Pricing The Heart

Chapter 18

Eloise knew it was not a figment of her imagination; she was indeed being watched. For many days she had speculated on the possibility of someone watching her while she went riding, but she hadn't been certain until today, when she raised her gaze in time to watch her audience retreat behind the curtains.

A small smile tugged on her lips as she turned and led the horse back to the stable. She had kept her ride short today, the sun absent in the gray sky as she re-entered the sleeping building and made her way up the stairs. Pausing by a closed door, she pounded lightly on it. Silence met her. Turning the knob, she pushed open the door.

"Adam?" Eloise called quietly, stepping into the dim room. The embers in the hearth had died out, but the lit candle on the fireplace provided enough light for Eloise to see Adam's small frame concealed beneath the white covers.

Crossing the room quietly, she paused by his bedside. "I know you're not asleep," she said, settling on the edge of his bed, unwilling to be deceived. Nor was she willing to be dismissed, for she did not believe a chance like this would present itself in the near-future; a chance to unravel the mystery that was Adam. And she had indeed tried. For several weeks since she met the young lad, she had tried to get through to him, to befriend him, but had been met with a stiff wall—a wall just like his father's.

Perhaps father and son did not share a bond, but the two were more alike than they might even know, Eloise thought, smiling.

Choosing to ignore her, Adam remained unmoving underneath the sheets.

"Perhaps you might like to come horseback riding with me tomorrow?" That got his attention, for she watched something move under the sheets as his wide green eyes emerged.

Pleased to see she had discovered what interested him, she stifled a triumphant smile. "Did I awaken you?"

He shrugged. "May I truly ride a horse?!"

Nodding, she smiled. "Indeed," she said, and he gasped, shoving the sheets aside as he sat upright. Eloise's smile broadened as she reached out and smoothed his ruffled brown locks. "Can you ride?"

He shook his head, glancing down. "No."

Eloise was unsurprised by his response. With an absent father, an uninterested uncle and a sickly grandmother, the poor child had no one present to teach him—to be with him. She knew it was why he had grown accustomed to being alone and trapping himself in his bedchamber until she feared he might fall sick from his seclusion. It was a pity no one took an interest in him, but she was going to change that.

"I shall teach you."

He gasped, and for the first time since Eloise met the child, a small smile seized his thin lips. "You shall?"

"Yes, Adam. But you must earn your riding lessons as I require something in return."

The smile slipped from his face, and he watched her suspiciously. "I have no money. Grandmother says I'm too young to have any," he said pitifully, causing a soft giggle to escape Eloise's lips.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"Seven."

"I was a year younger than you when my father started teaching me to ride. He was an excellent teacher, and I dare say, the best. I shall teach you everything he's taught me, and in exchange, I require no money, only three things."

A frown returned to his face. "What might they be?"

"Kindness, patience and an open heart."

His frown deepened as confusion dimmed his gaze. "What are those?"