orange of sugar and fruit juice hardening above the stovetop. Soon, I thought, the entire sky would darken as if the mold had been overturned and the jelly had turned a muddy red. Eventually, the stars would emerge to overshadow them all.
That morning, Mr. van Kirk had received a letter from his solicitor. I’d collected the mail from Williams and saw the solicitor’s seal in the pile, which was unusual because they always conducted business in person. I wanted to see what he’d written, but Mr. van Kirk had taken his breakfast in the library and asked not to be disturbed. Mrs. van Kirk was too preoccupied to bother with the mail, though if she’d let me speak of it, I doubt she’d have turned away news of thei
