A small form was collapsed on the dirty street. Young Benjamin Barker stared curiously at the lump before he realized it was a girl. And a very pretty girl, at that. But something was wrong. She had a rather large bruise on the side of her cheek and blood trailed down from the corner of her mouth. Without thinking, eleven year old Benjamin Barker scooped the small girl into his arms and ran back to his home. Despite her grungy appearance, he couldn't help but notice how nice her hair smelled, which was a deep red colour that complimented her pale skin perfectly.
He rounded the corner and spotted his house, quickening his pace in an effort to get the girl in the house and get her some help. He managed to kick the door open with his foot, startling his mother in the process.
"Benjamin! What do you think you're doing, bursting into here like that?", she scolded before noticing the small form he held in his arms.
"Ben, who is this?", she asked , directing him to lay her on the couch.
"I don't know, mum. I was just walking and I found her in the street. I think she's hurt or something.", he told his mother earnestly while she assessed the small girl's unmoving form.
"We need to get her cleaned up.", she told him, her heart breaking at the poor sight of the young girl.
"Hattie!", she called for the maid, quickly ordering her to draw some warm bathwater and then dashing up to her room and finding some of her dresses from when she was much younger. She had kept them in the hope that she would someday have a daughter, but no such thing happened. Diana Barker knew she shouldn't be taking this street urchin in, but something had sparked in her. Of course, she loved Benjamin, but she had a fierce motherly need to do things with her children that a mother can only do with her daughter. It didn't help things that Benjamin's father had died a few years ago and that the house had been rather lonely with only her, Ben and Hattie. Not to mention the fact that the house was rather large for only three occupants.
Within an hour she had cleaned the young girl up, with the aid of Hattie and they had dressed her in an old dressing gown. Unfortunately, they could do nothing about the bruise on her cheek and this saddened Diana, for the young girl had such a pretty face. She wished she could find the person who had done this to her, she would beat the living daylights out the person. She sat vigilantly by the girl's side, waiting for the moment that she would wake from unconsciousness. She had already made up her mind that this girl would be her ward, would be like the daughter she never had.
The child stirred on the bed and whimpered in pain, before her eyes started to flutter open. Two eyes the colour of milk chocolate fixed on Diana's startled green ones. The child gasped and started to back away, her wide eyes displaying fear.
"Do not be afraid, child. I am merely here to help you", she said in a comforting voice. The girl looked around in confusion, slightly disoriented.
"W-where am I, Miss?", she asked softly, her eyes downcast in a polite gesture. Diana smiled. This child knew of her place in society well, to keep her eyes down when speaking to her elders.
"No need for that my dear. As for where you are, you are in my home."
The girl looked up, her brows knit in confusion.
"My son Benjamin found you unconscious in the street. He brought you here so that I could help you.", Diana continued. The girl's cheeks paled considerably, her eyes widening in pure unadulterated fear. She suddenly jumped up and launched herself into Diana's arms.
"P-please, don't send me back to him! P-please!", she sobbed, her tears wetting the shoulder of the older woman's dress. Diana's mouth opened in shock before she instinctively embraced the child, rubbing her back soothingly.
"Who, dear? Who am I not to send you back to?"
"Him. Daddy.", she whimpered, clutching tightly to Diana.
"Did he do this to you?", Diana asked softly, brushing the back of her hand against her bruised cheek.
She winced and nodded, crystal tears running down her small face. Diana smiled and rubbed her back.
"Don't you worry, child. I'm not sending you anywhere. You can stay here with me."
The child's eyes filled with hope. "Thank you, Miss! Oh, don't worry, I'll work extra hard and clean everything up for you!"
Diana frowned. "I'm not going to make you work, child, why ever would you think that?"
The child frowned. "Daddy always made me work. I had to bake the goods and clean the shop. And it's my fault that Mommy died. Because I didn't work hard enough.", she said, tears welling in her eyes at the thought of her mother.
"Oh, love, I can assure you, I am not going to make you work for me. I'm going to be like your new mother.", Diana told her. The child's face lit with delight and she embraced the older woman again, smiling happily.
"What's your name, dear?"
"Eleanor. But everyone calls me Nellie."
"Well then, welcome to your new home, Nellie."