Page 20 of The Good Fortune of Miss Robbins

I had started keeping a stash of bandages in my desk. I soon had the finger wrapped and tied.

“There. All better?”

Annabelle nodded again.

Samuel laid his head on his child-sized desk. “That scratch is so tiny. Don’t be such a baby, Annabelle.”

“I’m not being a baby.” Annabelle scrunched her face at her brother.

I couldn’t help smiling inwardly. They bickered back and forth, but I’d also seen Annabelle put her head on Samuel’s shoulder while he patted her arm. They only did it when they thought no one else was looking, and five minutes later they’d be bickering again. But I hadn’t seen any evidence of cruelty or menace from them, and though I’d had little experience observing siblings, I’d heard stories from the other girls I’d grown up with at school. Annabelle and Samuel made me hope I had twins someday, a boy and a girl.

I sat between them so they wouldn’t start teasing each other and got them started on our lesson for the day.

Two hours later, Lord Brookhaven appeared in the doorway to the schoolroom holding a ball of fur with two dark eyes and a little tongue sticking out. One of the footmen stood just behind him with a second wriggling puppy.

“I have a surprise for you.” Lord Brookhaven was genuinely smiling, which made my stomach flip.

“Ohhh!” Annabelle cried out.

“Is one of them mine?” Samuel said, and both children ran toward their older brother.

Lessons were obviously over for the day.

Lord Brookhaven knelt on the floor with the two puppies as the children oohed and aahed over the furry pets.

“This one is a Pomeranian, for Annabelle,” he said, pointing to the ball of light brown fluff. “And the other”—which Samuel was already petting—“is a cocker spaniel for Samuel.”

The children were holding the puppies, which were licking their faces and making them giggle. When the puppies wagged their tails, their whole bodies wriggled.

“You must share them with Miss Robbins,” Lord Brookhaven said, sneaking a look at me.

“Oh, Miss Robbins, come see how soft she is,” Annabelle gushed.

I knelt beside her and touched the little ball of liveliness. “Indeed, she is very soft.”

I had tears in my eyes, I didn’t know why. Perhaps because the dogs were so full of life and joy and innocence. But it was more the sight of a man like Lord Brookhaven doing something just to make the children happy, children I had come to love.

His face was split in a grin as he watched the chaos, the puppies yipping and yapping in high-pitched playfulness.

Mrs. Merryweather came rushing in. “What in the name of...” She stopped and stared, then walked away, mumbling, “Lord bless me.”

“You’ll have to name them,” Lord Brookhaven said. “What do you think?”

“Maizie,” Annabelle called out, just as the ball of fur licked her in the mouth, making her squeal.

“I think she likes her name,” Lord Brookhaven said. “Maizie it is.”

“I’m naming my puppy Ernest,” Samuel said.

“Maizie and Ernest. Those are splendid names.” Lord Brookhaven winked at me, smiling widely. “What do you think, Miss Robbins?”

“I think they’re wonderful.” I laughed even as I wiped away a tear. How sentimental I was!

We played on the floor with the dogs until Hannah came and took the children for their midday meal, and a new maid, who’d been hired to help care for the dogs, came and took the canines away.

Lord Brookhaven and I were left alone in the schoolroom.

“Thank you,” I said. “You have made the children very happy.”