Read Online Little Girl Lost by Val Wood - Free Book Online

though she was entertaining guests. He greeted them all, then drew his mother aside to tell her that this was a fleeting visit only and he would come again next time he was over. ‘I didn’t want to leave Amsterdam without seeing you,’ he said. ‘But you know how it is when business calls.’
    â€˜Of course I do. Your father was just the same, but you must make time for friends and family as well. They are important too.’
    He told her about Nicolaas, whom she remembered well. She clasped her hands together and murmured ‘
God zegene hem
’, then patted her son’s arm. ‘Go, then. Next time I’ll ask your sister to come too.’
    He travelled back to England on the evening tide and the following morning strode home the short distance from the dock. He ran up the steps, rang the doorbell and let himself in with his key just as Florrie came hurrying to the door, pushing her hair beneath her cap. He smiled, remembering Cornelia’s long tresses.
    â€˜Oh, sir,’ she said. ‘You startled me. Mrs Vandergroene is still abed. I’ve taken her breakfast.’
    â€˜And Margriet?’
    â€˜She’s up and dressed, sir, and having her gruel. Shall I tell her you’re here?’
    â€˜No. I’ll go up and surprise her, but perhaps you will tell my wife I’m home. She won’t like a surprise,’ he added jokingly.
    â€˜No, sir, mebbe not.’ Florrie dipped her knee and ran up the stairs in front of him.
    Frederik continued up the staircase to the top floor and was about to knock on Margriet’s door when he heard voices. He paused. Who was in there with her? Miss Ripley? But she didn’t usually come so early, and Florrie would surely have mentioned her. He put his ear to the door and listened. Margriet was saying, ‘What I think we should do, Anneliese, the next time we visit the garden, is to say quite emphatically’ – she pronounced the word firmly – ‘that we would like a little dog of our own to play with.’
    Another voice replied, a child’s voice but shriller than Margriet’s. ‘Oh, but Margriet, we must ask
emphatically
for two little dogs so that we can have one each.’
    Frederik frowned. Who was that? He tapped softly on the door and slowly opened it. Margriet was sitting at her table with her back to him, a dish of gruel in front of her, but there was no one else in the room. She hadn’t heard him come in, so he slowly backed out again, knocked briskly and entered once more.
    Margriet jumped, startled, but on seeing her father pushed back her chair and ran into his arms.
    â€˜Hello,
lieveling
.’ He kissed her cheek. ‘Are you pleased to see your papa?’
    â€˜Oh, yes!’ she said. ‘You’ve been gone such a long time.’
    â€˜Not really,’ he said. ‘Only a week.’
    â€˜It seems much longer,’ she pouted. ‘Miss Ripley has been sick and hasn’t been for our lessons, so I haven’t had much to do and the days were very long, even though Mama set me some work to do.’
    â€˜Did she? Was it interesting?’
    Margriet sighed. ‘Not really.’
    â€˜When I came upstairs,’ Frederik said casually, ‘I thought I heard you talking to someone.’
    Margriet’s mouth opened and then closed. ‘Oh?’
    â€˜Yes. I thought that perhaps you had a friend here.’
    She looked at him, her eyes wide, and then she licked her lips. ‘N-no.’
    He made a pretence of looking round the room and under the table and then raised his eyebrows. ‘She’s disappeared! I must have frightened her away.’
    She gave a nervous laugh, as if unsure how he was going to react, which bothered him. He wanted her to know that she could always confide in him.
    â€˜I was thinking whilst I was away,’ he remarked, and sat down in the other chair at the table. He noticed that she watched him carefully, as