They managed to make it through an entire game, which Charlotte won of course. Clara didn’t seem to mind, however. It was refreshing to see that winning wasn’t what brought Clara happiness; it was the playing of the game. There was a lesson in that, Charlotte thought.
While Charlotte was shuffling the cards for another game, Clara jumped out of her chair when she heard scratching at the door.
“Hector!” she cried.
“Be careful,” Charlotte said as Clara seemed to fall from the chair. Clara reached up to the handle and groaned as she opened it. Hector slipped in, pressing his body through the narrow gap. Clara smiled widely and tried to hug Hector.
Hector was not in the mood to be hugged. He twisted away from Clara’s arms and darted toward the side of the room, which Clara took as an invitation to chase him. She turned her back on the door without thinking to close it.
“Clara, come back and sit down. I’m ready for the next game,” Charlotte said, but Clara had lost interest in cribbage now. What excitement could a cribbage board hold when compared to a cat racing around the room?
Clara was laughing so hard that it sounded like panting. Her arms were flailing out, and she was so eager to catch Hector that her body tilted forward. Hector seemed determined to remain free, and his legs scurried across the floor. At one point, he slipped beneath a table, his eyes set on the door and freedom. It seemed as though he regretted ever setting paw in this drawing room.
“Hector, let me catch you!” Clara cried out. She ducked under the table, following him, but lost awareness of her arms. Either that, or she didn’t quite realize how big she had grown. Her trailing arm caught the table. Charlotte heard the impact of Clara thudding into the wood, and then she saw the small table teeter.
It held a decorative vase, one that looked expensive. Then again, everything on the Duke’s estate would have been expensive. Charlotte’s eyes widened. She dropped the cards on the table, but it was too late. There was no way for her to get there in time. The vase smashed, shattering into fragments.
The loud crash startled Hector, who let out a high-pitched mew that sounded like a shriek. His tail was upright, and he sprinted away. Clara fell to the ground, looking over her shoulder, fear and shock etched on her face. Charlotte was in the process of rising to comfort her when another presence entered the room.
It was Nathaniel.
“What’s going on in here?” his raised voice boomed with his expression sharp. He filled the doorway, and his furtive gaze darted about the room, quickly settling on the broken vase and Clara sitting on the floor.
It didn’t take a genius to deduce the recent events.
Charlotte could see Clara’s lower lip starting to tremble.
“Clara was chasing Hector around the room. It was an accident, and it’s entirely my fault. I should have kept a closer eye on them both.”
Nathaniel’s withering, disappointed gaze fell upon her.
“Yes, you should have. Games like that are not meant for rooms like this. Clara, if you wish to run around, then you should do so outside.” His words were clipped but controlled. There was a slight twitching in his eyes that suggested anger, but it was not unleashed.
He strode into the room and bent down to check on Clara.
“Are you wounded?” he asked, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. Clara, muted, shook her head, averting her gaze from him. Then, he turned toward the shattered fragments of the vase. He picked up two shards and sighed.
“I fear this is beyond repair. You really do need to be more careful.” He angled his gaze toward Clara. “I thought you knew the rules of the house. You are old enough to behave properly. You could have hurt yourself. Rules exist for a reason,” he scolded.
“I’m sorry,” Clara mumbled. Charlotte could see that the girl was close to tears. While Nathaniel wasn’t being cruel, his aura was imposing, and any child would have found him intimidating, especially when he returned to his full height. He must have looked like a giant to Clara.
“Now, I shall have to take you to your mother and have words with her. Behavior like this will not be tolerated in the future.”
“It’s not her fault. I think she knows that she made a mistake. She just got caught up in the excitement; that’s all. It’s no different from what Brutus did to me this morning.” Charlottecame toward Clara, holding out her hand. Clara shuffled behind Charlotte’s legs, peeking out beyond them.
“It is different. She is a child, not a dog. She’s capable of controlling her instincts.”
“She was only playing, Your Grace,” Charlotte said firmly but in a controlled manner, “and she has apologized. I don’t think there is a need to belabor the point.”
“I need to make sure she understands.”
“And she does. She was only playing with the cat as any child would. I don’t think it requires taking her to her mother. It was a simple accident, and Clara already knows not to do it again, don’t you, Clara?” Charlotte glanced down. Clara nodded, her eyes wide.
Nathaniel grimaced and then dropped to his knees. He righted the table and then picked up the broken pieces of glass, placing them on the table.
“I hope she does. I fear that some people might set a bad example for her.” His gaze flicked toward Charlotte, and he was happy to see her bristle.
“I think it’s only right that a child should have some freedom to play. This isn’t a school after all. It’s a home, and Clara’s liberty should not be restrained.”
