Chapter 10 #3
“I do not know, Your Grace; she wanders a lot and recently has been found in that same closet time and time again.” Hector heard the sadness in his housekeeper’s voice.
He closed his eyes briefly. “She hides in the closet.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“It is not suitable for a duke’s niece. It is too cold and bare.” He spoke as an idea started to form.
Hector opened his eyes as the baby began to drift, her smile went soft and shapeless as her eyes closed.
“She is asleep, Mrs. Patterson.”
The housekeeper was at his side at once, taking the baby out of his arms reluctantly and running to the nursery to lay her down.
Hector stood up when she returned. “Show me the closet. Bring a lantern.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
He looked down at his empty arms as they walked. The absence of the baby’s warmth was immediate. Hector had passed Aurora’s hiding place without interest for years. It had likely held some books once, but now it was filled with his father’s old coats.
Mrs. Patterson opened the door and held the lantern toward it.
Hector stood close enough to understand the shape.
“It is narrow but deep enough for a child to sit inside and believe herself disappeared.” He thought out loud.
The air smelled faintly of wood, dust, and old fabric. His cane found the threshold. Inside, the floor was bare.
“She goes in there?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“And no one stopped her?”
“She was not harming herself. But she will be stopped as per the duchess’s order, Your Grace.” Mrs. Patterson looked ashamed that they failed to keep Aurora out of the closet.
He could hear the defense of the duchess in the housekeeper’s voice too.
Good. The child needed defenders, and his wife collected them effortlessly, it seemed.
“Let the child do as she pleases, but she should not have to sit on the floor,” he said after a while.
“But, Your Grace, the Duchess was most unpleased by this incident—”
“I will speak to her. Can a lamp be placed safely in here?” he looked around the closet.
“For a child of four? I would not advise it.”
“Then something else. Not flame.”
“We might leave the door eased open.”
“She chooses it because it closes.”
“Yes.”
Hector stepped back and considered. Sight would have helped.
He wanted to see the dimensions, the shelves, and the corners.
Instead, he touched the doorframe, then the inner wall, measuring with his hands while Mrs. Patterson remained silent.
The wood was smooth enough in places, rough in others.
A child could catch skin on one unfinished edge.
He ran his thumb along it and felt a splinter lift.
“That must be sanded,” he said.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Choose someone carefully to do this. Place a lamp at a far distance; perhaps he would have to break through the wall behind it.”
“I will see to it.”
Hector crouched, touching the floor. “And when he is done, get the maids to add some cushions, a blanket, and dolls for Aurora.”
“Of course, Your Grace.” Mrs. Patterson did not realize that she was grinning; her excitement for Aurora touched him.
The children seemed to be bringing joy to everyone in the dukedom.
He pictured Aurora curled inside, knees drawn up as she enjoyed her own private space. Hector understood that side of her; he craved his space as well.
Perhaps she got that from me.
“And—” he stopped, irritated by his own uncertainty. “What do children keep?”
“Treasures.”
“What kind?”
“Whatever adults fail to value.”
That answer was so precise he almost laughed. “Then leave room for treasures.”
“We can place a small box for all her toys, Your Grace.” The housekeeper beamed.
“All right. But nothing with a heavy lid.” He added, and she nodded.
He touched the inside wall again. The closet was not much. But it could be made less bare and cold.
If Aurora needed to hide, then by God she would hide somewhere warm.
“We will do it tomorrow,” he continued. “She may be upset for a while as it is prepared, but it will be worth it.”
Mrs. Patterson hesitated. “The duchess may wish to be consulted, Your Grace.”
He recognized the tone of her voice as her trying to advise him.
Hector sighed. “If the duchess is consulted, Aurora will know before it is done,” he said. “Then it becomes a matter of persuasion. She will think we wish something from her.”
“I am certain the duchess would understand that it is a secret and a sweet surprise for the child.” The elderly woman spoke calmly and assuredly.
The words struck because they were true.
“No,” he said. “This will make Aurora smile, and I do not wish to ruin the surprise.”
Mrs. Patterson inclined her head, and he knew that she saw right through him. “Then we shall make it ready for her as soon as possible.”
He wanted it to be done before the child awoke, but that was not possible.
God, do not let her hate me more.
Hector shut the closet doors with his cane and turned toward the housekeeper.
“Mrs. Patterson,” he addressed her sternly.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“You will tell no one about this,” he ordered.
Mrs. Patterson looked unsure at first, but then she slowly nodded in agreement. “I will not tell anyone, Your Grace.”