Chapter 5
Dylan had been away for a ten-day, leaving with obvious reluctance, on some business he declared he could not ignore, as much as he’d have preferred to stay home, keep watch and spend time both with the children and with Martin. His first night back, he invited Martin to come to his room as soon as the children were abed.
They’d established a habit of sharing the evening meal, all five of them, and Dylan often took a role in seeing the three youngsters off to their beds after an hour or so of quiet play to let their meal settle. Sometimes, he even read them a story. When he did not, Martin took that task and had even convinced Emmaline to read a bit as well. When she read aloud, her stutter almost vanished and he could see progress in her regular speech as a result. Donovan, th
