Chapter Nine

Gretchen's soft voice drifted to where Ethan stood holding the door to the nursery open. His eyes were immediately drawn to the red head who laid on the carpet with the baby on her chest. She sang a lullaby he didn't recognize, but for some reason, he couldn't get himself to turn around and walk away.

“I love you, Ellie.” Gretchen whispered, planting a kiss on Elizabeth's head.

Mustering the strength to turn from the scene that tugged on the strings of his heart, he silently closed the door behind him and made his way through the dark hallway and to his bedchamber, unable to forget the scene he had just witnessed.

He wondered if Gretchen slept in her own bedchamber. Was it possible that she sacrificed the comfort of her bed every night in order to sleep on the floor with Elizabeth?

Weary with several question, he found it impossible to fall asleep that evening. He laid on his back, his eyes fixed on the gray clouds as he watched the sun rise.

Struggling to his feet, he decided it was no use trying to fall asleep; he was eager to find the answers to his questions.

Making his way through the silent building and to Gretchen's room, he pounded lightly on the door. He imagined that she would be shocked to find him at her door so early in the morning, and while he didn't have a good explanation for his presence, he wasn't certain he was thinking correctly. He simply needed to know the truth about Gretchen's sleeping arrangements. If she indeed slept in the room assigned to her, he imagined she would have responded to his unceasing pounding by now.

Still, it felt like too much of a sacrifice that a nanny would give up her comfort to care for a child that wasn't even hers. He could barely believe it, not only because several nannies had turned their backs on Elizabeth after only a few days of caring for her, but also because Elizabeth's own mother had turned her back on her.

It would seem that Gretchen was unlike any woman he had ever met.

Stepping back from the door after several seconds of knocking, he turned to make his way down the stairs in search of Jacob. He found him seated on the front porch with his back to him.

“Good morning, Jacob.”

Visibly startled, Jacob sprang to his feet and whirled around, a loud crash following his actions.

Turning his attention to the ground, Ethan sighted broken shards of a tea cup on the stairs.

“My lord! Forgive me, I had no idea.”

“Sit.” Ethan gave the orders, thankful for the fact that the hot liquid hadn't spilled on the butler. Ignoring the broken cup, he settled on the stairs beside Jacob. “I would like to find out where Miss Riverside spends her nights,” he said.