The Proposal by Lori Wick Read Free Book Online

confused but then said, “I wanted to go out the door.”
    “The nursery door?”
    Penny nodded. “I wanted to eat breakfast with James and Thomas.”
    “Listen to me, Penny,” Jennings said, reaching down to take one of her little hands in his. “No one is going to hurt you anymore. No one. Not even Mrs Smith.”
    “I was scared in the nursery.”
    “With Mrs Smith gone, the nursery will be a very fun place for you to play,” Jennings said, even as memory surfaced of his own happy hours in that room. “But you may sleep wherever you wish.”
    “With Thomas and James?”
    “With Thomas and James.”
    Jennings’ heart squeezed almost painfully in his chest when she smiled a very small smile, some of the tension leaving her small brow. How anyone could harm this child was beyond him. But then hadn’t he done his share of harm? He hadn’t left marks on her skin, but he’d ignored her needs in selfish pursuit of his own wishes.
    For the first time in his life William Jennings wanted to hug a child. He wanted to take her in his arms, hold her close, and tell her once again that he would never let her be harmed, but he knew better than anyone that he had not earned this privilege. However, he could still make things right. He could still repair the damage he’d caused.
    “I’d like you to come back with me,” Jennings invited the children. “I hope you will. I promise you that nothing like this will happen again.”
    The boys exchanged a look, and James nodded, his face anxious and hopeful.
    “We thank you, sir,” Thomas said. “And again, I’m sorry we left and didn’t speak with you first.”
    “I know why you did it, Thomas, and you need not apologize again.”
    In the minutes that followed, the children’s bags were loaded onto Jennings’ horse so the four of them could walk unimpeded.
    “Can you walk all the way, Penny? Can you make it?” Jennings asked.
    She looked uncertain, so Thomas tried.
    “You can walk, can’t you, Penny?”
    “I have to be excused,” she whispered in embarrassment, and Thomas took her away as a matter of course.
    Waiting with James, Jennings decided to hail a coach even as he was reminded how far in over his head he was with children in general, and especially with this little girl. Nevertheless, he would shirk his responsibility no longer. He would return to Aydon, deal with Mrs Smith, and then figure out how to be a proper guardian to these children— all three of them.
    What Jennings didn’t count on was Mrs Smith knowing just why the children had run. By the time the children and Jennings walked into the house on Rumney Street, that lady had departed with bag and baggage.

Chapter Four

    “Send for a constable,” Jennings told Bates grimly, not at all happy with this latest turn of events. If he’d been determined to have the children answer for their departure, he was nearly mad with resolve to have Mrs Smith explain her actions. “And since no one saw her departure, check the rooms for missing valuables.”
    “Right away, sir. Do you wish for me to ask Megan to see to the children?”
    Because the children were not with him at the moment and he’d already spelled out in detail the morning’s events, he now spoke plainly to the man who had been his faithful servant for more years than he could remember.
    “Bates, is the staff kind to the children?”
    “Yes, sir,” Bates said, not bothering to hide his surprise. “Extremely so.”
    “Do they tolerate them or enjoy them?”
    Bates smiled. “Even Cook cried when the children were discovered missing, sir.”
    “Good, good,” Jennings said softly. He knew he was going to need more help, but at least this was a start. He couldn’t overburden the staff with the care of the children along with their other duties, but something had been working before Mrs Smith arrived, and he must find out what it was. At least he assumed it was working, as the children had given no indication of fleeing.
    A moment of