Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
“Your Grace! You are up quite early.”
Jane smoothed the skirts of her dress anxiously, trying to ease her nerves as she faced the housekeeper.
She had practically fainted the moment her head hit her pillow the night before, and had awoken before the sun rose, her mind plagued with thoughts from the previous day’s discoveries. Nothing had happened as she had expected it to – not her wedding, nor what followed after.
Although she had expected the duke to be cruel and vile, the interactions they had shared was slowly proving otherwise. It was still too early to tell, so she resolved to keep her guard up.
Her mind eventually went to his son, Reuben and her heart hurt for him.
Her own childhood might have not been fraught with the horror of an absent parent, but she understood the pain of neglect.
The image of the portrait haunted her mind as she thought of the little boy clinging to his mother’s skirts, saddened that neither of his parents offered to hold him in their arms.
There was something more to the story she had heard, and she planned to find out in due time.
Once she had heard the servants getting ready for day, she slipped out of bed and prepared for what she needed to do as well.
“Yes,” Jane nodded. “I thought it would be ideal to begin with my duties as soon as I could, so I can be of use.”
Mrs Greene smiled kindly at her, gently ushering her down the hall as she said,
“His Grace has informed us that your main focus should be the wellness of Lord Reuben. He is more concern about the little lord’s recovery, more than anything else.”
Jane understood why, given the circumstances, but she feared that she might not be capable of handling such a difficult task. If the doctors could not help, how could they be certain she would be different?
As if the older woman could hear her thoughts, she added,
“Perhaps you should have your breakfast first, as you barely ate last night. While you eat, I shall brief you of Lord Reuben’s daily schedule and afterwards, I shall formally introduce you to him.”
That sounded like a good idea and Jane agreed immediately, realizing moments later that the housekeeper had been leading her to the dining room.
Suddenly nervous, she wondered if the duke would be present as well, her face falling when she noticed that there was only one place at the dining table set.
“Is the duke still asleep?” she wondered out loud, much to her embarrassment.
Mrs Greene shook her head as Jane took her seat.
“No, Your Grace. He is an early riser – much like you – but he spends his mornings by himself. He has his breakfast alone in his room, as does the little lord, when he awakes.”
Jane frowned at the idea of both of them spending their mornings apart, when they were the only family the other had.
“Do they always eat separately?” she asked softly.
“Most of the time. The duke has been rather... patient with Lord Reuben but it is quite clear that the young lord’s silence unnerves him.
His Grace is by no means talkative, but he tries to communicate with his son as often as he can, despite the lack of response.
His Grace surmised it might be better to leave the child to his devices. ” Mrs Greene explained carefully.
Despite the tumultuous relationship between Jane and her parents, they had shared every meal time together. Work meetings and social engagements might take either one of her parents or both away for the night, leaving her by herself, but most of the time, they ate together.
How else could her father keep her up-to-date on every way she had disappointed him that week?
Jane wondered if perhaps she might suggest that the duke spend some more time with his ward, but a moment later, she wondered if she had any right to do so.
“Tell me about Reuben. What sort of child is he like?” Jane asked as the housekeeper poured her a cup of tea.
“He is a lovely boy. Quite curious and smart. His Grace hired tutors to oversee his studies, but they were unsure of how to properly educate the boy, so he dismissed them. But more often than not, the young lord has been found with a book in his hand or working out the solution of arithmetic questions. The duke has considered overseeing Lord Reuben’s studies directly but. .. he is rather occupied.”
“He likes to read? How lovely. I do, as well. Perhaps I shall share some of my favourite stories with him.” Jane stated in an effort to encourage herself with the possibility of bonding with the child.
The housekeeper nodded.
“I am certain you will be able to do so, Your Grace. He is mostly indoors – either in his private chambers or in his playroom. Whenever he feels like it, he will trail after the maids as they do their chores or go to the stables to see the horses – chaperoned by his nanny to keep him safe. He doesn’t go into the garden.
Not after what happened three years ago. ”
Jane recalled what the duke had told her about Reuben finding his mother’s body and surmised that was where she had been found. She wanted to know more about it, but perhaps in time, she would be able to ask.
Mrs Greene continued on, informing the duchess about the child’s preference for food and games. Jane listened attentively, hoping to find multiple ways she would be able to connect with him.
When she had finished her breakfast, she rose to her feet and asked,
“Would it be all right if I see him now?”
“Certainly, Your Grace. Follow me,” Mrs Green prompted as she led the way.
Now that Jane was more alert, she got a better view of the house.
The tall windows in the hall allowed the space to fill with light quite nicely and she could tell that what it lacked in warmth, it made up for in tidiness.
There was nothing out of place, nothing worn out.
Everything looked perfectly cleaned and maintained, telling Jane that the staff were quite adept at their tasks.
“He should have finished his breakfast by now and is likely picking through his collection of books for a suitable story for the morning – oh, good morning, Your Grace.”
Jane came to a stop as she noticed the duke standing before a door. She quickly lowered into a curtsey, surprised to see him so early. She had not expected to see him so soon and when she stood straight, she was not surprised to feel the familiar weight of his gaze.
“Did you rest well?” Thomas questioned, addressing Jane.
“I-I did. Thank you, Your Grace,” she nodded, blushing deeply.
He hummed, glancing at the door before him.
“I thought it might help if I was present during your introduction to him. Perhaps it might ease him into the change. I did try to inform him about it but... I received no response – which did not come as a surprise – and I wonder if he properly understood what it was I attempted to convey.”
That... was rather thoughtful of him. Once again, Jane was struck by the mysterious nature of the duke and how different he seemed to be from her expectation.
Jane nodded and walked to stand by his side as the housekeeper opened the door, cheerily greeting as she walked in.
“Good morning, Lord Reuben! I see you have set out your books for the day. Might I take a look at what the options are?”
The duke finally looked away from Jane and walked into the room, leaving Jane to silently trail after him.
Almost instantly, she was enamoured by the child seated on the floor, surrounded by some books. He was clearly engrossed, even with the housekeeper gently speaking to him and he did not look up from what he was doing.
There was another lady standing by the door and she curtsied at the sight of the duke and duchess, and Thomas introduced,
“This is Miss Becker, Reuben’s nanny.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace.” The young lady said.
“Likewise,” Jane smiled a little, shifting her attention back to the duke, who was staring at his son.
And when she looked at the child again, she was surprised to find him already staring at her. With a nervous smile, she waved at him a little, but he looked away after a moment, shifting his attention back to his books.
Thomas stepped closer to him and cleared his throat, speaking up even though he had not been acknowledged,
“Reuben, this is your new mother. I had told you about her, a few days ago and she has now arrived to care for you. I hope that you will trust and respect her during her time with us.”
The child did not glance up once while his father spoke, and as undoubtedly discouraging as it was, Thomas did not look in the least bit upset. He merely sighed in exasperation and glanced at Jane.
Taking that as her cue, she walked towards the child, speaking as softly as she could.
“Good morning, Reuben. My name is Jane.”
The child looked up at her, silently as she stepped closer to him. She glanced down at his books, smiling when she recognized some of the titles.
“I heard that you liked to read, but I did not know you had such exceptional tastes! Quite the refined young man, you are.” She said, pointing at one of the books.
“I had this one too, when I was much younger. I read it when I was ten years and I loved it, so very much. It was all I could talk about for days on end. I am quite impressed that you are interested in such a story at such a young age!”
He said nothing, simply continued to watch her with a curious light in his eyes. Jane could feel her courage fading, but she tried to keep her spirits up.
“Have you read it yet?” she asked gently, picking up the book. “Do you have a favourite character? I liked the heroine a lot. She was quite brave for a little girl. I used to dream of running away from home as well, to stowaway on a ship and live out my days sailing from one adventure to another.”