money.
Personally, I thought your arm was broken…. Then there was a bit of
a scuffle because your friends wanted to take you home with them
and I wanted to bring you back here, for I should never have
forgiven myself if you had not been mended well. And though your
friends were kind and well-meaning…” She paused, embarrassed. “I’m
not sure they could have afforded the doctors which we could.”
Isabella
smiled.
“No, probably
not.”
“So,” the girl
continued, “we brought you back here by carriage. Two doctors
attended to your arm and my maid changed you. You did not stir once
and I was terribly worried, but my doctor said this was normal for
someone who’d been living a…” Here she paused again. “Living a
difficult life on the streets….”
Isabella
coloured.
“I don’t live
on the streets. I do have a home. It might not be as grand as this,
but it’s still a home.”
Now it was the
girl’s turn to go pink.
“Oh no I’m so
sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. Of course you have a home. I
didn’t mean to presume, it’s just you are quite thin and, er,
grubby and we all just assumed….”
“Well don’t,”
snapped Isabella. Who did this girl think she was? So what if she
did live on the street? What had it to do with this girl who
clearly had never gone hungry in her life?
The girl hung
her head.
“Sorry.”
Isabella looked at her suspiciously. “You’ve got good friends too,”
the girl continued quickly. “They put up a real fight when were
putting you in the carriage. The little one broke one of my guard’s
boots by kicking it.” Isabella smothered a grin. “I promised them I
would return you, good as new, when your arm had been seen to. The
older boy said he’d be back this afternoon to check you were all
right.”
Isabella
frowned.
“Did I sleep
all night long?”
The girl
nodded.
“I had someone
bring you some breakfast in case you woke and I checked on you last
night, but you were fast asleep. You must have been more tired than
you realised.”
“No wonder I
was so hungry,” Isabella gestured toward the table, “the scones
were delicious. Thank you.”
The girl
looked pleased, her embarrassment evaporating.
“Oh good, I’m
so glad.”
To Isabella,
the girl’s face looked as if she actually were, and Isabella found
herself warming to her. She walked over to the bookcase and took
down the book from earlier.
“And this, is
this yours?”
The girl came
and stood at her shoulder, and Isabella caught the scent of
roses.
“Yes. My
father gave it to me years ago.”
“So your name
is Alix?”
“Yes. My full
name is Alixandrina Hanover, but it’s such a mouthful everyone just
calls me Alix. Your name is Isabella isn’t it? The older boy told
me.” She went pink again. “He’s quite handsome isn’t he?” Now
Isabella threw back her head and laughed, and it was Alix’s turn to
look cross. “Well he is. You’d have to have a white stick to think
he wasn’t.”
“I’ll tell him
you said so,” said Isabella.
“Oh no please
don’t,” Alix looked horrified.
Isabella
smiled.
“All right, I
won’t. It would only make his big head even bigger than it already
is.”
“Is he your
brother?”
“No, but to me
he is family.”
“And the
little boy and girl?”
“The same
really. We live together.” Isabella chose not to say anymore. She
didn’t want to risk telling someone of the location of their den
and all their stolen loot.
“With your
parents?”
“No. We are
orphans, so we take care of each other. That’s why they gave your
soldiers such a hard time. They will be worried about me, in the
same way I would be worried about them if our positions were
reversed.”
Alix face
softened.
“I’m sorry.
Isabella is such a grand name… for someone who has to live by
themselves.”
Isabella
smiled.
“According to
my father my grandmother loved posh names and made my mother
promise if I were a girl, I would be named
Personally, I thought your arm was broken…. Then there was a bit of
a scuffle because your friends wanted to take you home with them
and I wanted to bring you back here, for I should never have
forgiven myself if you had not been mended well. And though your
friends were kind and well-meaning…” She paused, embarrassed. “I’m
not sure they could have afforded the doctors which we could.”
Isabella
smiled.
“No, probably
not.”
“So,” the girl
continued, “we brought you back here by carriage. Two doctors
attended to your arm and my maid changed you. You did not stir once
and I was terribly worried, but my doctor said this was normal for
someone who’d been living a…” Here she paused again. “Living a
difficult life on the streets….”
Isabella
coloured.
“I don’t live
on the streets. I do have a home. It might not be as grand as this,
but it’s still a home.”
Now it was the
girl’s turn to go pink.
“Oh no I’m so
sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. Of course you have a home. I
didn’t mean to presume, it’s just you are quite thin and, er,
grubby and we all just assumed….”
“Well don’t,”
snapped Isabella. Who did this girl think she was? So what if she
did live on the street? What had it to do with this girl who
clearly had never gone hungry in her life?
The girl hung
her head.
“Sorry.”
Isabella looked at her suspiciously. “You’ve got good friends too,”
the girl continued quickly. “They put up a real fight when were
putting you in the carriage. The little one broke one of my guard’s
boots by kicking it.” Isabella smothered a grin. “I promised them I
would return you, good as new, when your arm had been seen to. The
older boy said he’d be back this afternoon to check you were all
right.”
Isabella
frowned.
“Did I sleep
all night long?”
The girl
nodded.
“I had someone
bring you some breakfast in case you woke and I checked on you last
night, but you were fast asleep. You must have been more tired than
you realised.”
“No wonder I
was so hungry,” Isabella gestured toward the table, “the scones
were delicious. Thank you.”
The girl
looked pleased, her embarrassment evaporating.
“Oh good, I’m
so glad.”
To Isabella,
the girl’s face looked as if she actually were, and Isabella found
herself warming to her. She walked over to the bookcase and took
down the book from earlier.
“And this, is
this yours?”
The girl came
and stood at her shoulder, and Isabella caught the scent of
roses.
“Yes. My
father gave it to me years ago.”
“So your name
is Alix?”
“Yes. My full
name is Alixandrina Hanover, but it’s such a mouthful everyone just
calls me Alix. Your name is Isabella isn’t it? The older boy told
me.” She went pink again. “He’s quite handsome isn’t he?” Now
Isabella threw back her head and laughed, and it was Alix’s turn to
look cross. “Well he is. You’d have to have a white stick to think
he wasn’t.”
“I’ll tell him
you said so,” said Isabella.
“Oh no please
don’t,” Alix looked horrified.
Isabella
smiled.
“All right, I
won’t. It would only make his big head even bigger than it already
is.”
“Is he your
brother?”
“No, but to me
he is family.”
“And the
little boy and girl?”
“The same
really. We live together.” Isabella chose not to say anymore. She
didn’t want to risk telling someone of the location of their den
and all their stolen loot.
“With your
parents?”
“No. We are
orphans, so we take care of each other. That’s why they gave your
soldiers such a hard time. They will be worried about me, in the
same way I would be worried about them if our positions were
reversed.”
Alix face
softened.
“I’m sorry.
Isabella is such a grand name… for someone who has to live by
themselves.”
Isabella
smiled.
“According to
my father my grandmother loved posh names and made my mother
promise if I were a girl, I would be named
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