Mrs Beare looked at the child, who had cowered away at the mention of the orphanage. She frowned. “What is it, child? Surely the orphanage is better than your Mr Smith?”
“Ma said it was a bad place. When I were bad, she said she’d send me there.”
Mrs Beare put her head on one side. “So you have a mother?”
“No. She went to heaven. Annie found me and took me to Mr Smith. She said I’d be one of her girls when I’m old enough.”
Mr Beare strode into the room. “That settles it. She must go to the orphanage. We cannot allow her to become a fallen woman.”
His wife sat on the bed with an arm around the little girl. She turned to her. “What’s your name?”
“Mr Smith calls me Goldie.”
“But what did your mother call you? Can you remember?”
Mrs Beare had to lean forward to hear the whisper.
“Emily.”
“Well, Emily, tell me what you did for Mr Smith.”
“Begged. He said I’m pretty so people’ll feel sorry for me and give me more.”
“Emily, I will not let you go to either Mr Smith, or the orphanage. I have an idea, but I need to talk to my husband about it.” She stood. “Stay here. Harold, come along with us. Bring a toy to play with, but leave Jacob with Emily.”
“But, mother…”
Mrs Beare frowned. “Don’t argue, Harold. Do as you are told.”
He handed his rabbit to Emily with a sullen look, and followed his parents. “What if she runs away with him?”
“We will be outside the room. She will not be able to leave without us seeing her. Go and take your train into the sitting room until we call you.”
Mr Beare stood, head cocked to one side. “What is it, Grace? What’s going on in that head of yours?” He laughed. “I can’t see what alternative there is to the orphanage.”
“Oh, but there is, Albert. You know how I…we…wanted more children, but none came after Harold? Remember our prayers, asking God to help us? We thought that He had decided we should have no more children.”
Mr Beare nodded.
“Well, I think He has answered our prayers after all.”
“You mean… .” He looked at the bedroom door.
His wife nodded, a smile covering her face. “Yes. Emily. I think that God has sent her to us, both in answer to our prayers and to help her, too. I think we should adopt her.”
Mr Beare frowned and shook his head. “I’m not sure, Grace. Adopting a street child? She’s a thief. She entered our house and took things.” He gazed at his wife.
“She took an opportunity that presented itself. She only did it from fear of this Mr Smith. She’s a beggar, not a thief.”
“It’s a big risk, Grace. Suppose Mr Smith still has some influence over her?”
Mrs Beare sighed. “If she’s living here with us I do not see how Mr Smith, whoever he is, can get to her.” She held onto her husband’s arm and gazed into his eyes. “Please, Albert. You know how I long for another child, especially a little girl. And here God has provided us with one. Are you going to reject God’s gift?” She opened her eyes wide and smiled at him through her eyelashes.
“You know I can’t deny you, especially when you look at me like that.” He bent and kissed her. “I won’t reject God’s gift, either.”
If it had not been unladylike, Mrs Beare would have jumped up and down.
“You realise we’ll have a difficult job getting her civilised?”
She grinned. “Yes, but I like a challenge.”
On entering the room, Emily was huddled in a corner of the bed, holding Jacob the rabbit tightly. She stared at Mrs Beare with wide open eyes.
Mrs Beare sat next to the little girl. “How would you like to live here with us, Emily?”
Emily frowned. “You want me to be a maid here?”
“No, no. I…we want you to be our little girl. Our daughter. We want to adopt you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will live here with us. We will give you clothes and food. You will go to school. You will have toys. You will have everything our son, Harold, has. He will be your brother.”
“Not go back to Mr Smith?”
“No.”
“And have a rabbit to cuddle, like Jacob?”
“Yes. And other toys, too.”
Mr Beare entered, looking severe. “You’ll have to be good, though. No more stealing.”
Emily put her hand in her pocket and drew out the brooch she had taken from Mrs Beare’s jewellery box.
She held them towards Mrs Beare. “Sorry. Mr Smith would beat me if I had nothing to give him.” She hung her head as tears filled her eyes.
“You will call me ‘mother’, or mamma, if you prefer, and Mr Beare you will call ‘father’ or ‘papa’. But first we must get you clean and see to those wounds.”
Mrs Beare called Jane and told her to prepare a bath. When the hot water had been poured into the metal bath set before the fire, Mrs Beare washed Emily’s hair and gently sponged her back. Her clothes she gave to Jane with instructions to wash them, and to dry them as quickly as possible before the range. She then plastered a salve on the raw switch marks.
“What are we going to dress you in? You can’t walk around naked. It is indecent.” Mrs Beare thought for a minute. “Wait here, Emily, I won’t be long.” She left the room and sought her husband.
As she crossed the hallway, Jane rushed up the stairs.
“Ma’am, Mrs White says the dinner is ready, and will be spoiling.”
“Oh, Jane, tell Mrs White I’m sorry. We shouldn’t be too much longer. Try to keep it hot, please.”
Jane dropped a curtsey and went back down the stairs.
Mrs Beare entered the dining room. “Albert, we can’t have Christmas dinner with Emily with no clothes. The vicar has a little girl about the same size as Emily. I’m sure his wife will not mind lending us an old dress of hers.”
Mr Beare rose and tapped his pipe on the side of the fireplace, where a fire blazed. “And you want me to go and ask.”
“Yes, please. She can’t put her old clothes back. Not only are they ragged, but they were filthy, so I had Jane burn them.”
“And I suppose I’ll have to ask for some underwear, too. All right. I’ll go straight away.”
Mrs Beare reached up and kissed him on the cheek, then returned to the sitting room and Emily.
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Dragons Rule OK. V.M.Sang (author) 