The Sentimental Soldier by April Kihlstrom

Author:April Kihlstrom [Kihlstrom, April]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Regency Romance
Publisher: Belgrave House
Published: 2000-01-10T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Prudence was just leaving her room to go down to dinner when she heard the noises. Giggling and shushing noises. Feet running in the hallway above. Intrigued, she began to climb up the stairs. Before she reached the next floor she was confronted by four faces that stared at her avidly. There were two boys and two girls, ranging in age, she guessed, from eight to two years old. The baby ought not to have been out of the nursery. But then none of them should have been out of the nursery at this hour of the day.

“Are you Uncle Harry’s wife?” the eldest boy asked.

Prudence nodded.

“We want to see him.”

She blinked. All four faces regarded her with grim determination. More than one lower lip trembled.

“Is he going to die?”

That was the girl, and impulsively Prudence swept her up into a hug. “No! Of course not!” she said, shocked that the child would think such a thing.

But they all did. She could see it in their faces. Without thinking about it, she sat down on the top step of the stairs so that they could crowd around her.

“Your Uncle Harry is going to be fine,” she said. “He’s been hurt and the surgeon says it will take time to heal. There may be some things he can never do, but he isn’t going to die.”

“Is he going to be crippled?”

Prudence took a deep breath. Clearly there was only one thing to do. Gathering up the youngest child in her arms and holding out her hand to the second youngest she said, “Why don’t I take you to see him and you can judge for yourself how serious his condition might be.”

The younger kids came readily but the eldest held back. “We’re not supposed to bother him,” he told her.

Her smile softened even more. “It’s all right,” she answered gently. “If anyone says you ought not to be there I shall say that I gave you direct orders to come and raise your uncle’s spirits, okay?”

“Will it?” the second oldest child, a girl, asked anxiously.

Prudence nodded. “I truly think it will.”

She couldn’t know that for sure, of course. Perhaps Harry found his nephews and nieces a confounded nuisance. She only knew that they were upset and worried and she was doing the one thing that might reassure them. And that, at the moment, was all that seemed to matter.

Of course, what seemed so simple upstairs became far more complicated when she reached the drawing room and found not only Harry, but Lord and Lady Darton there. At the sight of them, Lady Darton rose to her feet.

“You were supposed to stay upstairs, children. Uncle Harry isn’t well.”

“Oh, let them come see him,” Lord Darton countered carelessly. “I suppose they can do no harm if they spend just a few minutes with him.”

Prudence noted that Harry visibly braced himself and even looked a trifle pale as he stared at the children. What on earth was wrong with everyone? Instantly she made a decision.

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