Chapter Three

"Are you all right, enfant?" Frederic lifted his pale slender fingers to brush away a tangled lock of hair from the stunned little face before him. He carefully probed within the sweaty mass of wavy sun-streaked locks for injury, stilling quickly when he felt the tiny body quiver. Frederic silently let loose with a few well chosen oaths as he tried to soothe the boy.

"O-oui, monsieur…" stammered the child as he gazed slightly wild-eyed and uncomprehendingly at his unexpected rescue from another brutal punishment. "Merci beaucoup…No one has ever helped me before…" The monsieur's face went tight and pale with fury and he automatically cringed as far away as he could in response.

"Je suis désolé, petite…I did not mean to frighten you." Frederic deliberately made his tone soft and light as not to startle the child. It was obvious that the boy had suffered much and was accustomed to harsh treatment. He could not decide which angered him more. Forcibly dragging his thoughts away from murder and mayhem, he turned to a more pressing matter.

"Let us go and inspect your head more carefully. I suspect that you shall need some tending", striding purposefully towards the village's best inn, ignoring the mewling protests and assurances of complete health.

"Madame Morel!" called out Frederic as he carried the boy to the only private salon the inn had to offer, and deposited the child in the daybed near the tiny room's largest window. He bade the pale and silent child to await him and went to the door where he was met by the innkeeper's plump wife.

"Madame…I require hot water and some bandages, si vous plait" ordered Frederic as he bounded up the stair to his rooms. "Please bring to them to my salon right away." Without waiting to hear her response he disappeared into his rooms and snatched up a few bottles from a beautifully carved box he kept locked up in his valise. He hesitated as he passed his dresser and impulsively grabbed a small sack, stuffing it into his coat pocket.

"Ah…enfant…" said Frederic as he placed the various bottles onto the little table near the chaise, "Now, we shall do something about that bump on your head." Frederic sat next to the pale, stiff child and shifted his long tapered fingers gently into the sweaty strands, searching for the wound. "Where is that water?" he muttered irritably when a knock was heard from the door. "Took her long enough …Entrez!"

Madame Morel bustled importantly with the bandages as the inn's only maid, Jeanne, carrying a basin of steaming water, trailed sullenly in her wake.

"Merci, Madame Morel. Just place everything on the table please" instructed Frederic as he continued probing for more contusions. "Ah…Merci beaucoup, Jeanne. Please bring the water here," The little maid perked up as she coquettishly swanned her way to the young, attractive and rich monsieur. She puffed out her miniscule bosom as she made a show of placing the basin just-so next to the bottles. Turning expectantly around, Jeanne saw who it was the monsieur was tending to and gave a piercing shriek.

"Le Bon Dieu ! Le enfant de démon ! Madame!"

"Fermez le bouche!" snapped Monsieur Fournier as he tried to soothe the cringing child who was trying to disappear into a corner of the chaise.

Madame Morel ordered the shrieking maid to hush and shooed her out of the room. She returned quickly and stood nervously at the doorway, watching Monsieur Fournier gently cleaning the demon-child's wound.

"You wish to say something, Madame?" said Frederic glancing up irritably.

The good Madame nodded slightly and Frederic imperiously replied that he would tend to her later. Madame Morel lingered awhile longer, shooting nervous glances at the child and the monsieur, until she finally huffed out an anxious breath and swung away to the kitchen.

The little boy had not looked up the entire time the women were in the room and was still staring fixedly at Frederic's coat buttons. The child tried to calm himself down as the gentlest touch he had ever experienced smoothed his hair away from his wound and was dabbing a warm moist cloth at the dried blood that had clotted around it. The monsieur was muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "femmes stupides" but the boy wisely did not say anything to distract his saviour's annoyed mumblings.

"What is your name, enfant?"

The boy's head shot up and the monsieur's concerned face swam murkily in front of his eyes.

"Mon Dieu!" exclaimed Frederic as he watched the child's pale little face turn an alarming shade of green. "Lie down at once!" he ordered whilst pushing the boy gently against the plump cushions. Frederic hurried over to the table, returning to hold a cup against the child's lips.

"Here drink this slowly" he instructed as he carefully tipped the cup against the boy's mouth. "Can you do it?" and the child began to nod, then thought better of it and whispered the affirmative shakily. Frederic passed him the cup and rooted in his coat pocket, coming up triumphantly with a little sack.

"Here…Open your mouth" and when the child obeyed, Frederic quickly popped a little round lump into it. He watched in amusement as the child's eyes widened in surprised pleasure and then began sucking with voracious happiness on the bonbon.

"Not too many now…You don't want to make yourself sick" cautioned Frederic as he passed the boy the bag of mixed candies.

"Oui, monsieur. Merci beaucoup!" Frederic watched as the boy clutching the bag as though he held some sacred treasure and felt rush of sad certainty that no one had ever given the child anything before. Sighing inwardly, he turned to his various bottles and examined them critically as he tried to decide which would be best.

"Erik."