“That is what you heard?” Bergen persisted.
“It is…” Colin stopped and considered his friend. “I will spend two weeks with her granddaughter—her very attractive, unmarried granddaughter—” He broke off again as the ghastly truth hit him. By God, he had just been bamboozled!
Chapter 8
Nora woke to the sound of a child softly whimpering and another one whispering. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Alice standing next to her bed, holding Amy’s hand. Amy had tears streaming down her thin cheeks and wet auburn curls stuck to the sides of her face.
“Amy misses her mam,” the older child explained, pulling Amy to her. “She was crying, so I climbed into the crib and Becca helped me get her out so’s I could bring her to you.”
“Oh, gracious! That was very thoughtful of the two of you. Did you notice where Becca went?” Nora asked thoughtfully. It concerned her that the other child might wander about the house. There were too many sections still under construction and the child could be injured.
“Becca crawled back into bed. Didn’t take long fer her to go to sleep. I know, ’cause she snores. Her cot’s next t’ mine.”
Nora smiled. “You were right to bring Amy to me,” she said, meaning it. Her curtains were open to the full moon, allowing the brightness to filter into the room and give her plenty of light to see the two girls. She had always preferred moonlight to having a pitch-black room. “Hmm, I am not sure what time it is, but the moon is still out and ’tis very dark.” She sidled across the mattress, against the wall, thus making room for the two girls, and patted the space next to her. “Climb up here, both of you. We will not make a habit of this, mind you, but just this once, it can do no harm.”
The two girls crawled up into her bed and snuggled under the warm covers, with Amy nudging herself tightly against Nora’s chest. Nora lay for several minutes, listening to the soft snores of the two children. A strange yearning tugged at her heart, one she had never felt before. She looked at the angelic faces of both girls and realized a desire to have children of her own, one day. Unfortunately, with no prospects, Nora felt she was destined to be a spinster, a future that, until this very moment, she had not minded. Determined to sleep, she squeezed her eyes closed, only to feel a lone tear escape and roll across the bridge of her nose before falling to her pillow.
The night passed without further incident. When Nora awoke the next morning and stretched her arms, movement to her left riveted her attention on the two little girls. They were sitting together in a worn green tapestry-covered chair, quietly drinking milk and eating a biscuit each.
“You really did come in here last night, then, my dears.” She swallowed a giggle. “I wondered if I had dreamed the whole thing.” She swung across to the side of the bed and slipped her feet inside the warm slippers that she kept nearby and looked at the younger little girl. “Do you feel well now, Amy?”
“She does,” answered Alice. “She told me so.”
“I have never heard her speak more than a word or two,” Nora teased. “What did she say?” Nora had noticed that Alice had become so protective of Amy that she kept the toddler close to her and even spoke for her. The small child did not seem to object and stayed quiet.
“Amy said she was glad you let us sleep with you,” Alice answered brightly.
Nora chuckled. “I am surprised Mrs. Simpkins did not take you back to your beds,” she remarked hopefully. She knew Mrs. Simpkins had a soft heart where children were concerned, which made Nora doubly glad of the cook’s help with the orphanage.
“She asked if we wanted to go to our room or wait until she came back with your chocolate. We stayed here,” Alice offered, licking her fingers.
“You are lucky indeed, not to have been frog-marched back to your rooms,” she smiled, glad they had chosen to stay. “And young ladies do not lick their fingers,” Nora reproved, not desiring to scold, but needing to use the moment to educate. Alice immediately dried her fingers on the hem of her dress and sat up straighter. Amy stayed intent on the biscuit she was nibbling and took no heed.
“Amy cried so bad, I didn’t know what to do. Becca woke up and helped me get her out. She likes you, so we found your room,” Alice explained in between bites of the shortbread biscuit. “Becca went back to bed. She said we’d both get a whipping for waking you, but I didn’t think you was mean like that,” Alice continued.
“A whipping?” The idea alarmed Nora. She tried to recall where Becca had come from. Had they whipped the child? She supposed that many of the children had not been treated kindly before they arrived at the orphanage and made a mental note to pay more attention to Becca.
“’Tis time you both return to your room. I must dress.” The children nodded. Standing, she pulled her wrapper from the chest at the end of her bed. Drawing the silk about her, she glanced out of the window. “We look to have a lovely day ahead of us, girls, and you will miss breakfast if you stay here much longer.” Nora heard the rumbling in her own stomach and determined they could all use a good meal. “Hurry now, my dears! It is hardly seemly for a headmistress to break her fast, thus scantily dressed, you know. Mrs. Simpkins will ring the bell for breakfast shortly, I am sure. We should not be late.” Nora picked up Amy and walked the two girls downstairs to the communal dining room. The men had finally finished working on it. The rooms were slowly taking shape, she reflected.
On her
