The Ward of Nampara: A Poldark Fan Fiction (COMPLETE)

Chapter 2

Ross woke up to Demelza's warm body against his. He wanted to go to the mines early today, so he would have leave without saying goodbye to his wife. He kissed her on the top of her head and stood, gazing fondly at his sleeping son, Jeremy. He walked down the hall, hearing Prudie and her husband Jud snoring. Exiting through the kitchen, Garrick, the family dog, trotted behind him out to the stables. Ross was in the process of saddling his horse Darkie when he noticed Garrick was staring at the hay pile.
"Find another rat?" Ross asked, turning. He noticed Garrick nosing around in the hay, whining. He saw movement under the hay. A skinny arm, a frayed skirt, and a head of messy hair. A girl turned to face him. She looked at him, scared and bolted out of the hay pile.
"Wait!" Ross hollered after her. The girl ran into the courtyard, but she tripped and fell hard. The girl sat up, clutching her arm. Ross stopped in front of her. The girl looked at her bandaged feet and saw them turning red; one of her cuts must have reopened.
"You're hurt." He said.
"Don't!" the girl screamed as he took a step towards her.
"I'm not going to hurt you." Ross said taking her gently by the shoulders. He noticed the bruise on her arm.
"Let's get you inside. Maybe you can tell me how you ended up in the stable."

Ross opened the door, noticing Demelza in the kitchen.
"Ross! I thought you had already left."
"Demelza, we had an unexpected guest in the stable last night." He said, guiding the girl into the door.
"Oh! Bring her here Ross!" Demelza said, setting the girl down at the table.

Demelza unwrapped the girl's feet.
"You're poor feet are cut to hell! What happened?"
"I cut them when I ran."
"Why did you run?" Ross asked, and the girl stopped talking and looked at the floor.
"Do you live with the tenant farmers or one of the miners? I know all of them, I can help you if it was your father...."
"No, not my father....I haven't seen my father in six years." The girl answered and moved to cover her head with her arms and winced.
"You need to get your arm examined; I have a friend who is a surgeon."
"No! I can't go back! Not after what happened!"
"What happened?" Demelza asked gently, but the girl looked at the floor again.
"Well," Ross said "Can you at least tell us your name?"
"Emma." The girl said softly.
"Emma, why don't you stay here and rest and I'll have Dr. Enys look at your arm and feet later today? You don't want to go home with a broken arm now would you?" Ross asked her.
"I don't have a home." Emma said.
"Well, surely you live somewhere," Demelza said.
"I live at Crawley Hall, but it wasn't my home."
"You worked there?" Ross inquired, and Emma nodded in response.
"What town is it in?" Demelza asked.
"Carnvale, an hour walk from Truro."
"You walked all the way here with your feet like that?" Ross asked
"I had to get away." Was all Emma said.

Ross looked at the scrawny and ragged girl in his kitchen. She looked to be no older than Demelza was when he brought her to work for him. Demelza and Ross left her alone in the kitchen and went into the parlor.
"What do you think happened to her, Ross?" Demelza said, looking up at her husband.
"I can't say; whatever it was, she's terrified."
"What should we do?"
"I have to go to the mine and get Dwight, but you, Prudie and Jinny can keep an eye on her until we come back later today. She's a little girl, I don't think she'd hurt anyone."