The Lightkeeper's Bride Read Online Free PDF Page B

her uncle!”
    “Look at her, Miss Katie.” The constable gestured to the baby in her arms. “Don’t you see a family resemblance?” He fixed a stare on the lightkeeper. “I’m assigning temporary guardianship to you, and if your brother cares to, he can apply for permanent custody as her father if Eliza doesn’t turn up.”
    Shaking her head, Miss Russell pressed her lips together, then her head came up and she stepped toward the door. “If there’s anything I can do to help with the baby, please do let me know. Just toggle the phone for Central and ask for me.”
    Will watched her and her friend move toward the door with the constable on their heels. He tried to quell the rising panic. She was right. He didn’t have the foggiest notion of how to care for a baby. “Wait,” he said. “If you could help me figure out what to take to the lighthouse for the baby, I’d be grateful.”
    She stared at him a moment and then turned toward the stairs. “Let’s see what we can find, shall we?”
    Will followed Miss Russell’s swaying skirt up the steps and prayed he hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of his life.
    h
    Katie found a small bag in the closet and began to pack some of the tiny gowns she found in a chifforobe. Mr. Jesperson set the baby on the floor and moved to join her. “Let me make it clear I don’t trust you,” she told him. “Not one bit. Who is going to care for her? You’ll have duties to attend to.” When he didn’t answer her but continued to layer the suitcase with clothing, she wanted to throw something.
    The new lightkeeper glanced at the sleeping baby on the floor.
    “What did you hear on the telephone that made you rush here?”
    The impersonal tone in his voice reminded her of the constable’s.
    Dispassionate, analytical. “Who is going to care for that baby?” she asked, ignoring his question. “She needs a bath. The urine will irritate her skin. And she might still be nursing. What will you feed her?
    She can’t live on toast.”
    To her relief, a touch of uncertainty twisted his mouth and he abandoned his persistent questions. “Perhaps you could give me some advice. I’ve never cared for a baby before.”
    “Then why did you insist on taking responsibility?” she asked.
    He lifted a brow. “You want to believe it’s because I did away with Miss Bulmer, but nothing could be further from the truth, Miss Russell.
    My brother admitted to a relationship with the woman just this afternoon. Then I arrived here and actually saw the child. She favors my brother a great deal.”
    “I want to believe you,” she said. “Otherwise, I don’t know how I can stand back and let you take this darling child.”
    “I don’t see how it’s your choice. The constable has already made his decision.”
    She bristled at the finality of his tone, even though what he said was quite true. “I shall draw a bath for Jennie in the kitchen sink. You can finish the packing.”
    “I thought we had everything.”
    “I’d suggest you poke through the kitchen and see if you can discover any pap feeders or a banana bottle. That will tell us what she’s been eating. If you find none, you will need to purchase some. Some pap too.”
    The glance he cast toward the baby held doubt. “Pap feeder?
    Banana bottle? What do they look like?”
    She sighed. “You really are a complete neophyte at this, are you not? Take the suitcase and come along. I shall look myself.” She scooped up the little one and carried her down the steps. “Hello there, sweet girl,” she said, smoothing the curls back from the baby’s face.
    Jennie struggled and Katie put her against her shoulder. “Ma-ma?” Jennie asked.
    Katie patted the baby’s back. “Mama isn’t here right now. We’re going to have a bath. Do you like your bath?” She reached the dry sink. Addie was on the telephone with her husband, John. Katie stopped the drain and pumped water into it. “Could you bring me some hot water from the