Elliot had a child and knew nothing of it.
Feeling an overwhelming need to offer comfort, he picked the boy up, hugged him tight to his chest. Hell, the surge of emotion almost choked him; his hands were shaking, his thoughts in complete disarray.
“You’ve always known?” he asked as Ivana dabbed at the corner of her eye.
“Yes.”
Damn it all. Despite her feelings of disdain for Elliot, she had cared for his son as her own. He didn’t know how to feel. Anger flowed through him. He was angry with himself for being so negligent, so blind to the realities of life. He was angry with Elliot for the same reason. His heart ached for his friend and brother, who knew nothing of the beautiful boy he had left behind. Christ, he could feel tears welling in his eyes and he kissed the boy on the top of his head for fear he’d turn into a blubbering wreck.
What the hell was he to do now?
The boy held his palms together and opened them back and forth.
“He wants you to read to him tonight.” Her voice quivered as she spoke. “But don’t feel you have to. I’m more than happy to read to them.”
Leo gazed up at the sea of desperate faces, all nodding at him as their eyes grew wide. “Of course I’ll read to them if they would like me to.”
One of the older boys stepped forward. “We would, we would.”
Herr Bruhn returned with two tankards of beer. The old man watched him sip his drink, gave a shriek of delight when Leo expressed his approval. Despite the sadness consuming him over recent revelations, Leo was amused by Ivana’s baffled expression every time he swallowed a mouthful.
Ivana led him up to the children’s bedchamber. The girls shared one room, the three boys another, but they all piled in together to hear Leo tell his tale. It hadn’t occurred to him that the book would not be written in English and Ivana helped him read Der Froschkönig oder der eiserne Heinrich - The Frog King or Iron Henry.
It wasn’t reading the tale of the spoilt princess or the frog prince that resonated with him, but the plight of the servant with three irons bands surrounding his heart to prevent it from breaking when he learns of his master’s curse. Indeed, when Leo gazed into Christoph’s bright green eyes he wished such a thing were possible.
As he tucked the boys into their beds one thing became abundantly clear. Meeting the children had altered him, changed him in some inexplicable way. Anger still simmered beneath the surface. To the point where he believed he could quite easily rip the throats from every noble scoundrel gracing the ballrooms of the ton.
He was standing over Christoph when Ivana touched him on the arm. “We should be going now,” she whispered.
Leo turned to face the woman he had spent years despising, years blaming for ruining their lives when they had done an excellent job of doing so themselves. His heart swelled with a desperate need to repay her for her kindness to Elliot’s son.
Hell, his mind was a jumbled mess of contradictions.
She moved her hand to his shoulder, and he felt an overwhelming urge to make her happy. Indeed, as his cock stirred there was nothing jumbled or confusing about the desire thrumming through his veins.
“Then we will say good night to Herr Bruhn and be on our way.” He followed her from the room, stopping in the doorway to take another look at the boy he would regard as his nephew from now on. “Will we come here again tomorrow?” he asked.
“I put the children to bed most nights. It gives Herr Bruhn an extra hour to himself. His wife is ill, and it has been difficult for him these past two weeks.”
The nature of their affliction meant they could not visit during the day, and he sensed Ivana’s frustration at being unable to do more.
“They will all be asleep soon,” she said as Herr Bruhn met them at the bottom of the stairs.
“Excellent.” He clapped his hands. “Frau Bruhn is awake and has asked to see you. Just for a minute or two before you leave. I will keep your friend company.”
Ivana nodded. “Of course. I am relieved she has regained some strength.”
She touched Leo on the arm again. “I will be but a moment.”
As soon as she left them, Herr Bruhn led him into the parlour. “I must speak with you before Frau Lockwood returns,” he whispered, his frantic gaze glancing over Leo’s shoulder. “I am so worried about her.”
“What is it?” Leo’s heart was beating so fast he feared it would jump from his throat. “Is there something wrong with her?”
“I fear she worries too much, about me, about the children. It is making her ill. She comes here night after night and never eats or drinks a thing.” Herr Bruhn sucked in a breath before continuing in the same rushed manner. “And she looks so sad, so pale. I wonder if it?
?s because she does not wish to take food from the children’s mouths. But she is so generous with her time and money I do not want her to worry about us.”
“She cares greatly for the children,” Leo said with a sigh. So much so, she had committed abhorrent acts to prevent any more little ones from perishing. “But rest assured, I have sat with her while she has taken nourishment. During my stay, I shall ensure her needs are taken care of. I promise you that.”