Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
It had taken Jane the rest of the day to put things in order for her plans to redecorate the house to commence.
Right after the tour, Mrs Greene had instructed Adele to find some paper, pen and ink and Jane spent nearly two hours writing down the ideas that had come to her while she studied the house.
When she was done, another walk was taken around the house, with the two of them present as Jane explained her goals and the overall effect she hoped to obtain once the redecorations were done.
“How wonderful,” Mrs Greene beamed, looking as excited as Jane felt. “I will speak with Mr Johnson to make the final arrangements in order to procure the necessary manpower and materials you need to carry out all your desire. We should be ready to begin in two days time.”
“Excellent,” Jane nodded, relived that her ideas were so well received. “Do let me know when everything is in place.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” the older woman curtsied before taking her leave.
Adele lingered uncertainly and Jane couldn’t help but feel sorry for the girl, because Mrs Greene had informed her that she had just been a maid who helped care for Reuben occasionally. Now that it had also become her responsibility to look after the duchess as well, it was clear she was nervous.
“Thank you for your assistance, Adele. You many have the rest of the evening off, and we’ll reconvene in the morning,” Jane smiled easily, dismissing her.
The girl frowned uncertainly. “A-Are you sure, Your Grace? Will you not need assistance at some point this evening? Or even to prepare for bed –”
“I will carry on as I previously have. At least, for today. You can resume your duties tomorrow morning.”
The girl looked relieved, which reassured Jane she had made the right choice. Adele curtsied gracefully, rising up with a smile.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” she said, leaving moments later.
Jane exhaled deeply, feeling rather tired. After all the effort she had put in to overseeing the affairs of the estate, as well as planning for its redecoration, she was quite exhausted and in need of some rest before dinner.
But she had not seen Reuben since morning and the urge to be with him was still deep within her bones.
With sigh, she made her way to his room, her heart a conflicted tangle of pride and wary when she discovered that she had begun to find her way around the house much more easily than before.
When she arrived at the boy’s room, she found his nanny watching after him while he played with multi-coloured little blocks. Miss Becker spotted her almost instantly, but Jane held a finger to her lips so the woman wouldn’t give her away, and she continued to watch him play.
Now that she knew about the tragedy that had befallen the duke’s family, she felt a deeper sense of urgency to help him grow close to his son. After all, they were all the other had, and it was important that they be a real family. Whatever it would take, Jane was ready and willing to provide.
After a few minutes of observing the child, Jane stepped into the room and asked softly,
“You look like you are having a grand old’ time. Might I join you?”
Reuben looked up at her and smiled, but he did not speak. He held out a few blocks up to her, cradled in the palm of his hands, and she settled on her knees next to him on the carpet, accepting his generous offering.
The boy immediately returned his attention to his creation and she followed his lead, occasionally sneaking glances at him.
He looked more and more like Thomas every time she studied his features.
He was just as focused with his current task as his father had been the night before as he painted her.
Jane bit down on her lower lip to keep memories from that meeting from surfacing, willing herself to focus on Reuben completely.
“This is rather difficult,” she murmured to him with a grin. “Perhaps I do not have steady fingers like you do. Do you have any advice for me? What can I do to build towers as lovely as yours?”
Reuben stared at her for a moment, then he looked down at what she had made, shuffling closer towards her own haphazard structure. Gently, he took it apart and reassembled it, his moves purposely slow.
“Ah,” Jane nodded in understanding. “The trick is to assemble them carefully and precisely. I will do as you have shown me.”
He beamed and held out more blocks to her, clearly nudging her to try again. Jane accepted them as graciously as she had the first time. She got to work, moving as deliberately as he had shown her, smiling a little when she felt his gaze on her the whole time.
At the end of it, she had a semi decent work to show for all her effort, and his nod of approval was worth it.
They continued to play, with Jane making small talk alongside him, while he remained focused on his own creation, occasionally turning his face to her to nod or shake his head.
Reuben’s silence wasn’t something that made her concerned or nervous anymore, even as her hope to hear him speak someday soon remained.
After a while, Jane thought it was time to retire for the rest of the evening, and Reuben as well needed to go to bed.
“Well, little lord, I think it is time we part ways. For today at least. I will have Miss Becker tuck you in now and we can play again tomorrow,” Jane said, rising up to her feet.
She reached out and gently stroked his dark hair, marvelling at the way his soft curls clung to her fingers for a moment, beaming at him softly as his eyes rose up to meet hers.
“Sleep well, my lord. I will see you in the morning,” she whispered, fondly tapping his nose with the tip of her finger.
Jane turned around and started to walk towards the door when she felt a slight tug at her skirts. She looked down to find Reuben’s little fist clutching at the fabric of her dress, looking up her with wide eyes.
Her heart melted at his precious expression and she open her mouth to coo at him, intending to somehow convince him that it was in their best interest to retire for the evening.
Then his lips parted, and he told her, “No.”
Jane felt her heart slip past the confines of her ribs in surprise, hardly believing what her ears had just heard. She’d begun to move towards him but the sound of the door creaking on its hinges caught her attention and she turned to find Thomas standing in the doorway.
The mix of shock and relief was clear to see across his face, and Jane felt entranced to see him look so emotional. It was certainly unlike any expression she had seem him carry so vividly and she could not ignore how vulnerable appeared in that moment.
Jane blinked, willing her mind to come back to the main issue at hand and she faced Reuben properly, unable to keep herself from smiling brightly at him.
“You really are a wonderful child, Reuben,” she told him gently, holding his hands gently between hers. “I’ll stay for a little while longer, then. Would you like that?”
Reuben nodded, forgoing another verbal response but Jane was not disappointed. What she had gotten was more than enough this far.
After all, they had only just begun to bond.
They returned to the blocks and Reuben excitedly handed her some more, pointing at one of the towers he had made, as though he expected her to replicate his design. Jane glanced at the duke and had an idea, holding out a block to him.
“Would you like to join us, Your Grace? Trust me, it is much more difficult to do than it appears.” She said, tilting her head slightly.
Thomas regarded her for a moment, and a look of disappointment flashed through his eyes. She wondered if she had upset him with her request, but he shook his head.
“No, thank you. My hands are not... as nimble as yours. I would like to simply observe your great work. Both of you.” He stated, looking at Reuben who looked quite unwilling to acknowledge his father’s presence.
It was all Jane could do not to combust, blushing at the idea of being the subject of his attention once more. She had barely been able to hold herself together the night before and even then, the flush in her skin was quite obvious to him. She only wondered what he would think of her now.
“Suit yourself,” she huffed, scrunching her nose playfully as she looked down at Reuben who rewarded her with a bright smile in return.
They continued to play until it was well and truly time for all of them to retire for the night. Jane stayed long enough to tuck him into bed, stroking his hair and watching as his eyelids fluttered, heavy with exhaustion.
“Good night, Reuben,” she whispered softly as he finally gave into the urge to sleep.
Thomas opened the door for her when she was ready to leave and wordlessly walked out by her side, both of them heading in the direction of what Jane believed to be her room.
She had much she wished to say, but no idea of how she would but any of it into words, so she kept her eyes forward, refusing to acknowledge the knots her insides were twisting into or the awkwardness in the air between them.
Luckily, it seemed the duke had a lot on his mind as well, and unlike her, he was not as hesitant to share.
“I did not think... I had hoped. To one day hear his voice again.
but it had been so long. And with nothing working, no matter how much I tried, who I had asked for help.
Choosing to do this – choosing you, felt like a risk that I was not sure would yield the benefits I'd hoped for. It might have not seemed like a lot, but it meant everything to me, to have heard him say that word,” he confessed quietly.
Jane could not take her eyes off him, entranced by how honest and open he was being in that moment. Suddenly, it was not enough. These glimpses of him she had gotten up until this point, the things she had heard about him and his past. She needed to know it all, desired to hear about it from him.
She wanted to put together all the pieces that made up his life. She did not understand why she was so fascinated, but Jane realized that these feelings would not fade any time soon.
Thomas turned to face her and Jane looked away immediately, clearing her throat.
“Well... I understand. O-Only a little. I cannot imagine what it must have been like for you. He is your son and you have known him all his life. I have only just met him and yet... I want the very best for him. I want him to be happy and healthy and to live as well as any other child out there. He deserves that much, at least. And you deserve to watch your child live a good life, without worrying so much. So... I am happy too. That we have achieve some semblance of progress.” She confirmed, her gaze focused on the corridor ahead.
Thomas was silent for a moment, then he nodded slowly.
“I see. Thank you.”
Jane felt the corner of her lips rise up into a smile and she nodded as well in response. Soon, the door to her bedroom came into view and they both came to a stop in front of it. As Jane put her hand on the knob, Thomas enquired,
“Are you settling in... well?”
Jane turned back to him slowly. “Yes, I am. It has been... a little challenging – the worst of which was just learning to find my way around the house on my own. But, I am adjusting.”
“All right. If you need anything –”
“I will be sure to address Mrs Greene about it. I have met the other members of your staff as well, and I know that I am in good hands.”
He regarded her with a strange expression, then sighed. “Our.”
Jane blinked. “I beg your pardon, Your Grace?”
“Our staff. They work for you as well. This is your house, Jane. We are married, legally, and although the reason for our union might be... unorthodox, it doesn’t negate the fact that you are well within your rights to have whatever you wish and do whatever you wish,” he informed.
Jane knew that, but she did not want to seem as though she was reaching beyond her station. She had agreed to marry him for a single reason and it made no sense to take any liberties outside of that reason.
“I understand, but –”
“There should not be a ‘but’ if you do understand. If you understand, you will tell me that you do and that you will proceed to live properly here. That is all I expect of you. Care for my son and live properly,” Thomas instructed.
Jane’s mouth snapped shut and she marvelled in wonder, unable to understand why he would care so much about this.
“All right,” she conceded. “As you wish, Your Grace.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched and somehow, Jane knew she had made another mistake.
“I thought we had agreed to speak informally,” he recalled curtly.
Jane’s cheeks felt heavy with heat as she nodded. “W-We did, but I did not think –”
“You do not want to?” Thomas murmured, stepping towards her.
Jane took a step in the opposite direction, away from hum and found out very quickly that she had nowhere else to go as her back met the door. With no other option, she looked up at him, willing her voice to remain strong as she replied,
“I-I do not mind. I really don’t.”
Thomas regarded her for a moment, his eyes dropping down to her lips with a look that made her shiver, and when they met her own gaze, she felt as though the air between them had grown heavier.
“Good night, Jane,” he said, without moving.
Jane swallowed hard. “Good night... Thomas.”
The corner of his lip quirked and he stepped away, not looking back at her as he walked off.