A Prince for Aunt Hetty by Kimberly Truesdale Page A

other. It was only as they reached the door into the warm parlor that Hetty realized her hand was still in his. She tugged slightly at it, embarrassed that she had not noticed it before. But he did not let her go.
    He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it gently. Even through her glove, the heat ran straight up her arm. He flashed her a crooked smile, let go of her hand, and stepped into the room.

Chapter Seven
     
    H IS HOUSE WAS the noisiest it had ever been and Rupert couldn't have been happier. He retreated to the main hallway just at the bottom of the stairs. He was It again and the children were scattering throughout the first and second floors to find good hiding places.
    The snow was now falling heavily, so Rupert had suggested an indoor game of hide-and-seek. The relieved look of thanks from Hetty had been ample reward for the havoc the children were about to wreak to his rooms. He would have let them destroy his house, if only it would make her smile at him.
    He'd never thought so much about a woman. He'd had flirtations before, but the mysteries of those women were soon discovered. Hetty, though, he couldn't quite figure out. It was in the way she treated the children... the way she treated him.
    She thinks of us as equals .
    She does not look down on me.
    Rupert was used to women who looked through him. It made it that much easier to look right back through them. But with Hetty, it was different. She saw him and maybe, he hoped, respected him.
    “We're ready!” shouted one of the girls from somewhere in the house.
    Rupert shook himself out of his thoughts. “I'm coming for you!” he shouted back and started down the hall.
    He made loud and exaggerated movements to let them know exactly where he was. At each open door, he walked heavily into the room and announced his presence. “Are you in here?” he asked and then listened carefully for any shifting movements or giggles. He'd already learned that the children would giggle easily when they got excited or nervous. He swiped the curtains to the side but found no one.
    And so he moved through the first floor of the house. On this first round, he found Stephen and young Harriet, catching them as they tried to wiggle past him and out of the room. They shrieked with laughter, though, as he grabbed them and swung them around.
    “Noooo!” Harriet yelled.
    “Did we win? Did we win?” Stephen jumped up and down.
    “No, silly, we lost,” Harriet told her little brother.
    “Oh,” he pouted.
    Seeing the little boy's disappointment, Rupert gave him a wink. “I'll tell you what. How about I pretend I never saw either of you and you try and hide again? Then you'll have a good shot at winning.”
    “Yes!” Stephen yelled and ran out of the room without further ado.
    “Remember not to go into any room with a closed door!” He yelled after the boy. Hetty had insisted on some limitations for the children. Or they will get into everything .
    “Thank you, Mr. Henderson.” Young Harriet smiled shyly at him and then skipped away. He certainly could get used to the exuberance of these children. They made his heart light.
    He followed them slowly, calling out again as he entered the hallway. “I'm coming to get you!” Rupert listened carefully to the noises of his house. He heard the patter of feet on the second floor, so he headed back to the main staircase.
    As he stomped up the stairs, he heard a bark of protest from one of the children.
    “Not in here! This is my spot!” Then the sound of running feet and finally silence.
    As he reached the top of the stairs, he said again, “I'm coming to get you!” He headed down the hallway to his left. Already he heard giggles coming from one of the rooms. He stalked in, looking around to see where a child could have hidden. Then he spotted it. Movement under the sofa. Their mother won't be happy with me for all the dust the children will pick up here . He feinted to the other side of the room.
    “I thought I heard