Page 83 of Miss Ashbury and the Anatomy of Mending a Heart

“I’m taking her upstairs,” Vera announced, swooping the blinking girl into her arms. “Say good night to everyone, Anne.”

Anne simply yawned and stared blearily at them as Stephen and Benjamin offered their good nights.

After they left, Stephen turned to his brother. “Benjamin, I need to ask you something.”

“About Anne?” He sounded resigned, his lips twisted to the side.

Stephen nodded. “About Anne. What would you think about her living with us?”

He frowned and plucked at his pajamas. “I guess that’s fine.”

“You don’t sound very sincere.”

“I just… Does this mean that I have to leave right away?”

“Leave?” Stephen frowned. “Where would you go?”

“To school. Reginald Stuart’s parents sent him away to school when his sister was born.”

“Reginald Stuart was ill-behaved at seven, and he must now be thirteen. Tell me—did time improve him at all, in my absence?”

“Last year he trampled all the washing into the mud when he didn’t get a new horse for his birthday.” The boy’s eyes went wide with the shock of it.

Stephen smiled. “You see? I bet his parents were counting down the days until Eton would take him off their hands. Besides, you’ll go to school when you’re ready, and not a moment before. Aren’t you looking forward to school, someday?”

He shrugged. “Not really. I won’t know anyone there.”

“What about Arthur? Certainly he’ll go, when he’s old enough. You’re nearly the same age—perhaps you’ll go together.”

Benjamin’s eyebrows rose. “Do you think so?”

“Yes, but that’s still years off, yet. Tell me—what do you think of having Anne join our family?”

“She would be my sister?”

If Stephen adopted Anne, she’d actually be the boy’s niece, but Stephen thought it best to keep things as simple as possible for the sake of this conversation.

“For all intents and purposes, yes. She would live here, be raised alongside you.”

Benjamin thought for a moment. “I suppose that would be fine. I won’t have to share too much with her, because she’s a girl.”

“Probably not. But you will have to watch over her sometimes, and teach her things, because she’s younger than you.”

“I can teach her how to ride a horse.”

He nodded. “When she’s old enough.”

“And Mrs. Portence will bake her a special cake for her birthday, too.”

Stephen frowned. He didn’t even know the girl’s birthday. Mr. Douglas hadn’t known it, either. Just another thing he’d have to rectify.

“I’ll tell you what, Benjamin. Since we don’t know when Anne’s birthday is, I’ll let you choose it.”

“Really?” His eyes were round with the magnitude of the responsibility.

“When do you think it should be?”

Benjamin stared into the fire, stroking Miss Beet’s fur distractedly. The puppy had long since fallen asleep, her little jowls quivering with her dreams.