Laurence’s face crumpled, and he began to cry. “You said you were a real knight! You said you protected people. Why won’t you protect my sister?!”
His wails brought Summer around, and she put a hand to her head, making a quiet sound of pain. “Laurence,” she whispered, and struggled to sit up.
“I will protect Summer! But I want to protect all of you at the same time, Laurence. And I can’t do that if I’m not here, can I?” He remained at his level but removed his hand, fearing that that would only make the child cry harder.
But at another soft voice, he whirled around, remaining in his crouch as he gazed over at her. “You’re alright now, Summer. Sir Kit is gone.”
She smothered a soft gasp with her hand, instantly ducking her head. “I’m sorry, my lord,” she whispered. “Is the child bothering you? Laurence, come here.” She pulled the crying boy into her arms, rocking him and stroking his hair. “Shh, now.”
“He won’t protect you,” Laurence sobbed, flailing a small fist at Sir Isaac. “He won’t take you away to be safe.”
Summer blinked down at the unruly curls, puzzled. “What are you talking about?”