A flash of pain swept his brother’s features. “You give yourself too little credit, brother. Perhaps you give the lady too little credit as well.”
Adrian waved a dismissive hand. “Spare me the lecture.”
With a sigh, Lucien pushed to his feet. “I’m glad to see you’re all right, Adrian. Do try to be more careful in the future.”
“Not bloody likely,” Adrian whispered after his brother had exited the room. “Not very likely at all.”
* * * *
VANESSA WOKE TO FINDsolemn blue eyes peering at her from mere inches away. As she stared into the little boy’s wary face, the events of the previous evening came rushing back to her.
Prometheus had truly been here, in her bedroom, and he’d left this poor child he’d stolen from who knew what godforsaken den of iniquity behind.
He’d kissed her...
Before her mind could dwell too much on that particular topic, she pushed to her elbows and gave the boy a bright smile. “Good morning.”
He continued to watch her but didn’t reply. His stillness unnerved her a bit. She wondered sadly if he thought she was yet one more person who planned to hurt him. What was he supposed to think, when he woke to find himself in bed with a stranger?
“It’s all right,” she told him gently. “Prometheus brought you to me last night. He was shot in the leg when he was helping you escape. He feared he wouldn’t be able to make it to the safe place he intended to take you, so he asked me to do it for him.” As she said the words, a little shimmer of happiness went through her. Why had Prometheus come to her? How had he known he could trust her? She was determined not to let him down.
“Can you tell me your name?” she asked softly. He bit his lip, then ducked his head, still unresponsive. She wondered if he was mute or if he just didn’t understand her. He had the wild, untamed beauty of a gypsy, with that curly dark hair, olive skin, and big blue eyes. With a sigh, she got out of bed and reached for her robe. Perhaps he’d feel more comfortable in the kitchen.
“My name is Vanessa,” she told him. “There’s a water closet down the hall if you need to use it. Then you can come find me in the kitchen, and we’ll see if I can find anything worth eating.”
He watched her for a moment longer, then slid out of bed and scampered down the hall. Not deaf then. And he obviously understood English. She tried not to be hurt that he chose not to speak to her. God only knew what he’d been through. Perhaps his silence was the only thing he felt he could control.
She wandered into the kitchen and perused her barren cupboards. She rarely ate at home, but she had picked up some sweet rolls last night from a street vendor. Not the best breakfast for a child, but she certainly hadn’t planned on having one in her home this morning. She stoked a fire in the kitchen hearth so that she could make some hot chocolate, deciding they might as well be truly decadent.
After a few moments, she became aware of a presence behind her and turned to find the boy in the kitchen doorway, watching her as though she might reach out and strike him at any moment. She noticed he stood on the balls of his little feet, his whole body poised for flight.
“There’s a sweet bun on the table.” She forced a lightness to her voice she was far from feeling. “If you want to get started, go ahead. I’m making us some hot chocolate.”
She turned her attention back to grating the chocolate and was pleased to see him inch forward in her peripheral vision.
“Prometheus wants me to take you to a place called Brookhaven,” she continued, as though they were actually having a conversation. “It’s an orphanage, but he assures me you’ll be very well taken care of there. You’ll never again have to do the things they made you do in that place he took you from.”
He pulled out a chair and gracefully climbed into the seat, reaching tentatively for the bun, which he then wolfed down so quickly it left her wondering how long it had been since he’d last eaten.
Casually, she reached into the basket and handed him another. “It got me thinking though... Is there somewhere else you’d rather go? Do you have a family? Do you know how we can reach them?”
Perhaps he’d been stolen from a lovely home, though she knew enough of the world to doubt it. There were plenty of people who’d think nothing of selling their child into this life. He most likely was the son of a prostitute and had never known anything else.
When she met his unblinking gaze, he gave one emphatic shake of his head.
“No family,” she murmured, to let him know she’d understood. Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked them hastily away. “That’s all right, sweetheart. I promise I’ll make sure this is a good place before I leave you there.”
* * * *
VANESSA HAD RARELYenjoyed an afternoon as much as she enjoyed the one she spent taking the boy to Brookhaven. She hired a hack, but they stopped to get sweets and a meat pie and ate them on the way. She kept up a running stream of banter with the child, and he warmed her heart by smiling shyly at her a few times, though he still hadn’t spoken. She sensed he was still wary but cautiously optimistic that she didn’t intend to hurt him. The resiliency of youth was quite amazing.
After nearly an hour in the hack, they pulled up in front of a huge, rambling white house with a wide expanse of green lawn. A dozen or more children played outside, and several matronly women watched over them.
Vanessa released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She’d feared Brookhaven would be something quite different, but she supposed she should have known Prometheus would not rescue these children from one hell, only to consign them to another.
“This ’ere’s Brookhaven, miss,” the hack driver informed her. “Will you be wantin’ me to wait?”
“Yes, please,” she told him. “I shouldn’t be long.”
