Page 37 of In Love With the Wrong Highland Sister
“And that is exactly the way it should be,” her sister said with a satisfied smile.
* * *
Dinner was a very lively meal that night. It had been ages since a child had sat at the table, particularly one who was as animated and lively as William.
“I saw the castle!” he exclaimed, his voice muffled and almost incomprehensible as he shoved chunks of beef into his mouth, almost choking. “All those swords and bows and pikes!” He stopped to swallow, and James managed to speak.
“You asked me to take you to where the soldiers practice their fighting,” he said, “but I can see you are very tired, it is dark, and after dinner, you must bathe and go to bed.”
“Ugh! Why do I have to bathe?” William asked, screwing up his nose.
“Because you have been traveling, and you smell of horses,” Laria replied.
William looked at James for confirmation.
James nodded. “I told you so,” he said firmly. “Eat your dinner.”
Laria had half-expected him to argue, but instead, he returned to his meal and ate the rest of it with gusto. After he had sat back, replete, he yawned, and James leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Do you think he could be excused from bathing tonight?” he asked. “He can have a quick wash. He looks absolutely exhausted.”
Laria nodded and gave William the good news. “You may do without a bath just for tonight, but you must bathe in the morning.” She stood up. “Come, I will take you to your room.”
“Can James do it?” William asked, looking at him adoringly.
“Of course I can,” James answered, evidently surprised. He had never dealt with children before and was astonished that the little boy had singled him out.
“I am too tired to walk, though,” William announced wickedly, summoning up another yawn. “You will have to carry me over your shoulder.”
James gave a theatrical sigh. “If I must,” he groaned. “You are a little tyrant, Will. Do not become accustomed to this. Say goodnight.”
William waved goodnight to everyone, and James took him upstairs to his bedchamber. When they got to the door, however, William refused to go in.
“Can I sleep in your room, Jamie?” he begged. “I don’t want to be on my own tonight. Sometimes I have bad dreams.”
James looked into the boy’s large gray eyes, trying to put himself in William’s place. He was in a strange place, all alone, with people he hardly knew. He had a nanny with him, but for some reason, William seemed to have developed an attachment to him. Should he send him to his nanny or accede to his wishes?
He decided to follow his instincts. “Come with me, then, just for tonight,” he said gently.
They walked along the corridor a little further and entered a large chamber in which a bright fire was already burning in the grate. James lit some candles and stripped William down to his shirt, then helped him into the big bed. He felt strangely tender and protective toward the child, and he liked the feeling.
“Are you coming in too?” William asked drowsily.
“In a while,” James assured him, smiling. “I must go and say goodnight to everyone first.”
“Can you tell me a story?” William begged, catching James’s hand in his own.
James was stumped. He had never read a bedtime story or had one read to him, but as he looked at William’s hopeful face, a wave of love swept over him for the little orphan. He thought quickly and decided to tell him about one of his boyhood adventures.
“Once upon a time, there was a little boy called Jamie,” he began. “He loved to climb, and ride, and play with toy swords…” As he spoke, he watched William peacefully drift into slumber. He did not expect to join him in dreamland, but a little while later, he succumbed to weariness and closed his eyes.
When Laria, wondering where James had gone, came up to check on them a while later, she found William fast asleep in James’s bed, with James slumped over the bed, also fast asleep. She wondered whether to wake him or not but decided to leave him since they both looked perfectly comfortable. She ran a hand over William’s fair hair and bent to kiss his forehead; he stirred but did not wake up.
James slept on, oblivious, his dark hair scattered around his head on the quilt, his big hands relaxed, and she could not resist touching her palm to his rough bristle-darkened cheek. She smiled at them both and tiptoed out, but her heart was warmed by the tender little scene, which boded well for the future. If these two were to be her only family, she was content.
* * *
That was the only day that William was allowed to go to bed without a bath. From then on, his life was fairly well-ordered, starting with breakfast, a few hours with his tutor, lunch, and after that, a spirited session of training with either James or Laria or both. Then there was a bath and dinner, followed by a game of chess or cards with any one of the adults. Laria took over the story duties at bedtime, but occasionally, James volunteered, and William considered this a very special treat.
William slept through everything and anything, and there was no sign of any of the bad dreams he had mentioned. He thrived on the routine as long as he was allowed to spend time with James, whom he adored, and the feeling seemed to be mutual. He liked Laria, but not with the same strength of feeling as he had for James.
