Chapter 21 Pinning Down Peter Pan

42 10 0
                                    

I rose early on Saturday, intending to sneak down to the kitchen with one quest in mind: to pin down Peter Pan before he flew away again

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

I rose early on Saturday, intending to sneak down to the kitchen with one quest in mind: to pin down Peter Pan before he flew away again. I even skipped my workout for this. Unfortunately, Wencelaus decided to park his chubby butt outside my door that morning and without looking, I stepped on his back. I gave a yell, thrown off by a squishy body under my foot, and stumbled back against my door. Wencelaus yelped and backed away from me, whining pitifully.

"Ugh, go be lazy somewhere else, ya stupid marzipan-colored dog," I muttered grumpily. He whined even more pathetically, giving me big eyes and putting his head down. I sighed and knelt before him.

"You're an expert at wrapping people around your paw, aren't you?" I asked him with narrow eyes. He held out his paw at me just then. I tapped it, then squeamishly patted his head and stood up.

"Okay, you're alright, but ya got a lousy sense of character, ya know that? I mean, you hang with Gwan." he wuffed happily and rubbed himself against my legs.

"Or maybe you're just love-starved..." I observed and gave him another little pat before going down. He followed me all the way to the kitchen.

"Good morning Miss Alyssa! Is that Wence with you?" Bealey smiled at me as I entered before craning his head at the four-pawed figure behind me.

"Yeah, I think he's lonely," I commented, sitting down at the table. Bealey promptly placed a steaming cup of coffee for me before placing a dish of sausages before Wencelaus.

"I suppose he has been feeling a tad bit left out lately... It's been so busy around here," Bealey said while watching Wencelaus eat.

"Because of the Charity Ball coming up?"

"Yes, it does require a lot of care and attention. But so does this little boy." Bealey bent down and stroked Wencelaus' body fondly.

"My nephew found him two years ago in a gutter and brought him here. I tried to keep the poor fellow hidden but he got out and ran straight to Lady Westrope. She was scandalized at first and I was afraid she'd want to put him to sleep for good—thankfully, Master Henry stepped in and laid out how humanitarian it was to raise a lost puppy. Lady Westrope, being persuaded, has kept him ever since and hasn't found any reason to despise him."

"So Daylen rescued the puppy—figures," I mumbled into my coffee cup. I mean seriously, that boy keeps finding new ways to surprise me. One minute he's a violent defender of damsels in distress, the next he's rescuing desolate puppies. Is it weird that I swooned a little at the thought of him on the inside? Such a lady-killer.

"Didn't your nephew want to keep him?" I asked, glancing at Wenceslaus who was chowing down his breakfast with gusto.

"Oh he did, but given that he travels a lot and he has to stay at Angel Lane, he thought it better for Wence to stay here and have a comfortable home."

"He must really have a big heart... So where is he? Your nephew I mean." I tried not to let my burning curiosity show too much.

"Oh, he's in the conservatory, clearing it up a bit for Miss Helena. I believe she's hosting a tea party today." Oh, how I itched to race straight to the conservatory that very moment! I sidled away from the table after draining my coffee.

Walking HeartthrobWhere stories live. Discover now