Chapter Five
Melody knocked on the door to Scarlett’s room and waited for her to answer, holding a stack of books in her hand that Scarlett had requested. She waited a minute and when she hadn’t heard anything from Scarlett, she knocked again. Without an answer, Melody opened the door, looking around the room to locate the queen. She found Scarlett laying in the window sill, buried beneath a mound of blankets and staring out of the window.
“Your Grace? Are you all right?” she asked, setting the books down on Scarlett’s vanity and heading over to the window.
Scarlett didn’t respond and Melody walked a little bit faster to reach the queen.
“My Lady?” she said, pulling her towards her.
Scarlett sighed softly and Melody let out the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding.
“Thank goodness,” she whispered, letting go and letting Scarlett roll back towards the window.
With a frustrated sigh, she left the room, heading downstairs.
She knocked on the door of the study where Alastair had secluded himself for the last couple of days. She had noticed that he had not gone to the hospital for the last couple of days and had instead, stayed in his study. He had not even left for meals, but instead had had Bard bring them to him to eat.
She heard him call out for her to enter and she walked in, smiling at his shocked expression.
“Your Grace,” she said, curtsying low.
“Melody, what can I do for you? Is everything all right?” he said, standing up from his desk.
Melody shook her head.
“No, Your Grace, nothing is all right. May I speak freely?” she asked.
Alastair bid her to do so and she said, “Scarlett is not all right. She is depressed and grieving, although there has been no sign that the queen is dead. It has been a very difficult six weeks for all of us, but for her it is the hardest. Catriona and Scarlett are family, and they have been very close for a very long time; this is taking its toll on Scarlett. It is my duty to keep Scarlett alive and happy but I can’t do that right now. Scarlett needs something to focus on to occupy her mind so she does not focus on the abduction. Is there anything you can do?”
Alastair thought for a moment and nodded. “I think I have something I can give her to do.”
Melody smiled.
“Thank you, My Lord. If we can keep her busy, she will be less emotional and better able to focus clearly on any information that is given to her regarding the queen’s whereabouts.”
She is a very smart woman.
“Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I knew that Scarlett had not been herself lately, but I didn’t know how bad it had gotten. I apologize and I will be sure to pay more attention. I have the perfect thing to keep her busy.”
Melody nodded and curtsied, leaving Alastair in his office alone.
He shook his head and berated himself for ignoring Scarlett because he was scared. He feared the woman and how she made him feel. Alastair sighed.
He looked down at his desk and sorted through some documents on his desk, looking for the one he needed.
An hour later, he walked down the hall to Scarlett’s room, a plan in mind. He arrived at her door and knocked, waiting for a response. When he received none, he knocked again. When silence greeted him, he tried the door, relieved to find it unlocked. Slowly he opened the door, sticking his head in to look around.
He didn’t see anyone in the room, but noticed a large pile of blankets on the window sill, which made him curious. He opened the door and came into the room, shutting the door behind him. He stopped when the bundle moved, Scarlett sitting up and looking towards him, her surprise evident to find it was him.
“Expecting someone else?” he asked with a smile.
Scarlett tried to scowl but gave up and sighed instead.
“I thought you were Melody. She thinks I didn’t know she was in here earlier but I did,” she said, wrapping the blanket that had fallen down when she sat up back around her shoulders. Scarlett watched him for a moment and waited for him to respond. “What can I do for you, My Lord?” she asked when he didn’t start speaking.
“You can come with me to the hospital and fulfill your cousin’s promise to visit the little ones who are sick.”
Scarlett eyed him warily.
“She promised to come visit them while we were here? I didn’t see anything like that on the itinerary for our visit.”
He nodded. “It was to be a surprise for everyone. Here.”
He handed her the letter Catriona had written to him before they had come to visit, expressing her desire to visit the hospital and see where they needed to make improvements.
Scarlett smiled as she read the note from her cousin.
“I think she would be happy if you did it for her. The children wanted to meet the queen and seeing as how you are acting queen, they would be more than excited to see you.”
Scarlett felt a smile come to her face for the first time in a long while.
“I will do it,” she said, knowing that even though she would be doing something for the children that they would be doing something for her too.
She reached out to hand him back the letter but he held up his hand.
“You keep it,” he said.
“Thank you,” she said, resting it in her lap.
“I will let the hospital know about our visit and then we can set it up for tomorrow.”
“All right,” she said, looking back out the window. As he went to leave, she whispered, “Thank you, Alastair.”
“It was completely my pleasure.”
The next morning, Alastair waited patiently for Scarlett to come downstairs, a carriage waiting to take them both to Elfyre Hospital for their visit. The hospital staff had assured them that they were ready for their arrival, and that the children had not been told about the surprise at all. Alastair could not have been more grateful to them for not telling the children about the original surprise.
His sigh filled the hallway.
The children were the most exciting part of going to the hospital, and he always made sure to check on them and visit before he left. He really couldn’t wait to see the children again, and one day become a father himself.
He and his father, Graham Kensington, had always been close to one another, and he was excited to potentially have that for himself one day. His mother Babette had made sure that Graham and Alastair spent time together, and she would even come with them sometimes, making the outing a family one.
They had wanted to go visit the sea, and since Alastair was now Prince of Elfyre Hollow, they had the freedom to do so. They came and visited him but he hadn’t seen them in a while, and he missed them. He would make sure to write and see if he could come visit them.
Bard nudged him gently and brought him back to the hallway and the woman walking down the stairs towards him.
“I’m sorry if I am late,” she said, reaching the bottom steps with help from Bard’s hand.
“Not to worry; the children don’t actually know we are coming so we have a little bit of time to work with,” he replied, holding out his arm for her to take.
She took his arm and couldn’t help but be drawn to him by the heat of his body, the feeling of safety she got when she was with him taking over.
Alastair smiled to himself and walked towards the door, waiting for Bard to open it and let them out. Scarlett stepped out into the sunshine and smiled, the warmth hitting her face and filling her heart with happiness. She was excited to visit the children and knew that Catriona would be proud of her for doing so.
Catriona had always been an active participant in any program that helped the children of the kingdom in any way, whether it was learning activities or assistance programs. She had always had a big heart and had pushed Art to create more programs for children, mothers who had children, and families in need, even before becoming queen.
Scarlett had always aspired to be just like her, and while she had tried, she hadn’t always been successful. Scarlett found she didn’t always have the patience for charity work, and sometimes it made her uncomfortable to be in situations that she had never been in before. She had joined Catriona on a few outings, but had given up, which Catriona had understood. This time though, she was not going to give up because she felt uncomfortable.
By the time they arrived at the hospital, Scarlett had calmed her fears about what she would see. There would be sick children, but she had always heard that even though they were sick, children always had a positive attitude and that made her more at ease.
The carriage stopped in front of the big building and Scarlett waited for the coachman to open the door for her, looking at the building through the window. It was large and a dark red brick, with many windows looking out on to the drive. She was almost intimidated by the building, but when Alastair took her hand in his, she felt reassured by his presence.
They walked in together and met the head nurse, Petunia, at the front desk where the patients were admitted.
“Welcome, Your Grace, and Your Highness,” Petunia said, bowing low.
“It’s wonderful to be here,” Scarlett said, smiling warmly.
“The kids will be so excited to see you. If you will just follow me this way.”
She started off down the hall and Scarlett and Alastair followed her, having to quicken their pace because Petunia walked very quickly. Petunia abruptly stopped and Alastair pulled Scarlett to the side to avoid crashing into the nurse, bringing their bodies in close contact to one another. They stared at one another for a moment and then Alastair set her away from him, clearing his throat.
Petunia turned and said, her voice excited, “I will go in and come up with something and then I will introduce you, all right?”
Scarlett and Alastair both nodded, Petunia’s excitement becoming contagious. Scarlett peeked into the room that the kids were playing through the half-open door.
“I have never seen a door like this,” she whispered, turning back to look at him.
“I had it specially designed so that the nurses could stand out here if need be and look in the room and check on them. I found the gentleman who was able to create the door by accident one day when I walked past his shop. It has two handles, but only on the outside of the door. That way they can open the top and leave the bottom shut, but the handles are on the outside of the door so unless the children are tall enough to reach, they can’t get the door open.”
“That is very impressive,” she said, looking at the front of the top piece that had the handle on it.
“I think I would like one of these doors if I ever had a child. I would love to be able to just stand up and look into the room and check on the child playing. That way I would not have to bother them by sitting in there and they could play freely.”
The thoughts those words brought up for Alastair frustrated him. He had not known Scarlett long enough to want babies with her, much less marry her. For the last six weeks, he had done everything he could to avoid her because of their kiss.
He pushed those thoughts aside and said, his voice slightly frustrated now, “I can definitely give you his information when you leave so that should you ever need one created for you, he would be happy to help.”
Scarlett couldn’t help but feel slightly upset by the thought of leaving Alastair and Elfyre Hollow but before she could process those feelings, Petunia introduced them to the kids, motioning for them to come in.
Alastair grabbed the handle and opened the door for her, letting her in.
“Hi, everyone,” she said, nervous now that she looked down at the adorable faces of all the children in the room.
“Hello,” they replied.
“Hi, everyone!” Alastair exclaimed, the kids all jumping from their seats and running over to crowd him.
“Hi, Lord Alastair!”
“Did you come to visit us today?”
“How long will you be here today?”
Scarlett smiled and giggled at Alastair, amazed that he was unfazed by all the questions.
“I am here all day today for your pleasure. I brought the Lady Scarlett here today to spend time with you too. She is a bit nervous, so can we make her feel really welcome and not nervous anymore?” he said, winking at her when all their faces turned towards her.
She blushed and Alastair smiled.
Two little girls walked over to her and took her hands, their smiles as big as their faces when they asked, “Are you a queen?”
She smiled and kneeled down, brushing a curl back from the little redhead’s face and said, “I am not the real queen. I am acting queen. I am helping the queen out until she gets back.”
Their faces fell and she looked quickly at Alastair.
“She is a princess though.”
Their faces immediately perked up at Alastair’s words.
“A princess!?!?”
Scarlett nodded. “I am. I have been a princess for as long as I can remember. I have been taught to be a princess since I was a little girl just like you two are.”
The little blonde next to the redhead reached out and touched Scarlett’s cheek.
“How come you don’t have a crown?” she asked.
“Well, I don’t travel with it on because I am notorious about losing things. I always have to make sure I have everything before I leave or I will leave something behind.”
They both nodded, the statement making sense to them.
“You know my name, but I don’t know yours. Can you help me out?” she asked, looking from little girl to little girl.
“My name is Sally,” the little redhead said,
“My name is Mellie,” the blonde said.
“Well, Mellie and Sally, can you show me where you play?” she asked, their faces lighting up and each one of them grabbing a hand.
They pulled her over to a small table and showed them where they had been playing with blocks, their small dolls they had been placed carefully in nearby chairs to watch.
Alastair smiled when Scarlett looked up at him, their eyes connecting for a brief moment before her attention was pulled back to the little girls. Alastair herded the other children back to their playing tables, drawn into a game of blocks, helping to build a castle just like Ashaven.
A few hours later, Alastair and Scarlett waved goodbye to the children, promising to come back to see them when they could.
Scarlett took Alastair’s arm and he escorted her out of the building, waving goodbye to all the nurses and staff on their way out.
“Did you have a good time?” he asked, handing her up into the carriage.
“I did. It was so lovely to spend time with them. They are so positive all the time and I can’t explain how happy that makes me feel. Even when they are not feeling well, they still are happy and positive and energized. I honestly am a little bit jealous.”
Alastair laughed. “I completely understand. Sometimes when I feel frustrated by something, I come here and spend time with them. They make a bad day into a good day again.”
“Where are their parents?” she asked.
“They stay in a set of housing behind the hospital. They can come and see their children whenever they want to and every few days, they get to spend time with their families. We try to limit their contact with other children in their families because they are sick and we want them to get better and not make the other children sick. Once they are better, they are on their way again and can go home.”
He looked out the window and then back at her.
“Sometimes there are children who have been orphaned. Those children are hardest to see because they have lost everything, but have a positive outlook for things. We locate homes for them and while they wait for a forever home, they stay with a group of nurses in the homes. We have occasionally had a nurse take a child into their care. I have never had a child come back.”
Scarlett felt his pride in his work and knew that this was what he was supposed to be doing.
“That is amazing. Has it always been this way?” she asked.
He shook his head.
“My father implicated a lot of these policies when he took over from my grandfather. I am ashamed to say that my grandfather didn’t really care to be a prince for what it really meant. He just wanted to be able to call himself a prince and take advantage of all the luxuries that went with it.”
He sighed and rubbed his hand over his face, his irritation growing just talking about his grandfather.
“I never really had a relationship with him, which was fine with both my father and me. When my grandfather became too ill to rule, my father eagerly took up the throne and changed things for the better. He taught me many things and brought this island back from where it was. I am very thankful for that and now strive to be half the man my father is.”
Scarlett rested her hand on his. “I am sure your father is very proud of you.”
“Thank you. I hope so.”
“Thank you for coming to the hospital with me today. The children are glad you came. I’m glad you came as well,” Alastair said, squeezing her hand in his.
“I am very glad I came. It was so much fun to spend time with them. When are you coming back?” she asked, pulling her hand out of his and leaning back in her seat.
“I wasn’t sure when to come back. The hospital is doing some repairs right now, and I told Petunia if they need me to let me know. I am sure though that they wouldn’t mind having us come back though. Would you like me to ask Petunia and see if we can plan another visit soon?” he asked her, smiling at the happiness that made her amber eyes sparkle.
“I would like that,” she replied.
“When we get back to Ashaven, I will send out a message and let you know what she said. Are you going to take dinner in the dining room or upstairs?”
She didn’t even have to think about it when she said, “The dining room.”
“Then I will join you if you don’t mind.”
She chuckled.
“I wouldn’t mind at all.”