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Robert winked at her. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be the best anymore, now would it?”
It took a moment for Amelie to process what he had said, but then she began giggling. She ran over to Anne and hugged her tightly around the legs, still smiling at Robert.
“Who are you, anyway?” Andre asked, getting straight to the point. “And how do you know about the best hiding spot in our house?”
Robert chuckled. Andre not only looked an awful lot like George, but he sounded like him, too. George was a no-nonsense kind of man; if anyone was trying to pull a fast one on him, he discovered it very quickly through his pointed questions.
“My name is Freddie,” Robert introduced himself for the second time with his fake name, except this time it felt far worse. He did not enjoy lying to his nieces and nephew, but he knew that was the only way he could guarantee none of them giving up his secret. “I’m the new property manager of this estate as well as the houses that your father is in charge of in London.”
Andre gave Robert a once over, looking skeptical all the while. When he finally decided that what he’d said was acceptable, he nodded curtly and bowed to Robert.
“I am Andre Graham, and although I am just nine years old, I consider myself to be the head of this household. I know about everything that goes on within the house, and all decisions must go through me before being approved by my father.”
Upon hearing this, Anne chuckled quietly and said, “Now Andre, is that really something that we should be telling someone who just moved into our household? Is that the truth?”
Andre began blushing immediately, and for a moment, Robert felt bad for him. But he knew that what Anne was doing was correct; Andre needed to learn to tell the truth right from the very beginning.
“All right, all right. I am Andre Graham. I am nine years old, and no one takes me seriously!” With that, Andre threw up his hands and stormed out of the room angrily.
Anne immediately ran after him, saying, “Andre! Please come back; that is not what I meant by saying that.” She then turned back to the girls and said, “Come along, Margaret, Amelie, let us go and collect your brother before he storms off the grounds like he did the last time.”
Anne hurried from the room, and Margaret obediently followed after her without saying a word. Amelie, however, simply stood there looking expectantly at Robert.
“Well, Freddie? Are you joining us or not?”
Robert was unsure what to say, but it seemed to him that Amelie was not going to leave the room until he did, and so he replied, “Naturally. You lead the way, Miss Graham.”
Amelie frowned at him. “I know that you are new in this house, but I’m obviously the younger sister, and so I am not Miss Graham; I am Miss Amelie.”
“Oh, I do apologize; thank you for correcting me, Miss Amelie,” Robert said apologetically. “After you.”
Amelie gave Robert the same curt nod that her brother had given him and then marched out of the room. Robert thought that his heart might explode from the absolutely adorable re-introduction that he’d been given to his nieces and nephew, but he did his best to put that feeling aside as he followed Amelie down the hallway.
