Page 1 of An Orphan for the Broken Duke

One

“Lucy, what do you have there?” Violet Beaumont called out just as Lucy walked around the corner. “What is that…”

Lucy was a little girl of three years old. Even at that age, she was small in stature, far too skinny, and she always walked with her shoulders hunched and her posture withdrawn, which made her seem even smaller. Her hair was dark black, worn straight, and it fell to her waist; she had a habit of using it to cover her face. A shame too, because her face was adorable, with her big green eyes and rosy cheeks.

She had been hiding for the past hour—a fact that had worried Violet because she had spent the hour searching for the girl. Although she knew that Lucy was not one to run away, she was also not one to ask for help if she needed it. She was far too shy for that.

So, when she appeared around the corner of the building, having come from the alleyway, Violet breathed a sigh of relief and hurried for her.

As she did, she spied something clutched to the girl’s chest.

Is that a stuffed bear?

“Where did you find that?” Violet reached the young girl and crouched down.

“There.” Lucy pointed quickly back towards the alley. She was not one for words, and it had taken Violet months to build enough trust between them that she spoke to her at all.

“A new friend?” Violet chuckled, eyeing the item that the little girl held. “Have you named him? Or her?”

“No.” Lucy shook her head.

“Can I take a look?” Violet held her hand out, hoping the girl would trust her enough to hand it over.

She did, albeit with some hesitancy. Lucy’s life was one of tragedy, as all the children of her orphanage were, so to give up something that belonged to her was difficult. But her face grew determined beneath the fallen strands of hair, and she slowly held the stuffed animal out.

Violet laughed gently as she went to take it, and then she retched.

Oh no…

It was not a stuffed animal at all! Rather, it was an old shoe. Now that Lucy held it out, Violet saw it clearly. It was made of leather, but so worn and wet and moldy that it had shrunk down and become misshapen. Violet grimaced with both sadness and a little pity.

“Lucy…” She smiled sadly as she took the old, worn shoe. “This is… you should not have this. It is not to play with.”

“Why?” Lucy looked helplessly at Violet.

“It is not a toy. Please…” Crouched down, she met the young girl’s eyes. “Trust me, Lucy. Do you trust me?”

“I do,” Lucy said, even if her tone was disappointed. “I trust you.”

That she did at all spoke volumes about how far they had come, and Violet wondered how this interaction might have gone just a few months ago. But the little girl did not try to take back the shoe, and for that, Violet was grateful.

That she is so desperate for a toy or a friend that she might mistake a thrown-out shoe as something to hold dear… it breaks my heart.

“Hurry inside,” Violet said as she stood back up, holding the old shoe at arm’s length. “I will be in shortly. Go on, now.”

Lucy looked hopefully at the shoe a final time, then she turned and skulked toward the front door of the large building before ducking inside.

Violet hurried around the alleyway and tossed the shoe back into the gutter. Then she wiped her hands on her dress, and she laughed. As sad as that little interaction was, she would not trade it for anything. Such was how much she loved those days spent at the orphanage.

Free of the shoe that was certainly not a toy, Violet turned and hurried around the building. It was a large warehouse—one that might have once housed various wares brought in through the harbor that was not so far away. From there, such wares would be taken to London, several days north. It felt a world away to Violet, as it did for all the children.

Now, the building had been transformed into an orphanage. It was huge in size, but that did not mean it was comfortable. There were dozens of children of all ages crammed into the large space. There weren’t enough beds for them, and nowhere near enough workers to watch over them either. Food was sparse. Toys sparser still. At most, it offered them a roof over their head which, considering the history of most of the children, was a blessing not to be sneezed at.

As for Violet’s place in the orphanage? She was a helper. There was no pay involved. There was no future. But the chance to help the children, to make them believe that they were loved, was all the pay that she needed.

Such was her way…

When Violet walked into the orphanage she did a quick scan, searching for Lucy. There were dozens of children running about, playing and screaming and having fun, but Lucy was not one of them.