Page 9 of Summer Storms

“Christine!”

Young Nigel’s loud voice made her jump. He had followed her down the stairs, his big blue eyes filled with worry. Wasn’t Molly supposed to be looking after him? Well, no doubt Molly had enough to do already, so she found one of Nigel’s puzzles and settled him down on the sitting room floor, and together they began to work on it.

Rosina and Arnold, the next youngest children before Nigel, must be about somewhere. Perhaps they were helping Molly, or hiding from her. Lady Meg had thought her family complete when Nigel had arrived, to her surprise and delight. Consequently, he was quite spoilt, but he was a sweetheart and everyone loved him. However, it also meant there was quite an age gap between Nigel and Arnold, and so the young boy often found himself left out.

Nigel was chattering away, asking Christine all sorts of questions about her life in London, and she found herself promising to take him to one of the theatres to see her play. He looked so excited and happy that she wondered why on earth she had not done so sooner. Somehow, once she had her dream in reach, she had found herself forgetting everything that went before. Surely her family should be just as important as her career?

Christine paused with her hand over the puzzle, a piece clutched tight in her fingers. Was she really such a selfish person? Was it really so surprising if she was? All her life, she had wanted nothing more than to sing and act, and to escape Starling Hall for London. It had consumed her, and for much of her life she had thought of nothing else.

Perhaps it was time to recalibrate what was important in her life and what wasn’t. Because something was missing in her life, despite her success. She had been sensing it for some time now, like an ache in her heart, and it was only growing worse.

She and Nigel had just finished the puzzle when the door opened behind her. She looked up, expecting to see the coachman coming to fetch her, but instead there was Zek Nash.

“What are you doing here?” she asked before she could stop herself, and more rudely than she intended. “I thought you were at the Keep.” She silently cursed herself for slipping so easily back into old habits.

Zek smiled. Or rather, he smirked. He was taking in the scene before him: Christine kneeling on the floor with her little brother at her side. Amusement lit those eyes that she had decided were brown rather than black.

“Lady Meg sent me to collect you,” he explained slowly, as if she was as young as Nigel. “Her coachman has gone to fetch the doctor. I’m sure that is more important that returning to collect you, Miss Starling. Or is it?”

His questioning tone had been as rude as hers, and she no longer regretted her earlier attitude. She wanted to protest that she was not so selfish as to think such things, but then decided it wasn’t worth the bother.

“I’m sure they are all a little frantic right now,” she said, rising to her feet and shaking out her skirts.

“I want to see Abby,” Nigel cried as he jumped up. His gaze went from one to the other. “Can I come, Christine?” His lip began to wobble.

Oh no, she could not have Nigel crying! Christine bent closer, slipping her arm over his shoulders. “And so you will,” she reassured him. “Very soon. But right now she is busy.”

Nigel stared back at her. “Busy?” he echoed. “Is she out in the garden? Does the baby come from the garden? That is what Arnold says. That they grow in the vegetable patch. But then, why has she gotten so big, and everyone says the baby is inside her?”

Christine felt stumped by that, and was unprepared to give the boy a proper explanation. Thankfully, at that moment, Molly appeared behind Zek at the door.

“There you are, Nigel! I’ve been looking all over for you.” She came over and held out her hand. “Come on now. Look what I have been baking for you. Your favourite!”

Nigel noticed the biscuit in her other hand and gave a big smile of joy. Yet his gaze lingered back to Christine, waiting for her to answer his question.

Molly was ready for him. “If you don’t hurry to the kitchen, Arnold will eat the rest!”

Nigel vanished through the door.

“Let me know how Abby is faring as soon as you can,” Molly said, and reached out to give Christine a hug.

Christine found herself enjoying the brief moment of closeness. She realised she had missed Molly. She had missed everyone. Knowing that felt strange, and yet at the same time was a wonderful revelation.

“Well, that was a near thing,” Zek said to her as they made their way back to his coach. “For a moment, I was afraid you were about to tell poor Nigel far more than he was ready for.”

“Oh?” Christine said airily, the cloak warm around her. “Are you saying babies aren’t grown in vegetable gardens?”

He snorted a laugh. “You are not at all what I expected,” he said as he helped her into the coach.

She raised her eyebrows at him. “And what did you expect?”

But he didn’t answer, settling himself in his seat opposite as they moved off. Instead, he said, “Lady Meg is running everything at the Keep as if it’s a military operation.”

Christine laughed. “I suppose that is where Abby gets it from.”

“Not you, then?”

“Goodness, no. I am quite shatter-brained, or so I am told.”