Page 277 of Historical Hotties
“Are these—?”
He was gesturing to the two young girls. Caledonia nodded. “They are,” she said, her voice trembling. “That is Janet and Joan.”
Thor smiled at the girls, who stared up at him without a reaction. He couldn’t help but notice how dirty and bony they were. His smile faded as he looked at his wife.
“They’re beautiful, like their mother,” he said softly. “But I just saw a young girl running wildly around the bailey screaming that the devil had appeared to her. That couldn’t be the eldest… could it?”
Caledonia nodded. “It is,” she said, looking sick. “I told you that Madam Madonna had poisoned my children. The younger two do not seem to be too terribly affected, but Jane… The moment I told her who I was, she accused me of being the devil and ran away.”
“Ah,” Thor said in understanding. His gaze inevitably moved to the small, malnourished children standing a few feet away. “Madam Madonna is in the vault along with the de Lucera knights. The Stafford soldiers are being gathered and informed of the new command change as we speak. Therefore, the girls are yours, my love. Take them in hand. Take this entire keep in hand and let them know that the rightful chatelaine of Stafford has taken her place. I know you will excel at whatever you do.”
She looked at her as if the thought hadn’t occurred to her. She was so focused on seeing her children that the thought of actually assuming control at Stafford—any kind of control—wasn’t something she’d contemplated. She just stood there, looking uncertain, and Thor put his hand on her arm in a comforting gesture.
“What is it?” he said softly.
She blinked, trying to stave off the tears. “I… I am not sure,” she said. “I feel as if… You must understand that I was never permitted to take my rightful place here, so I feel as if I need permission in order to do anything at all.”
Thor smiled. “I am the Earl of Tamworth and Stafford,” he said gently. “You have my permission, Callie. You have my permission to do whatever you want, to whomever you wish, and however you wish. This is ours, my love. But at this moment, you need to make ityours.”
He was right. Caledonia had to shake off every doubt, every fear, every shred of uncertainty. She was strong. She knew she was.
But this was a monumental task.
“Every servant here was taught to disrespect me,” she said. “Look at my children—they are filthy and starved. Madam Madonna evidently did not care for them at all. Janet told me that she simply let them do as they pleased, and they are hardly fed. Look at them, Thor. They are like wild animals. Joan cannot even speak because no one would teach her.”
Thor could hear the anguish in her voice. It would have been one thing to come to Stafford to find her children well tended and educated. At least her mind could be at least a little to know they were being cared for. But that evidently hadn’t been the case. Even Thor could see how dirty and skinny her children were, which he found quite disturbing.
He could only imagine how heartbreaking it was for her.
“Then your arrival is a sign from God,” he said. “He meant us to come here, at this moment, so you can save your children. I will find the eldest one, but you must take the little ones and tend to them. They are in desperate need, Callie.”
She nodded even before he finished speaking. “I know,” she said, looking at them. Then she put her hand over her heart, her lower lip trembling. “Is this what I left them to, Thor? Abuse? All the while I was in London, trying to forget about everything… here… Isthiswhat was happening to my children?”
He could feel the guilt rolling off her in waves, like the pounding of the ocean, and he didn’t want to add to it even though he could very much understand her torment. “You could not have known,” he said. “You were chased away by that wicked woman. Your spirit had been broken by Robert. You cannot blame yourself for staying away. You had to do what you felt best when there was nothing left but pain.”
She sniffled, looking at him. “Pain,” she murmured. “My pain at being kept from my children. But I stayed away when the truth was that was that Robert was dead. Iamthe Lady of Stafford. I could have come here and sent Madam Madonna away. But… I didn’t. Was my spirit so broken that I did not understand that my power had been returned to me with Robert’s death?”
She was becoming distraught, and he leaned over and kissed her temple. “You will not think of that now,” he told her softly but firmly. “Do not think of yourself. Think of your children. Take those two inside and bathe them and feed them. I will find the eldest one.”
She returned her attention to the girls as she quickly wiped away her tears. “You are correct,” she said, squaring her shoulders and trying to shrug off that crushing guilt. “But I fear I need your help.”
“Anything you wish, my love.”
Her dark gaze moved to the keep. “The servants,” she said. “Will you gather the servants and tell them that I have returned and they are to obey me? I fear they will not listen to me, since Robert told them not to. As the new lord, you have that power.”
Thor nodded. “Of course,” he said. “I will do it immediately.”
“Thank you,” she said. “And I want the cook dismissed.”
“Why?”
“Because Janet told me that she would hardly feed them, even though she knew they were in distress.”
His jaw twitched faintly. “I will do what is necessary to ensure you are obeyed and comfortable in your own home,” he said. “I will send Nicola to you. She can help.”
“Thank you.”
“It is my pleasure,” Thor said with an encouraging smile. “I will return to you shortly.”
