The awe had left her eyes since the passing of her parents and brother.
I strode down the narrow hallway, following the sound of Étienne and Livingston’s voices. Anticipation coursed through me; I was ready to shrug off my encounter I had with my parents and focus on business. It was the perfect distraction.
When I entered the sitting room, neither Étienne nor Livingston appeared shocked by my arrival. Livingston was sitting in one of the chairs, a drink in hand. Étienne was sitting in the settee, paperwork scattered across the elegant coffee table.
“Hello, Asa,” Étienne said, without lifting his gaze from the paper in front of him.
“Good evenin’. Are we ready to work?”
“Is he ready to work?” Livingston repeated with a laugh, before he shook his head. “Does tea come from China?” he asked rhetorically.
Étienne waved away Livingston’s statement and gestured to the settee across from his. “Sit.”
I began to make myself comfortable when I noticed a small figure beside Étienne. “Oh, hello, Nat.”
“Hello.” Nat’s gaze quickly met mine before it darted away. She slouched in the settee beside Étienne, methodically picking at the ends of her long dark hair.
At that moment, Étienne glanced at her. He shook his head and sighed deeply. “Sit up.”
Nat glowered at Étienne in a way I’d never seen before from her. What happened to my sweet little Nat?
Dropping her hair, she sat up straight, crossing her bony arms, and stared stubbornly ahead. “Can I go to the library?”
Étienne regarded her for a long moment. “For what?”
“Well, my guess is to read. What’s your suggestion, Asa?” Livingston chimed in.
At that, Nat reluctantly smiled. Étienne mumbled rapid French beneath his breath and flung his hand toward the door. “Fine. Go.”
Nat’s feet landed on the floor with a solid thud that was so loud Livingston and I jerked in unison. As for Étienne, he silently glowered at his little sister’s retreating figure.
Rather than hearing her walk up the stairs to the library, the front door slammed shut.
I looked between Étienne and Livingston with confusion. “Does someone care to explain Nat’s behavior?”
“She’s twelve but believes she’s twenty-two, that’s her behavior,” Étienne muttered as he removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “The death of Julian and our parents struck Nathalie much harder than I could have ever imagined.”
“I would imagine so,” I said. “She’s just a child.”
Étienne dangled his hands between his legs. His shoulders became slumped. Moments passed without him saying a word, but he didn’t need to. His defeat was palpable. Then, he lifted his head, and sighed. “I believed if she remained with me, we would be okay, but I’m beginnin’ to have doubts. Perhaps Aunt Christine was right. Maybe Nathalie should have gone back to New York to live with her.”
At once, I shook my head. My loyalty belonged with Étienne and his siblings. Breaking them apart didn’t sit well with me, no matter the situation. “Absolutely not. She needs to stay here.”
“I would have agreed with you a year ago. But we lost Papi last year and Mamie this summer. She’s experienced more loss than most people will their entire lives.” Abruptly, he stopped talking and stared at his hands. “Nat needs stable support surroundin’ her. Not two men in their early twenties, and I’m not a lady! I don’t know how to proceed when she’s upset. Maybe it’s best if she stays with Aunt Christine.”
Before anyone could say a word, Nat stepped out of the doorway shadows. My God, when did the girl come back inside? “I will not go to New York!” Her eyes were wide and filled with fear. At once, Étienne sat up straight. She looked between the three of us, and then lingered on me. As though I was the one to speak the words and betrayed her.
I had no iron in the fire. I didn’t know Étienne harbored these thoughts.
With a groan of frustration, her eyes welled up with tears. Nat turned and stormed out of the room, leaving us utterly baffled. We looked at each other, puzzled as to what we should do next.
“Mon Dieu, donne-moi la force,” Étienne muttered.
“One of us should speak with her,” Livingston offered, although he looked as though he would rather face a firing squad than speak with his younger sister.
I didn’t have siblings, and I was about as skilled with words as Étienne, but Nathalie appeared rather upset when she left. It seemed wrong not to check on her.
“I think Asa should go,” Livingston blurted.
Immediately, I veered back as though my name was selected to fight a bear. “Why me?”
“Because she gets stars in her eyes when you enter a room, that’s why. She’ll listen to what you have to say,” Étienne said.
With that reply, Livingston readily nodded. I looked between the brothers. I knew of Nat’s innocent infatuation with me. I’d known for years. Livingston, Étienne, and Miles were relentless in their badgering, saying the only woman who would ever fall in love with me was eleven years my junior.
I took their remarks in stride. I’d much rather it be me they teased than Nathalie. Everyone has fallen prey to puppy love, and she was a sweet girl. Nat would be crushed if she knew of the teasing. Soon enough, her infatuation would lose its intensity. Those stars would dim, and soon, as she grew older, they would fade.
I was certain of it.
“Fine. I’ll talk to her,” I said.
The relief in the brothers’ faces was instantaneous. My apprehension began to grow. It was only made worse when Livingston clapped me on the back. “Wonderful. Thank you. She’s likely in the garden. That’s where she’s been spendin’ most of her time as of late. If we don’t hear from you in five minutes, it was nice knowin’ you.”
I waited for Livingston to laugh, but he didn’t, and Étienne was solemnly nodding. Slowly, I stood. I thought everyone was being quite melodramatic for no reason. Nat was unmistakably upset, but she was twelve. How bad could she be?
I walked outside, my eyes adjusting to the dark. I looked around the garden, and just as Livingston said, I found her. She was sitting on a swing. The long ropes of the swing travelled up to a sturdy branch of a live Oak tree.
Nat didn’t see me approach. Her gaze was fixed on the well-worn ground in front of her where several feet before her had repeatedly pushed against the ground to swing higher than the time before. Well, most kids.
Nat had no intention of swinging her blues away, but it was clear whatever she was thinking of wasn’t helping. What could I say that would make her feel better?
I cleared my throat and stepped off the path. “You left the room quite suddenly.”
With a jerk, Nat lifted her head. Her wide eyes blinked rapidly before she quickly looked away. “I’m sorry. I-I was upset.”
“Because of New York?” I asked because Nat appeared distraught before New York was mentioned. Was that all that was bothering her?
At the mention of New York, her eyes flashed. Her feet landed on the ground with a resounding thud. “I’m not goin’ there. Did my brothers send you out here to speak with me or to change my mind? Because it won’t work.”