Chapter 5
“He understands more than you think,” Molly said sagely. “That Noah is a smart young man.”
“I can tell.” Violet sat perched on a stool in the kitchen, sipping a cup of tea that her aunt’s former lady’s maid had insisted on preparing for her. “I can tell he knows what’s going on. I just wish I knew how to make him see that I’m on his side.”
“Well, I think he knows that you’re going to be his new guardian.” Molly hesitated. “Or that he duke is. He’s not too taken with either choice.”
“You would think that he’d be able to see one option is much better than the other,” Violet said sadly. “I want to care for him, and I don’t think the duke has much interest in him one way or the other.”
“Well, he was very close with Lady Westlake,” Molly murmured. “He isn’t fond of you being in her house.”
“He made that much very clear.”
“And I doubt he’s excited about being under someone else’s guardianship either,” Molly went on. “I can see that you want to care for Noah. But to him, all that matters is that you aren’t Lady Westlake.”
“I suppose I can understand that,” Violet allowed. “I’m just going to have to find a way to make him see that I’m on his side, that’s all. He needs to know that he can count on me.”
“It would be wonderful for him to find a bit of trust in you,” Molly agreed.
She sprinkled flour on the counter and began to pound the dough for the bread she was making.
Violet watched, feeling vaguely envious.
It must be good to be able to take out whatever frustrations you were feeling on something that couldn’t be harmed by it.
If she’d been able to punch that dough, she thought, she would have been imagining the smug smile on the duke’s face…
She dismissed that thought. He was irritating, to be sure, but that didn’t mean it would do to resort to thoughts of violence.
She would find a way to settle her affairs with him.
Likely as not, he would be gone very soon, and in the meantime, the most important thing to do would be to make Noah happy and comfortable in his new circumstances.
To do that successfully, she would need to learn more about him. “What can you tell me about Noah? About how he came to be here with my aunt?”
Molly sighed. “It happened three years ago,” she said.
“The boy just arrived one day on Lady Westlake’s doorstep.
None of us knew what to expect. Of course, we thought she was going to call the authorities.
I think Noah thought so too, because he tried to run—it was Williams who detained him.
Once we brought him into the house, we saw the state he was in. ”
“What state was he in?” Violet’s brow furrowed.
“Well, it was clear he had been mistreated,” Molly said quietly.
“You think he’s skinny now…you should have seen him then.
We were sure he was a street urchin, because no child who came from a loving family ever looked like that.
Lady Westlake sent him for a bath, and the man who helped him reported back that he had bruises on his arms and legs.
I think that was when Lady Westlake decided that she was going to keep him, that he had been through enough hard times and she wasn’t willing to allow him to suffer any more. ”
“My aunt has always been a very kind woman,” Violet murmured. “She was the person I turned to most often in childhood, so it’s very easy to imagine another child trusting her in the same way. But to think of that poor boy suffering like that…” She shook her head. “I can hardly bear it.”
“You have your aunt’s tender heart,” Molly said gently.
“I suppose I do. I’d like to do something to make it all right, though…who were the boy’s parents?” Violet asked. “Are they still alive? Have they ever been found?”
“No, I don’t think anyone knows anything about that,” Molly said.
“I did speak to Lady Westlake about it once, long ago. She was thinking aloud while I did her hair for her, about whether she ought to try to find his mother and father, but she decided not to in the end. After all, as she told herself, if they were the ones responsible for the harm that had come to him…”
“Then it would be a terrible idea to let them discover where he was,” Violet said. “I quite agree. They would probably try to take him back, and the law might well be on their side in that.”
“As far as I am aware, the boy has never asked to be reunited with his family,” Molly said.
“I think if he had ever indicated that that was something he wanted, Lady Westlake would have attempted to make it happen. She would have done anything for that child. But since he didn’t want it, there was no reason to question the matter. ”
“Still, it does feel like something we ought to know, since we’re keeping him here,” Violet murmured.
“After all, how are we to protect him if we don’t know who we are protecting him from?
If his parents are so dreadful then I think it’s important that we try to understand who they are.
It’s the best way to keep him safe…but I don’t know where I would begin to answer a question like that one.
If he was found three years ago, as you say, he would have been very young.
He might not even know the answer himself. ”
“That’s true,” Molly agreed. “And even if he does know, he has never shown any willingness to talk about it.”
“Perhaps the past is best left in the past, then,” Violet mused. “Perhaps the thing to do—at least for now—is to focus on the present. On what I can do for him in the here and now. What more can you tell me about him?”
“What would you like to know?”
“What is he like?” she asked. “What are his interests? If I’m going to make him feel safe and comfortable with me—if we are going to be friends—I’ll need to find a way to connect with him, and maybe you could help me find the best place to start.”
Molly nodded. “I can help you there,” she agreed.
“He’s really a very fun-loving, cheerful child at the end of the day.
He likes to spend time with me here in the kitchen.
That’s something he’s taken to doing since Lady Westlake’s death.
He says he knows that he and I are both in new positions, now that the household is changing, and that we ought to manage that by sticking together. ”
“He really is a very clever boy,” Violet mused. “To notice such a thing…tell me, Molly, are you happy in the kitchen? I hate to think of anyone forced into a role they don’t enjoy because of the way this household is changing.”
“You don’t need to worry about that at all,” Molly assured her.
“I’m more than happy to take on this role.
When I was growing up, I was the cook in my family’s household.
I was hired to be a lady’s maid, and I loved serving Lady Westlake, but now that things are changing, I’m excited about the opportunity it affords me and very happy to be in a new role. ”
“All right.” Violet smiled.
“I must say, Noah is lucky to have you as a new guardian, though,” Molly said, returning her smile. “To know that you are so invested in what makes the people around you happy is a lovely thing.”
“It’s very important to me,” Violet said. “I want to have a positive impact on this household. I want people to be glad that I’ve come to live here.” She sipped her tea. “So Noah likes to spend time with you in the kitchen—what else? How can I best reach out to him?”
Molly laughed. “Well, he loves his pranks,” she said. “He’s so clever, as you mentioned, but he finds ways to use that to his advantage, to play jokes on people.”
“What kind of jokes?”
“Just a few weeks ago, for instance, he got in here while I wasn’t looking and hid all the slotted spoons,” she chuckled. “You should have seen my face when I tried to find one and discovered they were missing! He’s so mischievous.”
“That must have frustrated you.” Violet was unable to suppress a chuckle. “He does things like that often, then?”
“Quite often. It’s what he likes best. But he also loves animals, and to play outside and run around—he’s a very typical little boy in many ways.
I think it’s wonderful to see how much joy he takes in little things, given how much struggle he has already faced in his short life. It’s a pleasure to see him play.”
“What does he do for play when he isn’t carrying out practical jokes?” That might be a bit of an unfortunate habit to encourage, she thought, even though it was good to know that he had something he liked to do.
“He’s curious about animals,” Molly mused. “I’ve seen him lying outside and watching them, waiting to see if one will come close enough to touch.”
“Perhaps a pet would be a good idea,” Violet suggested. “If it would make him happy to have an animal in his life, I would be willing to add a creature to the household.”
“Do you think the duke would be as obliging?” Molly wondered.
“It might not be up to him. I know he thinks this house is his just as much as it is mine, Molly, but I fully intend to correct that notion at the earliest possible opportunity. And maybe the best way to do that would be to introduce a new member to the household without asking his permission first, so he has the opportunity to experience firsthand the fact that no one cares for his opinion. Maybe it would even encourage him to leave if he saw that there was an animal here that he didn’t like.
” She couldn’t help smiling at the thought.
“It might be the easiest and most straightforward way to get rid of the man.”
Molly said nothing. Her attention became very focused on her bread dough.
“Have I said something wrong?” Violet asked.
“Nothing wrong, Lady Violet,” Molly assured her.
“It’s just that…well, you must understand, we’re all—the staff, that is to say—we’re concerned about how things might turn out.
We don’t know who will end up with the ownership of this place, and until that’s known, we’re all hesitant to… ” She trailed off.
“You don’t want to take a side,” Violet realized.
Molly blushed. “Please understand, Lady Violet, it isn’t for any lack of fondness for you on anyone’s part.”
“No, say no more,” Violet assured her. “I do understand, Molly, and I don’t want to put any members of the household—of my household—in an uncomfortable position.
You mustn’t feel obliged to say anything that you feel favors my claim over the duke’s.
Those matters are for the two of us to resolve, and we will do so as quickly as possible.
In the meantime, I know that you must serve both of us.
I take no exception to it, as long as you don’t mind my speaking freely in front of you.
I promise that I don’t expect a response. ”
Molly’s expression cleared. “That’s quite all right, in that case,” she assured Violet. “This is your house, whoever else’s house it may or may not be—of course you should be free to say anything you’d like.”
Violet nodded her thanks, but deep down, she was perturbed.
Molly’s position made perfect sense, and it didn’t bother her.
Not really. But at the same time…how was she supposed to settle into this new home, this new life, when at every turn she was reminded of the presence of someone who was trying to take it all away from her?