“I may go out from time to time,” he told her. “You’ll be all right here with Sally.”
Sarah wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want you to leave.”
Maxwell could understand why she would be wary about him leaving. She’d been pretty much abandoned by her parents, and all she had left was Maxwell. As if he didn’t need a reminder of his responsibilities… This was why he’d come to the nursery. He would endure these society functions for her. She would never be left alone again. “I have to go out,” he said, and then grinned. “How about that story, then?”
“You’re going to tell me a story?” Her green eyes brightened at the news. Maxwell could deny her nothing. If it made his niece smile, he’d ensure she had whatever her heart desired.
“I will,” he said. “As long as you promise to be good for your nanny. It is your bedtime and you will follow the rules that are set for you.”
Her bottom lip popped open. Lately Sally had been having difficulty keeping Sarah in bed. The nanny would believe the little urchin was asleep and leave the room for a brief moment, only to return and find Sarah’s bed empty. Then the entire household would have to search the townhouse for her until they found her hiding place. It was becoming frustrating. Maxwell did not know why Sarah kept hiding from them. He didn’t know what he could do to make her understand how terrifying it was to not be able to find her. She was so young, and it was hard to get through to the girl.
“Do I have to?” she pouted.
“Yes,” he told her. “That’s the price you have to pay for your story. Now do you agree?”
“All right,” she conceded. “But the story has to have a princess.”
“Doesn’t it always?” He lifted a brow. Maxwell set her down. “Now climb into bed.”
Sarah ran over to her bed and climbed in. Sally pulled up her bedspread until it covered the little girl. The bedspread had been made especially for Sarah. It was a patchwork of pieces of clothes taken from all of her mother’s gowns. She had never known her mother, but this gave her a piece of the woman who’d given birth to her. There were other things that he’d give Sarah later, when she was old enough to appreciate them. Pieces of jewelry, a journal, and a miniature of her mother… She was too young to understand their importance now, but the quilt was something she could have now.
“I’m ready,” Sarah announced.
“Are you?” He laughed. She was too precious for words. “Then I suppose it is time for that story you demanded.” Maxwell sat down on the edge of the bed and pressed the quilt around her. “You wanted a princess, right?”
“I do,” Sarah said.
He nodded. “Once upon a time, in a land far away lived a princess…”
“How far was the land?”
“Is this your story or mine?” he asked.
“Mine,” she said after careful thought. “But you can tell it.”
He chuckled. “Thank you for giving me permission.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to her cheek in a light, affectionate kiss. “Now where was I?”
“A land far away,” she reminded him.
Maxwell grinned. “That’s right.” He tilted his head to the side. “The princess loved adventure, but her parents wouldn’t allow her to leave the castle, so she made a wish.”
“Did it come true?” Sarah asked.
He tapped his finger on her nose. “If you keep asking questions, I won’t be able to finish the story.”
She sighed. “All right, please tell me about her wish.”
“The princess wanted to have the grandest adventure, but she didn’t know how to ensure her dream would come true. She glanced up at the sky and saw a twinkle against the night sky.” Sarah stared at him expectantly when he stopped speaking. His heart collapsed at all the loss this young girl had suffered already. “She stared at that twinkle and made her wish, but she didn’t realize that twinkle wasn’t the star she’d believed it to be.”
“What was it?” Sarah said excitedly.
He stared at her until she pressed her lips together. Then he began again. “It was a dragon.”
Sarah gasped. “Did it breathe fire?”
Maxwell shook his head, and she became silent once again. “It was a magic dragon,” he told her. “It granted wishes and offered to take the princess on an adventure, but she would have to leave her home forever.”
“Did she go with the dragon?” Sarah asked quietly.
