Page 166 of Risks of Temptation
"Millie, are you hungry?" Emilia asks.
Millie stares at the photo again and cries some more.
Emilia pulls her into her chest again. "Okay, sweetheart. Do you want to see what we have for food? Should we make Malin cook for us?"
"I think I saw pancakes. Do you like those?" I ask her.
She looks at me. In a tiny voice, she squeaks out, "Yes."
"Good. Should we go out to the kitchen and see what else we have?"
She nods.
"What about a piggyback ride? Do you like those?"
Her eyes light up. She nods again and bites her lip.
"Okay, then. One piggyback ride and pancakes coming up." I sit up on the edge of the bed and pat my shoulders.
Millie hesitates but then reaches around my neck.
"Are you ready?" I ask her.
She sniffles. "Yes."
We all go into the kitchen, and I set her down on the counter. "Do you know anything about making pancakes?"
She shakes her head.
Emilia opens the fridge. "What about blueberry pancakes? Have you had those?"
"No."
"Do you want to try some? We can make both."
"Ummm...okay."
We spend five days playing in the snow with Millie, making as many kid meals as we can think of, and keeping her mind off how much she misses Penelope. When it's the night before we're supposed to leave, Emilia has tears in her eyes.
Millie is curled into a ball, asleep next to Emilia.
"What's wrong, ma belle?" I stroke her hair.
"I'm so happy she's going to be back with her mummy, but I'm going to miss her."
I stroke Emilia's hair. "I know. Me, too. Hopefully, we will all be together in Bermuda soon."
When nighttime comes, Millie is asleep. We carry her to the car, and the journey begins. A few hours into the ride, we stop. Gustave gets into the car, and we travel farther.
He hands Emilia a note. "Stick this in your handbag and show it to Julieta without removing it from your purse. Everything on the plane is being recorded. Emilia, can you add a French accent to your English?"
"Yes, why?"
"Just buys us a bit more time."
"Okay."
"Keep the blanket over her at all times. Do not let her face or red hair be visible. Call her Darcey." He hands me a vial. "Dab this on her nose. It will keep her asleep until it's time for her to wake up."
