LOVE IS FOR CHILDREN ── enola holmes

prologue

She was nothing less than destroyed. Shattered. Aching. And then, numb. Nothing in exchange for nothing. Tears falling like ghosts caressing her cheeks.

Natalia Rhodes is a shell of who she was when she thought that she had a love meant for forever. And she does not yet see a way out of this darkness that she is sinking into. But time is a remedy best served with love, and that is exactly what the Rhodes siblings gave to their sister.

Luther was good about bringing her new books to read, she had always been fond of reading, especially when he had access to his school's library. He made sure that she had something to distract herself with, even if it was just letters from their brothers.

Callum and Vanessa insisted that she join them at their home outside of London every so often. They let their children drag their aunt out into the garden where she would laugh and smile for hours on end, something that had been a rarity for the past few months.

Harris was a nervous wreck when he confessed to his little sister that his wife might be pregnant. Yet as Natalia let herself be consumed by the joy of yet another addition to her family, Harris could only share a knowing smile with Amelia at the perfectly, unplanned distraction.

Zachery brought news to distract his sister with as well, and he also begged her for advice. He had fallen head over heels in a matter of months and with slow coaxing her brother was due to be married.

The three new women of the Rhodes family learned, oh so quickly just how tight the Rhodes siblings all were (a strange occurrence in the world they lived in). There was nothing that they couldn't ask of Natalia that she wouldn't follow through with. All of the brothers depended on each other with pride. And they found themselves in a group of people who felt like more than family. They found themselves with people who cared, especially Natalia Rhodes.

Natalia Rhodes, to be frank, knew exactly what her brothers and sister-in-laws were doing. She played along, even letting herself fall into the overwhelming happiness that they surrounded her with. It was hard not to collapse in their embraces and just let it all go.

A part of her screamed that she couldn't, shouldn't.

That part of her were the pieces that spent time at the Holmes' home. In the overrun gardens and book filled hallways, always smiling alongside Mrs. Holmes and little Enola.

In the place that she had been to so often as child, in the place that she had fallen in love — Natalia finally started to bloom again. Filling in the emptiness that had been building in her heart. Allowing herself to grow into someone without a lover. She began to heal.

Almost a year had flown by since Natalia found her heart again. And then, there it was, the news that threatened to send her back over the edge.

An interest. A merger. A boy who belonged to one of her father's business partners. A boy that she despised more than anyone else. A boy that they were going to force her to marry.

Gerald Crowell. The second son of the Crowell's. A trust fund bastard who made Natalia's skin crawl whenever he got too close.

Her mother refused to listen to reason, and her father refused to hear her at all. Her brothers became furious as she began to slip. Callum threatening to kill him and Luther warning her whenever their parents made plans.

Another year races by them, and Natalia is stuck in a relationship she despises, that she avoids in the countryside at every opportunity. Even Eudoria Holmes decides to teach the young woman skills that she hadn't dared to before. Everyone except her parents seem to see the fear building in her bones, shining in her eyes.