Page 6 of The Secret Sister

Hart sniffled and scrubbed at his nose with his sleeve.

‘I miss Mama too,’ she whispered.

Hart rolled over and looked at her as Haryo rubbed her eyes. She’d wanted him to sit on her lap so she could cuddle him, but he didn’t move. They stared at each other in unspeakable sadness that neither could put words to.

Haryo looked up as she heard footsteps running along the corridor. The door flew open so hard it bounced against the wall and began closing again, but Gee just pushed it aside and ran into the room, panting.

‘She’s back!’

Haryo stared at her. ‘What? Who?’

Gee laughed and cried at the same time. ‘Mama. Mama is back. She is downstairs with Papa.’

‘Mama?’ Haryo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She scooped Hart into her arms. ‘Did you hear that, Hart? Mama is back.’

Hart put his head on Haryo’s shoulder and stuck his thumb in his mouth.

Another set of footsteps in the corridor made all three heads turn as Miss Trimmer strode into the room.

‘Oh, my goodness, just look at you all. Positively ragged. Come with me and get cleaned up immediately.’

‘Is it true, is Mama back?’ Haryo asked, with only the smallest wobble in her voice.

Miss Trimmer gave her a look. ‘She is, and she won’t want to see you all looking like orphans, will she? Hands and faces washed immediately!’

Haryo ran to the washstand, and she and Gee cleaned themselves up whilst Miss Trimmer applied a washcloth to Hart’s face and hands whilst he squirmed and yelled. When they were clean, with their hair brushed and re-braided, she marched them into the nursery to wait. Haryo wanted nothing more than to run down the stairs and find her mother. Find her and throw herself into her arms. But she sat still. Patient.

When more footsteps sounded in the corridor, Gee grabbed her hand and held it. Haryo clung to her.

There was a pause, then the door opened slowly, and that beautiful, beloved face peeped around the door. All that gorgeous fair hair, those twinkling eyes and that happy smile Haryo had missed to the point of distraction, was finally home.

‘Has anyone seen my darling children?’ she said.

‘Mama!’ Gee launched herself at her, and her mother caught her. Haryo followed and clung to her. Now enveloped in that special smell, she tried her hardest not to cry as her lovely mama covered them both in kisses and hugged them almost to death. Haryo was sure there were tears on her mother’s cheeks.

When she emerged, she looked over at Hart, who was standing, staring. Eyes so like Mama’s, wide and unblinking.

‘William! Darling Hart,’ her mother said. She bent down and held out her arms, but Hart just howled and ran to Miss Trimmer.

‘Oh, sweetheart, don’t you remember your mama?’ Mama’s voice wobbled a bit and Haryo could see that now there were definitely tears in her mother’s eyes and on her cheeks. As Hart wailed and clung to Miss Trimmer, the tears in her own eyes spilled over.

‘Don’t worry, Mama, he remembers you, he talks about you all the time.’

Her mother looked at her. ‘He can talk?’

‘Well…’ Haryo fidgeted a little. ‘Well, he says ‘Mama gone’ a lot.’

Chapter 4

ELIZA

Howick Hall, Northumberland

Charles Grey slid from his horse and handed the reins to the waiting groom. He looked at the family home, Howick Hall, and sighed. Much as he loved Howick, he was not looking forward to the meeting that was to come.

Settling his cuffs and tugging his waistcoat of finest embroidered green silk, he walked through the door that was immediately opened for him, into the main hall of the house.

The butler came to him first. ‘Welcome home, sir. Your father is waiting for you in the library.’