Page 11 of A Tenuous Betrothal
She swallowed, her mouth forcing the action. “Have you come all this way from the mines?”
They nodded. Nothing inside her seemed to be working any longer. Children so young should not be coming from the mines. They should not be covered in coal dust. They should not be without proper footwear. “I see.” She got down on one knee. “And where are the little one’s shoes?”
“He grew out of the last ones, and we’re waiting to be able to afford another pair. My older ones were mangled beyond wear, so he could not use them.” The boy shifted his weight so as to carry the child more comfortably on his back.
“Isn’t he a little young to be working the mines?” Perhaps she should report the situation to her uncle. Perhaps this wasn’t his doing and he would reenforce her father’s orders.
But Uncle might not even care.
“Teddy’s eight years old. He can work the mines now. Mr. Davies said so, miss.”
She tried to measure her breathing, but it came erratically anyway. He’d authorized eight-year-olds? She clutched at her stomach.
Prince Marc approached behind her, holding her shoulders and helping her stand. “Breathe.”
She shook her head, swallowing and pressing against her chest with her fist. “Eight. He’s eight years old. Uncle has sent this little one into the mines.” She started to turn away, her body wanting to crumble beneath her, but Prince Marc pulled her close.
The children were silent, and Rhi could no longer look at them. She’d always thought any children in the mines was a terrible idea, but Father had shown her how families begged for the chance to send them in, saying they had nowhere else to go while their families worked. Up until now, she had turned a blind eye. A terrible guilt added to the heaviness in her heart.
“What do I do?” She buried her head in the prince’s shoulder.
He gripped her shoulders again and held her away so he could look into her eyes. His were sincere, even caring. “We will fix this.” He studied her face, seeming to stare into her very soul, until she believed him.
She nodded. “How?”
“We have yet to draft any kind of agreement or submit contracts with instructions for the foreman. I’ll stipulate restrictions for the children.” He nodded. “We will fix this. If your uncle resists, we will do more.”
Her breathing slowed, and she dared another look at the innocence that stood before them. “I’m terribly sorry you have had to work in the mines. It’s not a good place for children.”
The eldest nudged the boy to his right, and they started edging away. “Thank you, miss.”
“Return to your homes. Care for one another.”
They hurried away, the youngest turning more than once to look at her.
She raised a hand and watched until they were out of sight. Then she turned back to Prince Marc, stood taller, and wiped her face. “All right, then. Let’s go back to my uncle.”
“I don’t know if that is the way.”
She raised her eyebrows.
“Perhaps we ought to see Aeron Thomas as planned.”
Her nod came slowly, and her smile grew. The daring, the pure gumption of going behind her uncle’s back was just the thing to lighten the gravity of the situation. “I like the way you think.”
A horse whinnied, and their brief moment of solitude on a rather full road came crumbling down around her, bringing the carriages and servants who were relying on her back into her awareness as their entourage caught up to them.
She and Prince Marc stepped back onto the road. “What do we do with all this?” She put her hands on her hips, studying the caravan that looked as though it belonged to a king. With a sudden awareness, she realized the man beside her was a prince. This was his life. Perhaps large escorts were a part of his daily existence.
The prince waved one of his servants over and then turned back to Rhi. “Why don’t we send them on to London. We’ll catch up as soon as we finish here.”
She turned away from the carriages, her mouth falling open. “We’re really doing this together?”
“We’re doing everything together until we get this whole thing sorted out.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “You are my almost-betrothed, after all.”
Her mouth wiggled, a smile tugging to follow his example, and a strange warmth filled her. “I am, aren’t I?” Then she laughed. “I like this almost-betrothed situation I’m in.”
“Do you find it beneficial, then?”
