Page 140 of The Enchanted Land

Adam threw Seth a look of hostility and continued his whining.

“I think you ought to leave now. Adam needs his rest.”

He had been dismissed! He turned and left the room before rage began to control his thinking. He stormed into the kitchen where Roselle and Martin were drinking coffee together. “What the hell’s going on here? I leave for one week and what do I come back to? A shell of a wife in a filthy dress who hasn’t slept in a week, and a son who whines and demands! What happened to the little boy I left here, the one who smiled and laughed? Do you know what she was doing when I walked in?Begginghim to eat! My little son, whose whole life is controlled by food! She’s up there pleading with him to eat.

“He’s finally learned to say no, and from what I heard, he says it quite often. And that goodamn spoon on a tray—”

“Mr. Colter, we know. We’ve been watching it all happen.”

“Well, something has to be done about it. Maybe I’ll be able to reason with her at dinner.”

“Then you’ll be dining downstairs?”

“Of course, we will. Where else would we eat?”

“Mrs. Colter no longer uses the dining room. She takes all her meals in the nursery with Master Adam.”

“When did you start all thisMasterAdam?”

“Mrs. Colter thought it was more fitting to the young sir.”

“Young…!” He spun around and left the room. He doubted he’d ever been angrier in his life. He had to calm himself. After a bath and a shave, maybe he would feel like reasoning with her.

When he’d finished, he was still angry, but he realized that some of this was his fault. Lupita was right. Morgan needed someone to control her life.

She was sitting beside the bed, reading to the little boy. Adam was frowning, so unlike his old dimpled self.

“Morgan, are you ready to go down to dinner?”

“I’ll stay here. Adam may need me.”

He lifted her under her arms. The dress was wet. “How long has it been since you’ve had a bath?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’ve been too busy lately.”

He pulled her to him, his arms around her. “I don’t care. I still love you. Come eat dinner with me and then I shall personally give you a bath.”

Behind them, Adam made a whining, petulant noise.

Morgan tried to pull from Seth’s grasp. He held her, but she looked at him with fierce eyes. “Let me go!” she snarled at him. Surprised, he dropped his hands. She went to her son’s side, feeling his forehead. She sighed in relief.

“Morgan, he’s not sick any longer. He’s perfectly healthy. All he needs is to get up and run, maybe ride a horse.”

Morgan faced him, hands on hips, her face shrewish. “Ride a horse! The doctor said his illness was caused by some insect bite. He probably got itwhileriding a horse. Now, if you want to stay here, be quiet. I have a sick child to care for, and he needs my attention.”

Seth could swear he saw a look of triumph in Adam’s eyes. He left the room, closing the door behind him.

Dinner was a lonely meal. Seth stared at his plate. He’d sworn to wait for her even if it took years, but he couldn’t stand by and let her ruin her life and their son’s as well. What was he going to do?

He especially didn’t like what she was doing to his son. The little boy he’d grown to love and the whining tyrant upstairs were two entirely different people.

Colter, he thought, you’ve stood back too long. There’s only so much a man can take before he has to assert himself.

Upstairs, he decided not to go to the nursery again. He wanted to see no more of what he’d seen today. He lay awake a long time, thinking. It wasn’t an easy plan he came up with, but it was a necessary one.

In the morning, he went back to the nursery. Morgan was asleep. She looked worse than he remembered. He kissed her cheek and she jumped, awake instantly.

“Did you sleep well?”

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