Noble Scoundrel - Amy Sandas Page 0,9

And Claire...well, Mason’s daughter was still suffering from the aftereffects of what she’d gone through before Mason had been able to find her. He would forever be grateful to Dell Turner for locating his daughter before she’d been shipped off English soil, but he’d never forgive himself for allowing her to fall into such wretched hands in the first place.

He found the children in the schoolroom, as expected. Freddie sat in one corner of the thickly cushioned window seat with Claire snuggled up beneath his arm. The toddler’s pale curls contrasted against the boy’s dark coat. Her pudgy little hand was curled over his arm and her soft, feathering eyelashes swept her cheeks as she listened to him reading the storybook open in his lap.

Perhaps it had been a mistake to bring Freddie into his household, knowing he wouldn’t be able to stay indefinitely. But the girl had become fiercely attached to her young protector during their plight with Bricken’s gang. It would have been cruel to tear them apart when Claire still hadn’t developed the same level of trust in her father.

Guilt and regret squeezed like a fist around Mason’s heart as he recalled the night he’d fought his way into Bricken’s warehouse with Turner. Pale with fear, wearing nothing but a dingy nightgown, her hair a tangle about her head, tear streaks on her smudged face, Claire had clung in terror to the larger boy. The moment had been made even more poignant when Freddie bravely placed himself between her small body and Mason’s much, much larger one. It had taken Claire a few moments to recognize Mason, and though it had nearly broken his heart, it was his own blasted fault his daughter had hesitated when he’d opened his arms.

His chest tightened with self-directed anger. He’d never make the mistake of trusting his daughter’s care to anyone else ever again. He might not have the slightest clue how to be a proper father, but he’d keep the girl safe from further harm if it killed him. Unfortunately, there would be no way to prevent her little heart from breaking when Freddie left.

Swallowing past the harsh burn of regret in his throat, Mason walked into the room but said nothing as his appearance drew the focus of two pairs of wary eyes. He had long ago gotten used to the fear his size and boorish manner tended to inspire in people, but seeing the flash of uncertainty in his own child’s eyes hit him deeper and harder than any blow he’d received in the ring.

Claire’s nurse stood from the rocking chair in the corner where she’d been sitting quietly with a pile of knitting in her lap. He gave the older woman a nod and waited as she silently slipped from the room before he lowered to a crouch. Holding his arms out, he offered Claire a smile. “Come here, sweet pea.”

After a moment of hesitation when she glanced up at the dark-haired boy, who gave an encouraging smile, his little girl climbed down from the raised bench and crossed to Mason. Lifting her hands, she allowed him to scoop her in for a hug. The feel of her hands around his neck squeezed his heart, but he was undeniably aware of just how small and precious she felt in his hold.

He wasn’t made for comfort and softness, and that was what Claire needed more than anything. Feeling inadequate in ways he’d never expected to experience, he only held her for a moment before letting her go again.

Glancing over her head, he met the dark, unflinching gaze of the boy who’d told them nothing about himself beyond his name. As if sensing something of import had occurred, Freddie rose swiftly to his feet, but he didn’t speak.

The boy was so bloody self-contained and unreadable. Mason had never known of a twelve-year-old to behave with such steadiness and emotional restraint.

“Someone’s here for you,” he noted bluntly.

There was a pause but no evident change in the boy’s demeanor. “Who is it?”

“She claims to be your sister.”

Something flared in Freddie’s brown eyes before being replaced with gentle concern as his attention flickered to Claire.

Before Mason could wonder about the reaction, the moment was interrupted by a sharp inhalation from behind him. “Frederick!”

Apparently, Lady Katherine had been unwilling to wait in the hall, and she now swept past Mason to enclose Freddie in a tight embrace. The boy’s eyes closed as he rested his face against her shoulder and clasped her fiercely