“Ten going on twenty, this solemn child. Probably due to all her painful and difficult experiences, and being left so often in the company of adults. Kate wondered whether, with her poor deformed leg, she had often been able to play with other children, to learn what it was like to be a child herself. Once again arrived safely on the first floor, Christophe left them briefly in the foyer to retrieve the wheelchair. “Enough exercise for now,” he told his daughter firmly, when she objected. “You thought to hide your fatigue, ma petit, and the fact that you are feeling some discomfort. Now you shall rest a bit. There, sit. Yes, sit, I say.” “I’m so sorry, Chris.” Kate was horrified by her own obtuseness”