Chapter 397

Noises from beyond the library door catapulted him back to the present: the sound of a child crying mingled with a distinctive, broad Yorkshire accent. A moment later, the door was flung open, and a woman appeared with a hysterical toddler in her arms.

"Sorry to disturb you." She addressed Kate, oblivious to the tension in the room. "But Hazem has banged his head on the kitchen table." You know how he runs everywhere. "Look, there’s a lump the size of an egg coming up on his forehead, but he won’t let me console him—he wants you."

Quickly, Kate held out her arms and took the sobbing child from the cook, her heart clenching when he wrapped his arms around her neck and burrowed close. "Shh, it’s all right, darling." Let me look at your head. She brushed his dark curls off his brow and inspected the livid bruise before applying the ice pack Beatrice had handed her. "That’s quite a bump you’ve got there, but there’s no real harm done."

Hazem’s sobs gradually subsided as she cuddled him. H