Page 25 of A Touch of Charm (Miracles on Harley Street #3)

O nce they returned with a parcel of treats, Andre invited Mary and Thea back to his treatment room in the practice at 87 Harley Street.

“Oh, bones!” Mary shouted with glee and ran to the skeleton hanging from the wall. “How spooky!”

Andre suppressed a chuckle when Mary lifted the skeleton’s arms and cried “Boooooh…” in a foreboding voice as if she were a ghost haunting a castle.

Thea rushed to her side. “Come now, let’s treat her with respect.”

“Her?” Mary asked. “Did you know her before she died?” She clasped her little hands together, awaiting an exciting tale.

“We don’t know who she was, but she’s a real human,” Thea jumped in, gingerly removing the skeleton’s hands from Mary.

“She’s not a toy, I’m afraid,” Andre added.

Mary stepped back, pursed her lips, and eyed Andre curiously. “Neither is Thea, you know?”

Andre couldn’t help it; his eyebrows rose and betrayed his surprise.

“I do.” His voice came out like a slow, dark growl, not at all as he’d intended.

Mary turned back to the skeleton and stuck her hand between the ribs. “Where’s the heart?”

Andre received an apologetic glance from Thea, but he was happy to comply and explain basic human anatomy. “It sits here, protected by the ribcage.”

“Does bone heal if it cracks, or is it like stone?” Mary asked.

“It can, yes. Often, a fracture in the bone will—”

But Mary interrupted him. “And where are the seams of the heart?” the girl asked.

“Seams? You mean muscles?”

“No, when a heart breaks, I know it shatters. That’s why in the skeleton, it isn’t there, I suppose. But when it’s filled with love and bursts at the seams, where can those seams be reinforced?”

Andre narrowed his eyes. This wasn’t anatomy as much as a little girl’s interpretation of matters of the heart. He knew he had to tread carefully. “Where did you get these ideas?”

Mary turned to Thea, who was standing behind her, beet red. When Andre’s gaze found Thea’s, she deflated and put both hands on Mary’s shoulders. “We should go now.”

“No! I want to know.” Mary peeled Thea’s hands off her shoulders and looked up at Andre. “You’re a doctor, so you’re an expert in matters of the heart, whether it breaks or bursts.”

“Are these conditions you speak of ailments that require healing?” Andre pursed his lips, steadying himself for a response that would surely make him laugh, but he would not.

“Well, all I know is that Miss Thea said her heart would break if you didn’t return her feelings. But if you did, it would be so full that it would burst at the seams.” Then, the little girl put her hands on her hips. “Return now what’s hers so she stays healthy.” Then she reached out to Andre and held her palm up, ready to take those feelings into custody for her dear governess.

Meanwhile, Thea had turned a dark, almost violet shade of red, like spring tulips.

Andre had not seen this coming. His heart plummeted to his knees, and he forgot to breathe.

But Mary’s gaze was unwavering.

Thus, he did the only thing he could think of: He bent down into a squat and took Mary’s hand between his own. “You like Thea very much, don’t you?”

The girl nodded.

“And she told you all this about her heart?”

She nodded again.

Andre took a steadying breath and found Thea’s gaze. A frown line on her forehead betrayed that Mary had babbled. It was a secret conversation that hadn’t been meant for Andre’s ears. And yet, now he’d heard it, he had to respond. “Well, tell Thea I want nothing more than to keep her heart safe before it bursts.”

“What if it breaks and shatters? She’s rather afraid of it, and I know what that feels like. It’s why I sleep with Lady Felicity Whiskers now.” She fumbled for something in the pocket of her dress and produced the small carved cat figurine. It was painted white with a yellow ribbon tied around its neck. “Thea said I don’t need to be afraid when my kitty is with me because you gave it to me. That’s why I can’t give my kitty to Miss Thea. So it’s upon you.”

“For what exactly?”

“To protect Miss Thea from being afraid that her heart will break. You’ll have to keep her safe when she’s scared at night.”

Andre choked and coughed, unable to meet Thea’s gaze now. He would certainly like nothing more than to keep her safe at night, comply with ensuring her heart would soar with love, and be there for her whenever she worried.

That was the pivotal moment when Andre rose to stand before Thea. Her chest rose, and she looked at him with the vulnerability of a girl and the expectations of a grown woman to be loved.

Yes, that was the moment.

Andre knew that they didn’t come often in life, but every once in a while, something small occurred that turned life around forever.

“It would be my honor to do as you said, Mary. All of it.” Andre no longer spoke to Mary; he suspected that Thea knew that. His gaze locked with Thea’s for a moment, and her pupils grew, the color drained from her face, and her mouth fell slightly open. She’d understood.

I need a moment alone with her.

Somehow.

Now.