Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
“When he died, she couldn’t stay in these rooms and remember. She missed him too much,” Essie whispered.
“Perhaps she understood a love like theirs only came once in a lifetime.”
Like our relationship. Essie nodded, wondering if he was thinking the same thing she was. Zander was right about Esther. Her aunt wouldn’t have settled for anything less. She turned and scanned the room. Her eyes were drawn to a panel in the corner. The details in the decoration signaled her to examine it closer. Two elaborate E’s intertwined together. The last section of one E appeared arrow shaped. Did it point to a darker spot?
“Zander! There!” She pointed toward a small opening built into the wood grain. She raced over to check the slot and held her hand out for the key ring as he joined her. Her fingers trembled as she fit the medium-sized key into the hole.
“How did you spot that?” he asked in amazement, running his fingers over the carved wood.
“The pattern drew my eye. That E seemed to point to something.”
She turned the key and heard a click. The panel slid away to reveal a dusty wooden floor. “Sara really didn’t find this room,” she whispered. “She must not have known about this extra space.”
“Let me go first, Little girl. I want to make sure the floor is safe.”
Zander walked inside with Essie plastered against his back, peeking around him. When he stopped abruptly, she kept moving, jarring them both.
“Whoa, Essie.” He steadied her with an arm around her waist as he drew her forward to see what had surprised him. “There’s a light switch. Let me turn it on.” He stepped to the side of the room and flipped the toggle. Soft light filled the space.
Essie looked around the room and froze. Her gaze rebounded to Zander’s face as she tried to confirm that she was actually seeing correctly. She stepped toward the first cloth draped piece of furniture and pulled the cover off, coughing as the dust she dislodged wafted through the air. After staring at the oversized crib, Essie reached out a hand to stroke the lingering shine of the polished dark wood. A doll rested on the pillow inside.
“That rascal built her a nursery,” Zander said, smiling as he shook his head in admiration.
“A nursery? They didn’t have any children.”
“This furniture wasn’t made for babies or small children, Essie. It’s sized for adults. Esther was a Little girl. Her husband didn’t just die. Her Daddy passed away as well.”
Shock at the proof of the couple’s lifestyle mingled with heartfelt sadness at the depth of loneliness her aunt must have experienced when Edmund died. Essie braced herself against Zander’s side as she scanned the room again. Her mind flew to the books she’d read where the Daddy had created a nursery for his adult Little girl.
“Esther! She was wearing a cute outfit downstairs. A short skirt and almost like a sailor top. She was a Little girl.”
“I bet we’ll find those play clothes over there in the wardrobe,” Zander suggested, pointing at the large, draped furniture piece against the wall.
“What are those other things?”
“Let’s find out.”
Together, they moved from shrouded item to the next piece of furniture. They carefully folded each dustcloth together to trap the dust inside. Zander and Essie discovered a changing table, a double-sized rocking chair, a table and chairs with a silver tea set on top, a filled bookshelf, and a toy chest in addition to the wardrobe.
“He built her a secret nursery. And kept it hidden from everyone. That’s so amazing,” Essie whispered. “What are we going to do?”
“We are going to bring this place back to life,” Zander said enthusiastically.
“Do you think Esther would be okay with us using her nursery?”
“I bet this is another reason she left the house to you instead of to your cousin.”
“Oh, God! Can you imagine what he would have said finding this?”
“I don’t want to imagine.” Essie propped her hands on her hips, setting off a puff of dust that had settled on her clothing. Immediately, she launched into a series of three vicious sneezes.
“Time to get out of this nursery, Little girl. Let’s get the dust rinsed away before your nose flies off.”
Chapter Nine
“I’ll run down and take a quick shower,” Essie said when they were back in the bedroom.
Zander stepped forward and ran his hands over her arms. “I’ve got a better suggestion. Let’s shower here.”
“Here?” she echoed. Did he mean together? Another sneeze interrupted her thoughts.
“It’s still attached, but I fear your nose isn’t long for this world, Little girl, if we don’t get you dust-free.”
He reached over his shoulder to grab a handful of his T-shirt and pulled it over his head. With a grimace, he dropped the garment to the side. “How did we get so dirty? Your turn.”