At dinner, they were introduced to Lady Victoria and Catherine's fiancé, Edward.
"I didn't know you were due to be married" said Grimsby, joining in the main conversation of the dinner table.
"Really," enquired the Earl? "An invitation was sent to David and Eileen." An uncomfortable silence fell over the meal, and lasted for several painfully long seconds, with everyone constantly switching their gaze; everybody that was, except for Eric who kept his head down to avoid making eye contact.
"Although I suppose it'll just be David attending" said the Earl, desperate to break the silence.
"Father" snapped Catherine in a hushed tone!
"Right, of course, my apologies Eric" Tony continued. Grimsby inwardly cringed as every sentence did nothing but add to the previous. Another awkward silence was once again broken by the Earl.
"I don't suppose any plans have been made for a funeral yet?" Carlotta sighed, bringing her knife and fork together in the middle of her plate.
"If it's all right with you milord, I'd rather such subjects be left for now" she said. Grimsby nodded in agreement.
"I think that's wise," he said, casting a sideways glance towards the young Prince. "Are you tired Eric." Now, being only a child, Eric would never admit to being tired, but right now he knew it was the quickest exit he had and so nodded, swallowing his tears.
"Thank you for the meal" he said politely, mustering up everything he had in him to keep his voice steady.
"Good boy" whispered Carlotta, picking Eric up and propping him on her hip.
"Sleep well Eric" said Grimsby, as Carlotta carried the young Prince from the room.
En route to Eric's room, Carlotta stopped outside her own; making sure that Eric knew where to find her should he need her. By the time the two of them reached the end of the corridor Eric was practically asleep in Carlotta's arms. The maid helped him dress into his pyjamas and brush his teeth before laying him down under the white sheets, making the decision to leave bathing him until the morning. She raked her fingers through Eric's hair, brushing it out of his eyes as he settled down under the covers. Only then did she notice the slight dampness of Eric's cheeks.
"Oh darling" she said, pulling out a tissue and gently wiping away the four year olds tears.
"When can we go home" asked Eric, staring sleepily up at Carlotta?
"Eric, darling, you know the answer to that," replied Carlotta, "we can't go home until the builders tell us we can."
"When will that be?"
Carlotta sighed. She knew that Eric was shy around new people, and he'd much rather be in his own home where he felt comfortable. But right now he didn't have much of a choice.
"Darling I really don't know, but probably not for a long time" replied Carlotta truthfully. A shuddery sigh escaped Eric's lips as he reflected on this. Although the people here seemed nicer, and he'd much rather be around them than his father, all Eric really wanted to do was go home. To be somewhere he felt comfortable and, for the most part, safe, especially after the stress of recent events.
Not a minute after Eric had fallen asleep, did Catherine put her head round the door.
"Is everything alright" she asked, keeping her voice down to avoid waking Eric? Carlotta smiled and got to her feet before joining the young lady.
"I think so" she said, closing the door halfway. Catherine smiled before her face dropped.
"I can't imagine what it would be like to lose my parents at such a young age," she said. "How's he coping?"
"About as well as we thought he would," replied Carlotta. "He was never close to his mother, but he's always been such a caring boy. We knew it would cause a great deal of upset despite the circumstances."
"Of course, I understand. I suppose things won't change much for him then" suggested Catherine, as she and Carlotta walked back to the hall.
"Oh no, I imagine things will change quite drastically" said Carlotta, thinking about how David had put Eric's in Grimsby's charge, and wondering what on earth the King had in mind now.
It was late that night when Eric awoke. Unsure as to what had woken him the young Prince sat up and sleepily rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. Upon opening his eyes, Eric remembered that he was no longer in his own home. Moonlight flooded Eric's room, the furniture creating long shadows that seemed to reach out towards the four year old. But Eric wasn't scared; he was well past the stage of being scared of things like that. Well, that wasn't entirely true; but there were more frightening things in his world than shadows. So he wasn't quite sure why it was that moments later he jumped out of bed to go and find Carlotta.
The door to his room swung open slowly, allowing Eric to slip out into the corridor. There were two large windows on one side, but the moonlight had been blocked out by thick curtains. This meant that Eric was stood in complete darkness. Carlotta had shown him which room was hers twice, but everything looked so much different during the day; not to mention the fact that Eric had actually been able to see then. The young Prince tried to remember how many doors down Carlotta's room had been. Four maybe… no, five… possibly six? Drawing up all his courage, Eric started walking down the corridor, his legs barely able to support his weight they were shaking so much. He ran his hand along the wall, feeling for the fourth door. Once he reached it he looked back the way he'd come to see that his room was far too close for this to be Carlotta's room. The fifth door seemed about right, but Eric soon found that it was locked so it couldn't be. By the time he reached the sixth door Eric was starting to panic, there was no way this could be Carlotta's room. In his exhausted state, Eric began to cry. Soft sobs rose from his chest as he lowered himself to sit on the floor. This wasn't fair; hadn't he been put through enough already?
That's how Catherine found him a few minutes later. She left the bathroom and turned back towards her own room when she saw Eric saw about ten paces in front of her.
"Eric" she called softly? The four year olds head snapped up and he looked at Catherine through teary eyes.
"Are you alright" she asked, walking over slowly and kneeling down in front of Eric? Eric shook his head and turned away. Catherine sighed. Although she had only met Eric for the first time today, she had already grown very fond of him, and seeing his so upset broke her heart. Despite Eric's answer to her previous question, she could see quite clearly that he wasn't as alright as he pretended.
"Do you want me to take you back to your room" she asked? Eric looked back at her, turning his head slowly and considering the offer. Catherine seemed nice enough, and she'd been nothing but kind to Eric since he arrived, but he wanted Carlotta, he was used to having her and he wasn't sure he wanted that to change. He didn't like change. Change always brought about arguments, there was always someone who was unhappy when things changed. But after Grimsby and Carlotta, neither of whom Eric could find, the young Prince would have chosen Catherine to help him. And so, with a little hesitation, Eric nodded. Catherine smiled kindly and lifted Eric off the floor and into her arms.
Whereas Carlotta was a plump woman, Catherine was quite the opposite. Her thin figure and slender arms weren't at all what Eric was used to, but in a strange way, provided him with the same amount of comfort. As upset as he was, Eric found himself able to relax in Catherine's arms as she carried him back to his room. Once she had laid him down, she sat on the edge of his bed much like Carlotta did, and caressed his cheek with her smooth hand. For a moment she found herself lost for words as she stared into Eric's watery blue eyes.
"What's the matter" she asked?
"I want to go home" replied Eric quietly. Catherine's heart filled with sympathy for the young Prince.
"It's not that bad here," she said, deciding that it was best to try and ease his worry. "Everybody's really nice, and we'll all look after you." Eric didn't look convinced, but he nodded slowly, appreciating her efforts. Catherine smiled; she really was beginning to like Eric.
"How about this," she began. "After breakfast tomorrow we'll go into the garden, just you and me, I'll show you all my secret places." Now Eric was listening.
"You have secret places too" he asked? Catherine nodded.
"Lots of them; just special places that nobody else knows about" she said. "Did you have some at you home?" Eric nodded, but then froze. All the places he used to go, all his hiding places, they'd all be gone now, burnt to the ground with the rest of the palace. Catherine had realised it too, and acted quickly when the first tear slid across Eric's cheek.
"You can share mine if you want" she suggested, wiping away the four year olds tears with the corner of the duvet. Eric seeming bewildered for a moment; only because he wasn't used to people being so kind to him.
"Thank you" he said tearfully.
"It's okay, it can be our little secret" said Catherine, winking at Eric. Then to Eric's surprise she started singing to him, something that not even Carlotta had ever done. Her sweet voice began lulling Eric back to sleep and in that moment, Eric forgot about everything. His father, the fire and his mother's death all vanished. In that moment Eric was a child, something that he had only ever accomplished in his dreams. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad here after all.