Work Text:
Shadow
Charlotte looked up towards the ceiling as the thunderous sound of numerous feet pounded across the floor above. A herd of horses set loose in the house could not have been much louder than the Colbourne children running down the hall. She could easily track their progress and was nearly certain the culprits would soon be making their way down the stairs.
Soon enough, the pounding echoed down the stairs and into the hall, growing closer and now accompanied by a concerned whispering. They stopped outside her door as a debate ensued about who would be tasked with entering her sitting room to either admit to some wrongdoing or beg her indulgence for their latest request. Smiling to herself, she bent her head back over her letter, pretending as though she had not heard them coming long ago.
“Hello, Mother.”
Mother, was it?
Charlotte looked up at her eldest son, biting her tongue at the seriousness of his tone. Only eight years old, and he took his role as heir very seriously. Behind him, his sisters were gathered in the doorway, their faces worried. They must have done something wrong and were here to confess in hopes of avoiding too harsh a punishment.
“Hello, William. I thought you were all playing hide and seek upstairs.”
“We were, Mother.” He cast a quick look over his shoulder, only for his sisters to wave him on. “It was my turn to search and…well, I found everyone else, but we’ve searched and searched all over, and we cannot find Shadow.”
His admission caught her attention. It was the nanny’s half day, and she’d tasked the older children with watching the youngest while she replied to her correspondence. “Is that not the point of the game, William? Do you mean to tell me a child of four years of age has defeated the entire lot of you?”
William hung his head. “We’ve searched everywhere upstairs, Mama,” he said earnestly, his eyes pleading. “Even the bedrooms and everyone was supposed to hide on the top floor. He’s nowhere to be found.”
The deep concern etched on their small faces nearly caused her to laugh aloud. No doubt it was more for themselves than for their lost brother, but she knew, in their hearts, they did love him a great deal. After all, he was the baby of the family and, as such, was doted on by them all. It only helped matters that he accepted their love with great patience and returned affection so easily. Still, they should learn to watch him more carefully in the future.
With a dramatic sigh, she pushed her chair back and stood. William retreated a few steps, his eyes as wide as his sisters’.
“I want all of you to go down to the kitchens and tell Mrs. Wheatley I sent you under strict orders that you are to be given only two biscuits each with your tea this afternoon. Tell her I will be quite busy searching for your brother.”
William’s shoulders sank with relief as his sisters smiled from the doorway, quickly jostling each other out of the way as they hurried to follow her directions. She’d apologize to the housekeeper later for sending them to her unawares. For now, she had a child to find, and she was fairly certain she did not have to look very far.
Taking the few steps across the hall, Charlotte paused outside the door of the study but heard nothing within. With the door closed, her brood of children would have known to leave their father undisturbed in their search, a firm rule within their household. Entering as quietly as possible, she stood just inside the room for a long moment, simply enjoying the sight before her.
Setting his work aside, Xander had turned his chair towards the window, as he sometimes did these days, instead of standing before it. His gaze was fixed on the streaks of rain running down the panes of glass, a position he could easily assume for hours if the mood struck him, and nestled against his chest was their son, fast asleep.
There was a reason their youngest child had earned the nickname Shadow. Of all their children, he was the most like his father, in both looks and temperament, and he’d attached himself to his elder counterpart before he could even walk. It had been the stablemaster, Mr. Ellis, who’d pegged him with the moniker, a shadow of his father, constantly following after him wherever he went. Neither she nor Xander referred to him as such, but the children had taken to it readily. Even the tenants had taken up the name, so accustomed were they to seeing the boy sitting in front of his father on Hannibal’s back as they rode around the estate.
Crossing the room, she smiled at the two of them, so alike that, at times, she thought she’d been gifted a chance to see her husband as he had been as a child. It was more than the dark curls, soft brown eyes, and freckles. Their son had inherited his father’s quiet, contemplative nature, his love of all things horses and the outdoors, and his sensitive soul. But surrounded by the love of his parents and the rest of his family, he would not bear the burden of pain that his father had, for Xander would ensure nothing less than memories of love and happiness for all of his children.
And although he loved them all equally, there was a special connection between the two of them, as though they recognized each other on a deeper level. Perhaps it had something to do with him being their youngest, but Xander seemed to have accepted his son’s attachment to him with an unexpected equanimity. He was the first person his son sought when he needed comfort or reassurance, and he instinctively seemed to understand when his son simply needed to be placed on his lap for a few moments of quiet.
Her husband looked up as she walked around the desk and sat down in the window seat across from them. His lips curved with the barest hint of a smile as he continued to rub gentle circles on his son’s back. It was not the first time he’d been caught in such a position, nor would it be the last. And he’d long ago accepted the teasing he received from his wife, niece, and eldest daughter over his obvious favor for his youngest child.
“Apparently, the others have been searching for him for some time,” she said softly.
His shoulders moved up and down in the smallest of shrugs. “They wouldn’t let him seek, so he sought me instead.”
A small huff of laughter escaped her. Of course, he had.
“Would you like me to take him so you can continue working?”
He shook his head. “I’ll carry him up to the nursery soon enough.”
She stood and leaned over to bestow a tender kiss upon both of them. “Alright, but don’t let him keep you too long. There’s no need to hold him the entire time he’s sleeping.” She gave him a knowing look, but he merely grinned sheepishly. “I’ll go and grant our elder children a reprieve. They are convinced he’s halfway to China by now, and they will be held responsible.”
She paused in the doorway, her hand on the knob as she watched her husband press his lips against their son’s curls before leaning his head back and closing his eyes. With a shake of her head, she silently left the room, closing the door behind her. Her son would not be napping in the nursery today and she found that perfectly acceptable.