Page 13 of Dared By a Lyon
It was soon after the death of his father, and Gabriel had felt the pressure of his new mantle as the Earl of Ravensthorpe. And with that, the need to marry and have a family. But also, the added work and duties of his title. Yes, he’d wanted the same happy marriage his parents had had. But that never came to be…
A sudden vision of Miss Vickers flashed in his mind’s eye. He had been outside helping Higgins get the injured boy onto the wagon when he looked up and saw Miss Vickers being escorted to the guest room by Mrs. Flinters. He could see her clearly through the tall window of the upstairs landing. Miss Vickers had been completely unaware that he was watching her… Even in such a bedraggled state, she’d moved with an innate grace that made him wonder what it would be like to hold her in his arms and twirl her around a ballroom to the stirring strains of a waltz…
What am I doing?
He should not be comparing Miss Vickers to Juliet. Juliet had been his fiancée and had tragically perished because… Well, he still carried that guilt. Miss Vickers, while beautiful and brave and obviously caring about her maid Alice and her driver, Billy, was here only temporarily. She had her own life and no doubt her own purpose to meet and marry a nobleman; otherwise, why had she been on her way to a house party hosted on behalf of Mrs. Dove-Lyon?
How had the proprietress of a gambling den managed to secure the attendance of such a wealthy American heiress at herparty? Certainly, he knew Mrs. Dove-Lyon to be well-connected in London Society, but normally, her societal functions would not be the first choice of a newly arrived heiress.
He shook his head with a slight smile, trying to shake off the societal nonsense. Mrs. Dove-Lyon was famously known forhelpingyoung men and women find their way into marriage. Many of his friends had fallen for her clever traps after losing money in her gambling den—several had even warned him about it, and he remained cautious. Gabriel wasn’t one to lose easily. He carefully watched every player and every move involved in the games he played, genuinely enjoying the thrill of beating the odds.
After speaking with his mother earlier, he had changed his mind about going and penned a quick note to that effect. If Miss Elizabeth Vickers was attending, he’d suddenly realized, he was as well.
Stifling a yawn, he decided it was time he retired for the night. He checked his watch and noted it was after midnight. His mother had retired soon after Dr. Baker left. She always stopped by Caro’s room to check on her granddaughter and make sure she was sleeping before making her way to her own bedchamber. But given that he generally kept later hours, Gabriel always checked in on Caro before he retired as well.
As he made his way up the stairs, he renewed his vow to be a better guardian and a more attentive uncle to Caro.
When he arrived at her room, he noticed the door was ajar. Had his mother forgotten to close it? Removing the lit candle from the sconce outside the door, he stuck his head in the bedroom and was alarmed to see that Caro was not in her bed. Her sheets lay in a rumpled pile on the floor as though they’d been kicked off.
Rushing into her room, he checked under the bed, in her armoire, her toy chest, even behind the heavy window curtainswhere he’d had a special window seat built in so that she could sit and read.
She’d either had a nightmare and was hiding or was sleepwalking again. In that first year after the accident, they would often find her in different places. One time, he’d found her curled up under her bed, clutching her blanket, fast asleep. Another time, his mother had found her in the copper tub behind the privacy screen. Gabriel checked there as well.
She had stopped sleepwalking almost a year ago and finally begun to sleep through the night. He saw that the nanny’s bed on the other side of the room was still made. Irritation flashed through him at his own arrogant assumption that Caro no longer needed her nanny to sleep in the same room. After the tragedy, his mother had taken to sleeping in her granddaughter’s room. The child would cry every night for her parents, and his mother seemed to be the only one who could soothe Caro. Unfortunately, it also meant that his mother was not getting any sleep either. It had begun to affect her health. She’d lost a lot of weight, and that concerned him greatly—even though he knew his mother’s grief over losing Olivia most likely accounted for the weight loss.
Still, Gabriel had felt desperate. He couldn’t allow his mother to become ill. Consulting with Dr. Baker, they had interviewed nannies, searching for one who had the experience, the fortitude, and the gentleness to be there for Caro. Initially, the nanny would sleep in the same room and be there to help Caro get through her nightly terrors.
Mrs. Bumbles had had an impeccable list of credentials and experience and came highly recommended. Eventually, over the course of six months, the nanny had helped stabilize Caro’s routine so that she was able to sleep through the night. Dr. Baker had suggested that Caro was well enough that the nanny shouldbe moved across the hall or next door to Caro, and Gabriel had agreed.
And for almost a year, things had continued to improve, at least regarding Caro’s sleep. They had even gotten through the second anniversary of the accident, and Caro had not relapsed. However, she still had not spoken a word since her parents had been tragically taken from her.
But now it seemed that Caro’s sleepwalking was back again. And Gabriel would have to figure out how to get her through this.
Worried, he ran out of the room, intent on waking his mother, but then he heard the sound of a lovely, lilting voice, softly humming from down the hall. Holding the candle aloft, he noted the door of the guest room was ajar. Theblue room, as his mother had called it after she had it redecorated from its original shades of pale yellow and white. The bedchamber had originally been Olivia’s room when she was growing up. And then it was where she and Max had slept when they were visiting; Olivia wanted to be as near to the nursery as possible.
Slowly approaching the room, Gabriel slid around the open door and was completely taken by surprise when he saw a sleeping Caro being rocked in the arms of none other than Miss Vickers, who was humming sweetly to the child.
Chapter Six
At first, shedismissed the sound, not recognizing it. But as it persisted, Ashlyn realized it reminded her of a puppy’s whimper. But she hadn’t seen a dog or heard a dog when they arrived, nor had Mrs. Flinters mentioned a pet. Ashlyn sat up in bed to determine where the sound was coming from. She was glad she’d left the heavy damask window curtains open when she went to bed. Ever since she was a child prone to nightmares, Ashlyn had slept with her window curtains open. Now that the storm had passed, the moonlight glowed into the room, making it bright enough to see. Ashlyn gave a small gasp when she turned and saw a young girl in a white night shift, clutching a well-worn soft toy that looked like a monkey. The girl stood next to Ashlyn’s bed, and she seemed eager to climb in.
The lovely child had an adorable dimple in her chin, and her face was framed by loose, dark curls. She immediately reminded Ashlyn of Gabriel.Is this child related to him?The little girl whimpered again, and Ashlyn realized that the child’s unseeing eyes and puppet-like movements denoted that she was sleepwalking. Ashlyn was familiar with sleepwalking, as Elizabeth had done it since childhood.
Overcome with tenderness, she softly scooted back and gently patted the mattress beside her, encouraging the child to climb onto the bed. She didn’t try to wake her up, something she remembered from her own childhood when Elizabeth would sleepwalk. Immediately, the child climbed onto the mattress and slid beneath the sheets and coverlet. After a couple more small whimpers, she snuggled close to Ashlyn and appeared to drift into a deeper sleep. Ashlyn wondered where the girl’s mother was. Was she Gabriel’s daughter or niece? She decided to ask the countess at breakfast, sensing that the countess was likely the child’s grandmother. Ashlyn gently ran her fingers through the child’s hair and gently rubbed her back in calming circles, softly humming the lullaby her own mother used to sing to her as a child.
Realizing she was now wide awake, Ashlyn settled in and made herself more comfortable as she cradled the child. Quietly, she fluffed several pillows behind her and leaned back against the headboard. In the darkness, she stared out the window across from her canopied bed at the moon, barely peeking from behind the clouds. With those clouds, she knew that searching for familiar constellations, as she often did on clear nights, was useless.
She gazed up at the sky, wishing she could see the twins, Gemini—and thinking of her cousin, wondering how she was doing and whether she was married yet. “Elizabeth, I hope things are going well for you,” Ashlyn whispered, wiping a stray tear that rolled down her cheek. Even though she had strongly disagreed with her cousin, she wanted the best for her—but try as she might, she couldn’t shake the unease about Elizabeth’s journey.
The little girl whimpered again and clung tightly to Ashlyn, almost as if she were seeking her mother’s comfort. Gently, Ashlyn cuddled the child closer to her and kissed her on thehead. “A bad dream must have driven you from your bed, little one,” she whispered. “Whatever it was, it was only a dream. You’re safe here with me.” Ashlyn began to hum the song again, then the words her own mother sang to her as a child floated back to her…
Baloo, my bonnie, lie still and sleep,
Angels are watching o’er thee and me.
Sleep sound, my jewel, the night winds sigh,
While mother sings her lullaby.
