“John, no.”Terror filled her eyes as she looked at Ash.
“It’s alright,” he assured her.
Anthony handed Emma to his mother and went to his brother, who was now sobbing uncontrollably.Without a word, he picked him up and carried him safely over the glass and out of the room.
“My lord, I’m so sorry.We’ll pay for that.We’ll fix it.”
“It’s alright,” he said again.“It’s only a window.No harm done.He’s grieving.You’re all grieving.”
“But that’s no excuse.This is your house.”
Ash shook his head.“I might own it, but this isyourhome.”
Trent simply watched.This was what he wanted to be.Kind, generous, and understanding.He set his dishes on the table and got to his feet.“Where’s your broom, Mrs.Elmhurst?”
“Mr.Gibson, I’ll take care of that.You don’t need to be doing that sort of thing.I’m so sorry.”Emma continued to cry with all of the chaos.
Ash shook his head.“There’s no need to fret, Mrs.Elmhurst.Why don’t you take Emma up to the house to play with Maggie.The sun is shining, and the fresh air will do you both good.We’ll see that everything is taken care of here.”
She shook her head.“I couldn’t possibly leave you here to clean up my family’s mess.”
“Maggie will be thrilled to have a playmate.And it’s best to get Emma’s tender little feet out of here until the glass has been cleaned up.Go on.”He nodded toward the door.
She looked horrified, but was probably unsure whether she was allowed to argue with him.Trent walked her to the door.
“Are you really sure?”she asked.“He’s…”
“He’s my brother, and he’s as stubborn as a mule, so there’s no use arguing with him.Don’t worry about us.When you come back later, it will be as good as new in here.Enjoy some sunshine with Emma, and I’m sure Samantha would love to see you, as well.”
He urged her through the door and closed it behind her, not giving her a chance to argue or change her mind.
Trent tracked down the broom and dustpan.Ash leaned against the back of the sofa and watched him closely as he worked.“Do you have some kind of feedback to give on my technique, or were you hoping for a turn?”
“No.”Ash laughed.“This is going to sound exceedingly patrician, and I hate to even admit that it’s true.I’ve never used a broom, and I was actually admiring just how efficient you are with it.”
Trent could only laugh.“Patrician, indeed.Sometimes it’s easy for me to forget that you are, in fact, Lord Ashdown.”
“Did you grow up in a place like this?”Ash gestured around the small home with his cane.
Trent shook his head.He scooped the majority of the glass from the floor and dumped it into the bin.“I grew up in the rookeries.”
Ash sighed.“I’m sorry you had a hard life, Trent.”
He shrugged.“I’m sorry you did, too.”Ash obviously blamed himself for not saving Trent from that life, but it wasn’t his fault.Trent had no doubt, if Ash had known he existed, he would have done just that.John appeared in the hallway, Anthony standing behind him with his hands protectively on his shoulders.
Reluctantly, John walked to stand before Ash.He swallowed nervously.“Anthony says you’re Lord Ashdown.”
Ash sat down and waved him over to stand in front of him.“Technically, I am.But you may just call me Ash.”
The young boy looked so afraid.“I’m sorry I broke the window, my lord.”
“It’s alright, John.It’s only a window.Will you tell me what happened that got you so upset?”
“Someone was saying rude things about my mum and Anthony.Saying that Mr.Gibson only lets Anthony work on the estate because my mum has been giving him special favors, and that’s why he comes around all the time.”Tears started down his cheeks again.
“Who said that?”Anthony barked.He crouched next to his brother.“Who said that, Johnny?”
“Easy, Anthony,” Trent said.“We don’t need even more problems.”
