The Ice Seduction (Ice Romance) by SK Quinn Read Free Book Online Page B

before?’ I say. ‘It’s important I know if children have a medical condition. I like to do research. To make sure I know—’
    ‘Bertie doesn’t have a medical condition,’ Mrs Calder snaps. ‘He used to talk. He just … stopped one day. So we know he could speak if he wanted to. He just doesn’t.’
    ‘Why not?’ I ask.
    ‘We don’t know. No one does. He can read and write. But he refuses to talk. I’ve told you. He’s a difficult boy.’
    She slams the door shut, leaving Bertie and me alone in the cold.
    Bloody hell, it’s freezing .
    Snowflakes settle on my sweatshirt, and I wrap my arms around myself, shivering.
    I watch Bertie for a moment, feeling sadness cloud my heart.
    He’s scratching at the ground like he hates it, and his little body looks so skinny and tense.
    ‘Hi Bertie,’ I say again . ‘You must be cold out here.’
    I move closer , standing over him. ‘What are you writing out here in the snow? It looks like symbols or something. Do they mean anything? Or are they just patterns?’
    Bertie ignores me.
    ‘I guess you must like maths and things like that. Numbers. That’s what all these symbols remind me of. Like some sort of puzzle.’
    He turns to look up at me then, his eyes sad. There are huge grey circles under them. His black-brown eyes sweep over my face, and he leaps to his feet and throws his skinny little body at me, pushing me away with a force I wouldn’t have guessed he would be capable of.
    I tumble backwards and fall onto my backside, my palms slamming painfully into the snow.
    Ouch.
    Bertie turns back and carries on digging at the snow.
    Rubbing my backside, I get up.
    ‘I get it,’ I say. ‘You don’t want me here. Why should you? I’m just one more nanny who’s going to reject you a few days down the line.’
    I dust my red palms together, let out a long breath and come towards him again.
    Gently, I sit beside him.
    I sense his body tense, but he carries on scratching at the snow, ignoring me.
    I wait a moment.
    Then I pick up a stick and begin scratching something myself.
    Bertie ignores me at first, but as my words take shape, I see his dark eyes flick over to my part of the snow.
    When I’m finished writing, I put the stick down and look at him.
    He looks at the words I’ve written.
    They say:
     
    ‘I won’t leave you.’

21
    Bertie looks at me – a really long look this time. Then his eyes cloud over, and an ugly frown pulls at his forehead. He leaps to his feet and kicks out the words I’ve written, stamping at them like they’re wasps that just stung him.
    H e turns and charges into the house.
    I leap to my feet and run after him.
    Okay, so I would have preferred him to jump into my arms. But that was never going to happen. This is one unhappy kid, and that isn’t going to change with a few words in the snow. At least he’s noticed me. That’s a start. Kind of.
    ‘Bertie. Bertie .’
    I race after him, along corridors and round corners.
    He’s fast, I’ll give him that. Who’d have thought a kid that thin would have so much energy?
    My ankle is still a little sore from yesterday, but I’m giving good chase, the tapestries flying out from the walls as I dash past them.
    ‘Bertie!’ I call.
    ‘ Miss Harper!’ I hear the shrill voice of Agnes Calder as I round a corner, and see a struggling, wriggling Bertie held in her bony fingers. ‘ What do you think you’re doing?’
    I stop, out of breath, putting a hand to my chest. ‘Chasing Bertie,’ I say. ‘He ran away.’
    I see Mrs Calder’s fingers tighten on Bertie’s arm, and he goes limp and gives up the struggle.
    ‘He ran away?’ says Mrs Calder. ‘ Already ? You’ve been with him less than five minutes.’
    ‘ Yes,’ I say, through gritted teeth. ‘But Mrs Calder, the reason he ran away—’
    ‘Come along with you Bertie,’ says Mrs Calder, dragging him by the arm along the corrid or. ‘To the great hall. Let’s see if Miss Harper is any less useless at getting you