Chapter Ten #2
Caleb's gaze drifted back to the ribbons. He'd searched through every one of them, turning each over in his hands until the shades of blue blurred together, while Noah searched for a memory.
Amy smiled at Maggie. "So we're looking for the ribbon your mama left you."
Maggie nodded hard enough to make a loose curl bounce against her cheek.
Amy looked toward Noah. "Would you do the honors?"
Noah walked to the dresser without a word. He looked into the drawer for only a heartbeat before reaching beneath a folded pinafore and lifting out the last ribbon Caleb had found.
"This one." Noah's fingers brushed across the satin before he handed it to Maggie. "Papa showed me where he put it."
Maggie accepted the ribbon with both hands, smoothing the worn fabric between her fingers before pressing it against Eloise’s dress. A small smile found its way to her face through her tears. "I've got Mama's."
Amy's smile matched Maggie's, quiet and warm, yet she left the moment of triumph to the children.
Caleb watched them, his thoughts settling into place with uncomfortable clarity.
He'd spent the last several minutes trying to solve the wrong problem.
Caleb had believed the answer depended on searching harder.
Amy hadn't searched at all. She'd listened first, and by helping the children remember their parents, she'd uncovered the answer.
The realization stayed with him as Maggie carefully folded the ribbon across Eloise's lap. If he wanted these children to trust him, hard work alone wouldn't be enough. He would have to learn the pieces of their family that lived in memories and stories.
Amy rose and brushed her skirt smooth before turning to Noah. "Meanwhile, I've spent the better part of the evening searching for Copper Bend's finest guard captain."
Noah frowned. "I ain't a captain."
"Oh?" She looked around the room with exaggerated concern. "Then the queen's castle is completely unprotected."
Maggie straightened at once. "I'm the queen!"
Amy gave a polite little curtsy. "Your Majesty, I thought as much."
Noah folded his arms, though curiosity had already crept into his expression. "There ain't any dragons around here."
Amy lowered her voice like she was sharing privileged information. "That's exactly what a dependable guard captain would say. If everyone knew where the dragons lived, they’d panic."
Caleb bit back a smile. He hadn't expected to find any part of this evening amusing, yet suddenly he was watching a make-believe story come into being like private play.
Noah nodded seriously. "I mean it."
"I know you do." Amy's smile softened. "That's why you're the fellow I'd trust. A good guard keeps watch long before anyone else thinks there's danger."
Noah tried to hide how pleased he looked at that, though the corners of his mouth had already started to betray him. Noah studied Amy with open suspicion, but Caleb could see the interest in his eyes growing. "What does a guard captain have to do?"
"Oh, the usual sort of heroic work." She folded her hands, looking as if she was considering a very serious matter. "Stand watch, protect the queen, and arrive for duty with clean hands."
Noah glanced at the washstand. "You mean wash."
"I do."
He wrinkled his nose. "Why?"
Amy leaned closer, lowering her voice as if sharing a royal secret. "Queens grow terribly unhappy when dirty fingerprints appear all over their castles."
Maggie brightened at once. "And having to look at dirty ears!"
Amy nodded gravely. "A kingdom can survive many hardships, but dirty ears test everyone's patience."
A reluctant smile tugged at Noah's mouth before he caught himself. Caleb recognized that look. Jonah had worn the very same expression whenever he wanted to laugh but felt too stubborn to surrender.
"I washed yesterday," Noah said, trying to sound unconvinced.
"I'm delighted to hear that." Amy smiled warmly. "That means you've already mastered the difficult part. But we must wash daily.”
His eyes narrowed. "And what if I don't?"
She tapped a finger against her chin, looking to the ceiling as she thought. "Well then, I suppose I'll have to promote somebody else."
Maggie thrust her hand into the air. "I'll do it."
Noah swung toward her. "You can't! You're the queen."
"Oh." Maggie slowly lowered her arm. "I'd forgotten."
"The kingdom would miss you terribly," Amy agreed. "Queens have far too much work to spend their days chasing dragons."
Noah glanced at Maggie, then at the washstand, before giving a reluctant shrug.
"Alright, alright, I'll wash." He marched toward it with his chin high, looking for all the world like a miniature guard beginning an important patrol instead of a boy on his way to wash his hands and face.
Maggie hurried after him, clutching her ribbon and Eloise as though both deserved real royal protection.
As the children left the room, Amy rearranged the ribbons in the drawer neatly.
Caleb watched her for a long moment before shaking his head. "How'd you do that?"
She glanced over her shoulder, her brow rising. "Do what?"
"Get them ready for bed without a single argument."
A smile touched her lips as she eased the drawer shut. "I listened to them."