A Prince for Aunt Hetty by Kimberly Truesdale Page B

someone in here...” he tried to tempt a giggle out of whomever it was, but he or she held firm. “Oh well, I guess I was wrong.” He stood still, waiting. When there was still no sound, Rupert made toward the sofa, walking slowly and pretending to look under, over, and behind all the furniture. He could feel excited eyes on him as he drew closer. He circled around the back of the sofa, still moving quietly so the child thought he had a chance.
    Just as he started to lean down to look under the sofa where he knew the child was hiding, there was a burst of movement and a little body scooted out the front, the opposite side of where he was standing.
    “Ah ha!” Rupert hurried around the furniture and scooped up Agnes just as she was getting to her feet. Her laughter rang loudly in the room. “I've got you!” Rupert yelled and set her down. She was still laughing as he said, “Help me find the others?” The girl nodded and pointed past the staircase to the opposite end of the hallway. Rupert winked at her and she giggled again.
    He tiptoed down the hallway, now moving as quietly as possible so as not to alert the children. But as he passed the staircase, he suddenly sensed that something was wrong. He stopped and stood up straight, trying to figure out what it was. The sounds of the house hadn't changed. There was nothing alarming coming from the kitchen. No smells to be concerned about. So what was it? He peered down the hallway, growing darker as the afternoon wore on.
    The light in the hallway was too bright.
    His door.
    He was sure he had closed it before they came. But now it was wide open and spilling light into the hallway. Rupert moved swiftly, trying to quell his panic.
    He really liked these children, but if they had made a mess of this room... A mess could be cleaned up, but if they'd gotten to one of his... no, he couldn't think about that. His mind moved faster than his feet, but he soon barreled through the doorway.
    “What are you doing in here?” he tried to keep his voice calm, not wanting to scare the children.
    But it was the not the children who swung around abruptly to meet him.
    “Hetty.” It was a statement made more to cover his confusion than to provide any information. The panic that had risen into his throat now settled into the pit of his stomach. She's found it. Oh God. What am I going to say? Why didn't I lock this room? The thoughts flew through his mind. He couldn't answer any of them.
    Hetty stood there with eyes wide. He couldn't read her expression. Had she seen it? She must have seen it. It was very hard to miss it. What must she think?
    After an interminable moment, Hetty shifted her gaze to the floor and stuttered out, “I... I'm sorry. I was just... the door was closed but I thought I heard the children in here. I came in to scold... I didn't mean to intrude... I didn't realize...”
    When she started to move past him to exit the room, Rupert finally spoke. “Please wait.” She stopped but did not say anything.
    Rupert carefully considered his words. “Thank you for your concern. I... uh... I'm not angry. But I feel I should explain to you...”
    “It's not necessary. Really.” She turned now to face him.
    “But... I think it is... and... I would like to know what you think...” He gestured for her to step back where she had just come from and she did. Rupert watched her while she examined what was in front of them. First he saw embarrassment, then a kind of interest, until finally she stepped closer to examine.
    When a very long minute had passed, she turned to him, a question in her eyes. “It's... it's me .”
    Rupert nodded. There, in this spacious room on the second level of his house with the gray afternoon light spilling in the tall windows, was a half-finished portrait of Harriet Masters. The canvas stood on an easel in the middle of the room, waiting for him to return to it. The pencil and chalk drawing he'd spent hours perfecting over the past week was