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“Be careful. He might be timid,” Clara said. However, the children were already rushing forward, eager to pet the dog. Thankfully, the dog seemed to revel in this attention, and its tail wagged furiously as it received a lot of love. It twisted its head and its body, enjoying the feeling of the children’s hands roaming over its fur, and then it rolled onto its back and revealed its belly, kicking its legs in the air.

“He’s not going to hurt you Sophia; he’s lovely!” Emily cried out, grabbing Sophia’s arm and pulling her forward, forcing her to pet the dog before Sophia could do anything to resist. When she realized that Emily was right, a wide grin broke out on Sophia’s face.

“Well, I think it’s safe to say that he’s going to be happy here,” Gerald said.

Teddy looked up and gasped.

“Wait, you mean he’s staying?”

“That was the intention, unless you don’t think he would fit in with the four of you. Perhaps I should take him back home with me? After all, when I found him, he did follow me for a time,” Gerald said.

“No, he can stay here. We’ll look after him,” Teddy said, the words rushing out of his mouth in a quick torrent. He placed his arm protectively over the dog, as though he was strong enough to prevent anyone from taking him away.

Gerald chuckled.

“You don’t have to worry, Teddy; the dog can stay. But you children must look after him correctly. Take him for walks, play with him, and most importantly, do not give him too many treats.” Clara pointed her finger in the air and adopted the stern tone she used exclusively for the children and, on occasion, Gerald.

“What’s his name?” Oliver asked, squinting.

“He’s your dog. You should all decide on a name,” Gerald said.

Clara wasn’t entirely sure how this was going to go, given the children could rarely agree on anything, especially Teddy and Emily.

“As long as it isn’t Clara,” Clara said.

“No, that would be silly. It’s a boy, and besides, we can’t name the dog the same as our boat,” Teddy said.

“We should call him Duke,” Emily suggested.

“Yes, because it followed the Duke home!” Teddy exclaimed. It seemed as though Teddy and Emily had found some common ground after all; they were both enamored by the Duke. “What do you think, Duke? Do you like that?”

The dog rolled around onto its paws and yapped loudly, its tail still wagging, its head lifted high into the air. It jumped up a little and this delighted the children. Duke started to chase them.

“Why don’t you show Duke the grounds,” Clara said. They all rushed outside, the sounds of gleeful laughter and excited barks fading as they went into the garden.

“I’m glad they all seem happy about the arrangement,” Gerald said. Clara turned to face him, smiling softly.

“It was a kind gesture, thank you. I’m glad that you were thinking of them.”

Gerald chuckled. “How could I not? They’re wonderful children. I don’t quite know how they all managed to end up here, but I suppose not everyone is meant to be parents.”

“No, I suppose not,” Clara said. Gerald moved to the window and looked at the children playing with the dog. Sophia was still a little timid, but the others had thrown themselves into play. Oliver found a stick and was throwing it into the air. Duke ran after it, scampering back and forth, bringing the stick back to the children.

Clara observed the scene, and especially the content smile upon Gerald’s face. When he reflected on his words, she realized that while some people became parents even though they were ill-suited to the task, other people who would make good parents were not blessed with children, for one reason or another. It struck her that Gerald was that type of man.

He did not have to go out of his way to bring Duke to the children, and he could have left the task to Clara. However, he had wanted to see the looks on their faces for himself and the way he watched them now… it was as though he cared for them like they were his own.

For a long time, she thought the best judge of a person was how they treated children. When she was younger, she met many people who her parents considered charming but were dismissive of her and never indulged her curiosities. They treated her like a nuisance instead of a person, as though age was the only qualification of respect. Others, however, had spoken to her politely and treated her words as valuable things, not willing to dismiss her ideas and feelings simply because she was a child.

Clara still felt the same way now. Oh, how it would have been easier to dismiss Gerald if he had been dismissive of the children. How easy it would have been to hate him if he looked down his nose at them and ignored them.

But he didn’t.

He cared, just like she did.

Gerald turned his head.

“While we have a moment alone, there is something we must discuss. I wish to apologize for my conduct in the maze. I am not sure what came over me. There was a moment where I lost control of myself and almost broke your sacred rule. I hope you do not hold it against me, or do not think me a monster. I would never seek to make you feel uncomfortable, nor broach the limits of propriety. It shall never happen again. I hope this can go some way to easing the tension between us, for I have felt some unease since that party.”