“Ahoy, matey!” Royce yelled as she walked inside. His ash-blond hair flopped across his shining brown eyes as he bounced on the bed. “I’m a pirate!”

“Are you?” She reached up to untie the sheet, which had served as a main sail. “Do not tie these to the gas lamps, sweeting. Else you’ll set fire to us all.”

A gleam of mischief crossed his face. “I could burn the house down. Then we’d be rid of the earl.”

“Royce, how dare you say such a thing?” she scolded. “Without the earl, we’d be out on the streets.”

“But I want to live on the streets,” Royce said, slashing his shoe toward Emily, as though it were a sword. “We could rob the rich and give to the poor,” he said. “We’d be outlaws like Robin Hood.”

“And where would you sleep at night?” she asked, taking the shoe away.

“I’d sleep in a tree, of course.”

“In the park?”

He bobbed his head again, falling backwards onto the bed, his arms and legs spread wide. Emily began picking up the tin soldiers where Royce had left them strewn about the room. One of the soldiers had numerous dents and barely resembled its original condition. She scooped the rest up and set them upon a desk.

The battered leather shoes suddenly caught her attention. Royce had used one as a sword while he wore new shoes made of fine leather.

“Where did you get these?” she asked.

“They were here this morning upon my trunk.” Royce snatched a pair of tin soldiers and began a mock fight. Then he paused a moment. “Didn’t you buy them?”

Emily shook her head.

“It must have been the elves,” Royce said, nodding. “Like “The Shoemaker and the Elves”.”

Emily gave a pensive smile at his mention of the story. “Yes, you’re right. It must have been the elves.” Yet she knew who had bought them—Stephen. He really had been listening to her last night.

The thoughtful deed meant more than she wanted to admit. Tucking the sheets back on to the bed, she said, “The day is lovely. Shall we go for an outing?”

Royce beamed at her suggestion and within moments helped her put the room to rights. After donning a cloak and bonnet, she asked Harding to send along a footman to escort them.

As Royce struggled with the buttons, she noticed that once again, the “Elves” had gifted the boy with a new coat. The black wool was perfect for a boy of his size, and Royce put on a new straw hat. He beamed at her as he showed off his finery.

“Where did these come from?” Emily asked.

Royce grinned. “Harding bought them.”

The butler shook his head discreetly, and Emily tried to push away the feeling gathering around her heart like a warm blanket.