Sari Robins - [Andersen Hall Orphanage 05] Read Online Free PDF

grandchildren’s noses?”
    “You’re hardly fit!”
    “You’re the one who asked for my help!”
    “I had little enough choice! My children are dead! Dead! First Deidre and now Robert and Emily…” Benbrook shook like a wet dog, and then suddenly his face fell and he collapsed into the chair like a deflated balloon. “They’re all dead!” Wiping his meaty hand across his eyes, he sobbed. “Dead…”
    Exhaling, Steele stood and walked over to the open window, giving Benbrook the pretense of privacy. With his back to his father-in-law, he found that he had no words of comfort for this man. But Steele felt for him nonetheless. Steele knew a thing or two about loss. He understood the overwhelming grief that shattered your soul and made waking each day a nightmare. Benbrook was living in his, and only the grandchildren in need of his help were keeping him going at the moment.
    As if called forth, a shout reverberated from the garden below.
    Steele leaned out, catching the heady scent of roses. His garden was an untamed mess, as he’d given it little care since acquiring this house two years ago. This was the first time that he’d noticed that he seemed to have an abundance of rose blossoms.
    The younger son, Seth was his name, was five years old. He sat with his legs spread out before him in a V as he dug into the dirt with a stick.
    The older lad, Felix, stood nearby, chucking stones at an orange cat racing along the far wall. The boy was tall for his age and had a strong arm. A stone just barely missed the feline, cracking loudly against the brick wall. The cat shrieked and changed direction.
    Steele was about to shout out the window for the lad to stop, but suddenly a lady in navy skirts and golden hair came into view. She moved with graceful alacrity toward the boys. Felix would be as tall as she within a few years, Steele realized, and he wondered how Miss West was going to handle her first situation as governess.
    Miss West spoke to the boys for a moment, and neither of them seemed to respond.
    Steele frowned. These lads needed a strong hand. Was Miss West too meek to be effective? What had Sir Lee been thinking?
    Miss West turned and moved with purpose toward a bramble pile. Reaching down, she lifted a long stick from the heap, swung around, and pointed it toward Felix. She raised her other hand behind her and cried, “En garde!”
    Felix started and turned.
    Seth looked up, smiled, and then stood, shaking the dirt out of his breeches.
    “En garde!” Miss West pranced forward, slashing her stick through the air like a sword.
    Benbrook came up next to Steele, his face blotchy and swollen. “Felix! He’ll be hurt! We must stop this at once!”
    Steele held up his hand. “No, wait and see.”
    Squaring his shoulders, Felix stepped over to the bramble pile and selected his own stick.
    Seth hopped about like an excited bunny.
    Felix squatted, and with one arm held high behind him and the branch pointed directly at Miss West’s heart, he lunged.
    Miss West smacked his branch with hers and then skipped out of harm’s way.
    Felix charged after her, his stick thrust forward and swinging.
    She neatly swept aside his stick and swirled, like a dancer at a ball with her skirts twirling around her.
    Seth squeaked with delight, waving his own little stick in the air.
    Thwarted, Felix stomped his foot in frustration. But to his credit, instead of throwing a tantrum, he raised his sword once more. “En garde!”
    With a mischievous grin, Miss West raised her sword.
    The combatants circled each other.
    Felix’s face was twisted with determination.
    Miss West’s cheeks glowed pink, and she was beaming with delight. Steele realized that he’d been right; when she wasn’t so starched, she was lovely to behold.
    Felix charged.
    Miss West brilliantly swept him aside. “Ha!”
    The clank of the combatants’ skirmishing sticks echoed through the garden. They parried and pranced like dancers at a soirée, meeting then