Chapter 10 - Secrets Revealed In The Hallway
Before Eleanor could formulate another defense, the parlor doors swung open behind us with a sharp click. Mrs. Gable stood in the doorway, wringing her hands anxiously while looking between my mother and me.
“Mrs. Whitaker, I’m sorry to interrupt,” Mrs. Gable stammered, her voice shaking visibly. “There is... someone at the front door asking for Mr. Daniel.” I frowned, turning away from my mother for a split second. “Who is it, Mrs. Gable?”
Before the housekeeper could answer, a familiar pair of small, snow-dusted boots stepped into the grand entryway behind her. My heart stopped beating as Noah peeked around the corner, holding a crumpled paper star in his mitten-covered hand.
“Mom said you forgot your thermos in the kitchen, so I brought it to you in my rocket ship truck,” Noah announced innocently, holding up a small plastic toy. Eleanor froze, her eyes darting from Noah’s face to mine with absolute horror.
“Who... who is that child?” Eleanor whispered, her voice dropping into a breathless rasp as she stared at my son standing in her pristine hallway. I walked slowly out of the parlor, kneeling down in front of Noah to take the thermos from his mittened hands.
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“Thank you, buddy,” I whispered, my voice thick with emotion as I looked into his bright blue-gray eyes. “Noah, this is my mother. She lives in this big house.” Noah tilted his head, offering Eleanor a polite, cautious little wave.
“Hello,” Noah said cheerfully, completely unaware that the elegant older woman staring at him had tried to erase his existence before he was born. Eleanor grabbed the edge of the hallway console table, her knees visibly buckling under the emotional weight of seeing her secret grandson in the flesh.
