Chapter 16
Thomas didn’t sleep a wink. He’d spent the entirety of the night going over his conversation with Lady Lavender. It was obvious that she didn’t believe herself beautiful enough for a duke.
Ridiculous.
The woman was enchanting, humble, honest, and kind.
Of course a duke would consider her an option.
He thought back on his reckless behavior of only a month ago.
If he’d met her then, she would have slipped through his bleary eyes as nothing more than a pretty face.
But he knew better now. It was a blessing to know her.
She made him want to be better—and by what she said, she believed he could change.
He wouldn’t let her down. And when he cleared his name of treason, he’d court her like a proper duke ought to.
Tom made his way into the kitchen to see Jack at the worktable with a book in front of him. Sunlight shone through the open window onto the pages. He held it on the table with his hands wrapped in bandages.
“Where did you get that?” Thomas asked him.
The boy smiled and wiggled his eyebrows. “Lady Lavender brought it for me.”
Thomas’s interest was piqued even further. “Oh, and what is it?”
Jack’s face flushed a little red. “It’s just a book.” He pulled it a little closer to himself. “How are the roses looking?”
Thomas looked down at his hands, now scratched in multiple places and bleeding just a little.
Nothing a couple minutes wouldn’t stop—it was the stinging that was bothersome.
“I’ll leave pruning roses to you once you’re healed, your majesty.
” He walked over and took the book from the table.
“The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes,” he read aloud. “My mother used to read this to me.”
Jack’s mouth opened. “Your mother could read?”
Thomas swallowed. “Yes, she could.” How could he have forgotten to hide his past so easily? Having a servant that could read, let alone have access to books, was exceptionally rare.
“Can you read?”
Mrs. Bitters came into the kitchen at his question. “Jack, have you not noticed that our Tom here wasn’t raised as a servant? You’ve been teaching him all this time and you haven’t realized he was once a gentleman?”
Thomas’s face was red enough to match Jack’s hair, but he nodded his head at her assertion.
Jack’s eyes lit up. “Can you teach me to read?”
Thomas thought about all the extra work he’d taken on the past few days in order to allow Jack’s hands to heal. He was tired to the bone each night. But he didn’t want to tell him no. “If Mrs. Bitters is alright with us using a candle after my work is done, I can teach you.”
“That’s fine by me,” she answered as she bustled about the kitchen arranging a tea tray. “Tom, will you put your livery on? I need you to take this tray to the drawing room for the duchess and her guests.”
Which guests were those? Thomas didn’t want to disobey, but he was trying his level best to stay out of sight of anyone who might know who he was. “Where is Jane today?”
“She’s preparing Daniel for a nap. Bless her efforts.” Mrs. Bitters chuckled.
“What if I trade her. She can help you with the guests. I’ll take Jack upstairs with me, and he can help me read this book to Daniel.” He was pressing his luck, he knew, but it was worth the attempt.
Mrs. Bitters looked over at Jack. “Oh, very well. Jane is more presentable as it is. At least she doesn’t have a full beard. But don’t you keep that boy up. He needs his sleep even though he doesn’t believe it.”
Jack’s smile was at least as large as Thomas’s as they left the kitchen. “Thank you, Tom. I can only do so much sitting and looking at the letters before my eyes want to pop out of my head.”
“Then why are you doing it?”
“Lady Lavender has been trying to teach me the letters, but it’s easier when you’re only learning one at a time. All scrunched up on one page is overwhelming,” Jack whispered. “But if you can help me read better, she’ll be right pleased with my progress.”
Thomas had no doubt the boy was right. Lady Lavender did love her books.
It shouldn’t have surprised him that she was teaching Jack to read.
She spent much of her time since his accident at his side, either applying the carron oil or changing his bandages, or just talking to him.
Her presence had given Jack more hope every day in his recovery.
They made it to the nursery and told Jane to go help Mrs. Bitters with the guests. She kissed Jack’s cheek on the way out, she was so happy to leave. Jack was more than a little red in the face, and Thomas couldn’t hold in his laugh after the girl left. “I think she’s sweet on you.”
Jack shook his head. “She’s just happy to leave, that’s all.”
Thomas didn’t agree, but he kept his mouth shut. Daniel was standing on his bed with his arms crossed and looking daggers at them.
“Hello, Daniel,” Thomas said.
“I don’t want to sleep,” Daniel pouted.
Thomas put up his hands. “Oh, we are here to read a story. Can we sit with you on your bed? It’s more comfortable than the floor.”
The little boy’s face began to get red, and Thomas didn’t have time to stop the storm before it came out. “Nooooo! I don’t want to read a story. I don’t want my bed. I want to play.”
Jack hopped in front of Daniel. “Shhh, Daniel. I thought you wanted to be my helper.”
He looked up at Jack and swiped at his running nose with the back of his pudgy hand. “I like being your helper.”
“Well,” Jack said as he sat on Daniel’s bed. “I have some work to do. Lady Lavender asked me to learn to read this book, and Tom here is going to help me. Would you like to help me learn my letters?”
Daniel sat next to Jack and put his hands on Jack’s bandages. “I’ll help you. Lady Lavender loves books more than peppermint sticks.” His eyes went wide like he couldn’t fathom the idea.
Thomas laughed. “That doesn’t surprise me. She almost always has a book with her.”
“Why are books important?” Daniel asked.
Thomas sat on the bed as well, with Daniel between himself and Jack.
“There are a lot of reasons books are important. They can tell stories, like this one.” He pointed to the book in Jack’s lap.
“And they can teach things like history, and mathematics, science, and religion. People put their knowledge into books so other people can learn it as well.”
Jack opened the book about Goody Two-Shoes, and Thomas began to read.
He stopped every now and then to have Jack sound out a simple three letter word.
And before long, Daniel had his head in Thomas’s lap.
Ten minutes later, he was sleeping, and Thomas transferred him to the bed and under his blanket.
Then he and Jack left the room as quiet as mice in a church.
Thomas closed the door to his bedchamber quietly and listened to see if he stirred at their leaving. He didn’t.
“Thank you, Tom,” Jack whispered.
“It’s nothing.”
Jack shook his head. “You’re wrong. One day, I’ll be able to read on my own, and that’s not nothing.”
Thomas’s throat went tight with emotion, and he had to convince himself to take deep breaths on the way back down to the kitchen.
Jack wasn’t wrong; knowing how to read would change the boy’s life.
But Thomas wouldn’t always be limited in his ability to help others as he was now.
Perhaps, when his life as a servant was over, he could help a generation of servants to read.
That might impress Lady Lavender enough to overlook his lying about his identity for so long.