Chapter 15 #2
Perhaps he had been too rigid when they had breakfast last time. He should have not expected so much then, and he had no right to be upset at Reuben for failing to meet his expectations. The child owed him nothing, and Thomas needed to try to meet him halfway, at least.
Although he was jealous because it was evident Reuben prepared the company of a woman he had known for only a few weeks over his own father’s, after a moment of reflection, Thomas realized he could not blame the child.
He had given up too easily on crafting a bond with him, and as such, it was much harder to do so now. But he was determined to keep trying.
For Jane’s sake, especially, so that her efforts would not go to waste.
“Oh, look, a small patch of wildflowers! Aren’t they just lovely? Oh, for me? Why thank you!” he heard Jane exclaim as Reuben plucked a flower from the ground and offered it to her.
She smiled softly at Reuben, reaching out to adjust his had so that his face was sufficiently hidden from the sun, and Thomas was struck by how close they seemed.
Jane had done a wonderful job caring so adeptly for him, easily leaning into the motherly expectations placed on her suddenly.
And as a result of her efforts, it looked as though she had borne Reuben herself.
As much as it disappointed Thomas to still fall short of Reuben’s attention, he couldn’t help but wonder what his life would have been like if he had married a woman like Jane.
The thought was sudden, and it caused him to sit upright abruptly, and he quickly dismissed the thought. It was evident that he was beginning to get too distracted by the comfort he was obtaining from this moment.
Reuben found something he liked and Jane raised her hands above her head, cheering him for his find, her dark blonde curls bouncing prettily. Reuben was clearly pleased that she shared his enthusiasm and put his hands up to mimic her actions.
There was something quite remarkable about how full of vibrant and excited Reuben was that made Thomas feel his heart threaten to burst with fondness.
Intent to make the most of this opportunity Jane had provided them with, Thomas stood up and walked over to where they were standing. Reuben was still engrossed with his find – a smooth, small rock – whereas, Jane faced him as he approached, her blue eyes sparkling with interest.
“Have you come to join us, Thomas?”
His lips quirked upward slightly and he nodded.
“You were both gone for longer than I thought you would be, so I thought it would be better to join you. Might I propose a game?” he suggested.
Almost instantly, both the duchess and young lord faced him fully, their eyes sharp with rapt attention. Thomas chuckled as Jane stepped closer.
“What sort of game?” she asked.
“Well...” Thomas mused, looking down at Reuben. “Tag?”
The boy stared up at him, a frown gracing his young features, while Jane clapped her hands.
“Oh! Excellent! Reuben,” she paused until the child had shifted his attention to her. “We’ll pick one person to be ‘it’ and that person has to chase the others. When you catch one, that person becomes ‘it’ and chases everyone else. Do you understand?”
Reuben nodded eagerly, only to shake his head moments later, rather hesitantly. Jane chuckled, patted his hair fondly as she offered.
“To show you how to play this game, I volunteer to be ‘it’ for this round.”
“A valiant offer,” Thomas nodded, gesturing at Reuben to back away. “Prepare to run. You shouldn’t let her catch you.”
As it turns out, Reuben was excellent at applying the rules they had told him. He ran as fast as his little legs could get him, darting behind the valet who had accompanied them to hide. Jane laughed at his commitment, setting her sights on Thomas since he was closer.
And suddenly, he was faced with a conundrum.
Although he could flee, he found it hard to do so, because he had never done anything like this before.
Idealistically, it sounded easy, to simply avoid Jane’s touch.
But when the time came to do so, he found himself darting about awkwardly, looking unsettled every time she came even closer.
Eventually, Jane lowered her hands and asked, “Is everything all right, Thomas?”
Hr shrugged awkwardly. “I thought this would be much easier to do in practise. I haven’t played as many games as you expect, so I do not know how to conduct myself.”
She smiled kindly at him and stepped closer.
“You are thinking too much about it. It’s just a game, and you are meant to enjoy yourself. Let go of all those pesky thoughts clouding your mind and hindering you from properly indulging in the pleasures of life.”
Thomas inhaled deeply in a bid to clear his mind, letting his shoulders droop as he exhaled.
“All right. I’ll try not to try so hard.”
She nodded, looking proud as she told him.
“Excellent. I know how to help you even further. Would you like to guess?”
He shook his head. “I am terrible at making guesses. You will just have to tell me the answer, save us both some time.”
“Fine,” she touched his arm gently and leaned in close before shouting, “You’re it!”
She had already bounced away before he realized what had happened. Reuben was already making his way to her, clearly armed with his fantastic comprehension of the game, and together, they proceeded to evade him.
Reuben was clearly enjoying himself, given how easily he shrieked every time Thomas approached him.
It was endearing, but ultimately, his small legs could only evade his father for too long.
Thomas scooped him into his arms and tossed him into the air, the boy’s eyes widening with glee at how high he was.
When Thomas set him back down on the ground, the child looked as though he had just been exposed to the wonders of the world.
Eventually, he set off after Jane, running after her, fuelled with immense determination. Jane evaded him playfully, so it did not surprise Thomas when the child inevitably caught up with her, and Jane immediately threw her arms around him without any regrets.
“Oh, my darling. You have gotten quite good at his game. Do you think you have enough strength for one more round?”
Reuben nodded and took off, clearly believing he was the fastest in all the land. Moments later, he used Thomas as a shield, so the duke did the valiant thing and stared down at his wife, waiting for her to use his weakness against him as she had before.
“My goodness, it is as though little Reuben has simply vanished! Wherever has he gone?” Jane called out with a smirk as she approached Thomas.
He expected her to shift the tagging responsibility to him, but she merely leaned in and asked,
“I don’t suppose you have seen your son anywhere near here?”
Her voice was so soft, it seemed to sink into his mind. As he tried to fathom what witty response that he had intended to tell her, his gaze fell upon her heaving bosom and then up to her plush lips and a familiar ache begin to stir within him.
“Well,” he cleared his throat, willing himself to look her in the eye instead. “I can’t say that I have.”
Jane sighed in disappointment and shrugged.
“I suppose I will have to check elsewhere, then.”
She started to walk away, but after only three steps, she turned around and ran to grab Reuben who had been peeking out from behind his father. Because he had not expected her to return so suddenly, he was captured rather easily.
Both of them ended up on the ground, their clothes getting dirty as Reuben squirmed around, squealing like a puppy as she held him close.
Usually, Thomas would be irritated to witness such an undignified act, but he found that he did not mind much, as long as they were both happy.
Gently, Jane helped Reuben up and used her handkerchief to wipe the dust off his clothes and hands, pointing at the blanket as she said something Thomas couldn’t hear. Reuben quickly made his way to the blanket and sat down, helping himself to a sandwich.
Thomas held out a hand to Jane, and she took it gratefully, inhaling sharply a she pulled her to her feet. He used a little more force than necessary, and she ended up pressed against him, her hands planted on his chest as she regained her balance.
“Oh,” she gasped, staring up at him. “Sorry.”
Thomas shook his head slowly, reaching out to push a lock of hair behind her ear, unable to keep himself from trailing a finger down from her cheek to her neck in a gentle caress.
“It’s fine.”
Jane exhaled shakily and slipped away from him, quickly returning to the blanket.
Thomas watched her walk away as he tried to cull the lust within himself before joining them. Jane handed him a glass of lemonade, turning back to Reuben as he picked up another sandwich. Suddenly, she frowned and tilted her head, looking as though something was amiss.
Moments later, she asked, “Darling, where is your hat?”
Reuben stared at her for a moment, then he gasped suddenly and put both of his hands on his head. Thomas glanced behind them at the areas they had played, spotting the hat moments later.
He’d stared to rise up but Jane moved quicker, urging him to remain seated.
“I’ll get it, do not worry.”
Thomas nodded, opting to watch Reuben in her absence. She had only been gone a minute or two when he heard a loud splash and when he turned back, Jane was gone.