How was Leah to answer such a question? She was indeed, for all intents and purposes, the girl’s mother. But without speaking to Fox, Leah hesitated to imply such a thing.
“No, I’m afraid not. But . . . Iamthe person who won’t leave ye, like your nurses seem tae do.”
That got Madeline’s attention.
“You will . . . stay?” she said.
The tiny hitch in the girl’s words knifed through Leah’s heart, setting her eyes to stinging.
“Yes,” Leah whispered, feeling a mite too fragile to be having such a weighty conversation with a five-year-old in the weak light of morning.
Fortunately, Madeline had the changeability of most five-year-olds.
“Good!” she said, scooting across the bed, her eyes once more on her beloved Mr. Dandy. “Could you help me get dressed? And also, I’m hungry.”
Leah managed a smile. “Of course. Why don’t ye sit while I dress, and then we will see tae yourself.”
Madeline climbed onto the window seat, and Mr. Dandy promptly hopped off. Unconcerned, the wee lass remained sitting on the edge, chubby legs swinging, mouth chattering nonstop.
Apparently, Mr. Dandy behavedwretchedly. She rattled on about the cat—how he almost always ran away but yesterday afternoon he had let Madeline pet him for almost an entire minute before swiping a paw at her.
Leah listened as she washed her face and pulled on a worn work dress and apron.
“So is Madeline your only name then?” Leah shamelessly asked around hairpins in her mouth, winding her hair into a simple knot at her nape.
“I don’t know.” Madeline paused, mid leg-swing. “I had a nurse once who called me ‘pet.’ Does that count?”
No, it did not.
“So, ye have no surname, like how Fox is Captain Fox Carnegie?” Leah said.
“Surname.” Madeline pondered that for a moment, letting the word roll around her tongue.
Leah finished pinning her own hair, placed a notebook and pencil in her apron pocket, and extended a hand to the girl.
“No, I gots no surname.” Madeline slid off the window seat. “I only have the one name. But it’s a very good name, don’t you think?”
“Aye.” Leah had to smile at the girl’s earnestness. “Madeline is an excellent name.”
It was only as Madeline slid her hand into Leah’s and tilted her head back to look up that Leahfinallynoticed it:
Blink, blink, blink.
Madeline had Fox’s eyes.
Surely, I am mistaken.
That was Leah’s first thought.
Any similarity of feature was merely a trick of the light, causing her to see resemblance where none existed.
But once the idea lodged in her head, it was difficult to unsee.
The way Madeline frowned as Leah helped button her dress. Didn’t Fox’s brow have a similar furrow?
Unfortunately, Leah couldn’t precisely say. She hadn’t spent enough time in the man’s company to know.
Besides, why would Fox not tell her that Madeline was hisdaughter, no matter how ill-got? Such an omission didn’t align with the man she thought Fox Carnegie to be.
