Heaven Sent by Alice Duncan Read Free Book Online Page A

searched the shelves.
There were scads of books, some of which were novels. Callie
presumed they’d been read and loved by Anne Lockhart and suppressed
another sigh for Becky’s loss. As she looked, Callie came across a
shelf low to the floor that contained books written for
children.
    “ Oh, look here, Becky.
Here’s a big picture book about the Pilgrims. That will probably
tell us a lot about the people who settled in New York and
thereabouts.”
    “ I know about the
Pilgrims.”
    Trying to sound casual, Callie said,
“Did your papa tell you about them?”
    Becky shook her head. “Mama used to
read to me out of that book. It’s all about the Pilgrims and early
settlers.” She delivered the last sentence in her teacher’s
voice.
    Oh, dear. “Urn, would you like me to
find another book, sweetheart?” Above all things, Callie didn’t
want to stir up feelings of loss in her new charge. Becky’d had
more than enough unhappiness to cope with lately.
    “ No. I like that
book.”
    Studying her face, Callie decided
Becky was telling the truth. The little girl even looked pleased
that they’d be revisiting an old friend of a book.
    “ Good. Then let’s sit over
here by this window. I’ll pull the curtain back for
light.”
    Scampering over to the curtains behind
a big, overstuffed chair, Becky pulled them back for Callie. “This
is where Mama and I used to sit when she read to me.”
    Settling herself in the chair—which
was every bit as comfortable as it looked—Callie patted her lap.
“Want to sit here, Becky? Or you can sit on the arm of the chair if
you’d rather.”
    If Mr. Lockhart ever found out she’d
invited his daughter to squash his expensive furniture, he’d
probably pitch a fit, she thought nastily. Then she took herself to
task. Evidently he hadn’t always been such a prune. According to
the driblets of information Becky had let fall today, he’d actually
been more or less human, once upon a time.
    Ignoring the arm of the chair, Becky
scrambled up onto Callie’s lap. “I like the one about the Indians
and Jamestown,” she told Callie as she climbed.
    “ Jamestown was in what is
now the state of Virginia, but if you’d like we could start there
and work our way up to New York.”
    “ Good. I’d like
that.”
    “ All right, then, we’ll
start with Jamestown.” After consulting the index, Callie turned to
page twenty-three, and started reading in a dramatic voice, “‘The
first permanent British settlement was established in 1607. The
coming of settlers to the New World, however, was not without dire
incident. During their first hard winter, the citizens of
Jamestown, in the Colony of Virginia . . .’ ”
    ******
    Aubrey felt gloomy as he descended the
stairs, intending to visit his library and do some work before he
resumed brooding about his miserable life. He wished he could get
over this. Not that he’d ever truly get over losing Anne. Such a
thing was impossible. But he could certainly use a little spirit
and joy in his life.
    For two years now, he’d felt as if God
had ripped his heart right out of his body. The wound refused to
heal, and he was tired of it. Although he hated to admit it, he
believed that perhaps he’d done his daughter a favor by hiring the
rambunctious Miss Prophet. At least Becky’s new nanny had made his
little girl laugh.
    “ Which is a damned sight
more than you’ve been able to do for the past couple of years,” he
lectured himself. “You ought to thank the impertinent
busybody.”
    He reached his library and put a hand
on the knob, then stopped still because he heard Callie’s voice.
Frowning, irked that she’d invaded his brooding room, he
listened.
    “ ‘ After stopping in
Amsterdam for several months, the British Pilgrims set sail for the
Americas, landing in what came to be called Plymouth, in
Massachusetts, in 1620.’ ”
    Aubrey’s heart stopped for a second,
then started careening in his chest. A rage as red as blood rushed
over him