“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.”
It seemed as though he was content simply staring at her and it was almost endearing how alike he and his father were. It appeared they shared the same fascination with her face and she could only hope that it meant they would feel more inclined to favor her in the future.
“Reuben, tell her about your book. I have seen you read it at least four times,” Thomas said, walking over to where they were.
Reuben did not even look at his father, choosing that moment to shift his attention back to his books. Thomas sighed, glancing at Jane, his eyes urging her to speak again.
“T-This one too,” she stated, pointing at another book, this one with an attractive emerald green cover. “I had this too, but an earlier edition. The cover used to be a vibrant sea blue and I used some of my white water colours to draw waves over it. I gave it away about a year ago, but it was easily one of my favourite books.”
The boy said nothing to her, his eyes glancing between the book she had pointed to and her face.
“What is it about? Can you share the story with me, Reuben?” his father tried again, only to be ignored once more.
The duke lifted his eyes to the ceiling, visibly perturbed by the lack of obvious progress, and he turned to Jane.
“Perhaps this was a bad idea. Let us leave him be for now, give him some time to adjust.” He suggested, stepping away from his son without addressing him again.
Thomas was clearly disappointed and Jane understood because she felt the same, which made her think she was being ridiculous. It was silly to have had such high hopes for an immediate sign of progress, all because expectations had been placed on her.
If they had been honest, they would have realized that she was not his mother and surely, the child knew as much. No matter how much resemblance she shared with the former duchess, they could not guarantee it would be enough to grant the child any comfort.
“Yes,” Jane sighed, rising to her feet. “Perhaps you are right.”
She smiled at the boy kindly and said, “I will see you later, Reuben. I hope you have a nice day.”
Jane turned around to follow the duke out of the room, but she had barely taken two steps when something tugged at her hand. She turned back and found Reuben looking at her for a moment, before he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her legs.
Her heart melted into a puddle at her feet and she wasted no time lifting him to her arms, blinking back tears with a giggle as the boy immediately tucked his face into her neck.
Thomas, who saw the entire thing, was clearly relieved.
“Perhaps this idea was not a lost cause after all,” he muttered.
Jane turned to face him, still holding Reuben safely in her arms as she mumbled loud enough only for the duke’s ears. “Did you have any doubt? You seemed particularly sure that our union might pose to be the solution you had sought after for so long.”
“I... worried that I had been wrong. Clearly, I was wrong about just that. And for that, I am thankful. Truly.” He mused, his gaze holding so much emotion that she could not decipher. “It is good to see that he did has trusted you so easily. It would seem that perhaps, we might make even more progress in the future.”
Thomas reached out, almost as though he wanted to touch Reuben, but before his hand could make contact with the child’s back, he stopped. Then, he pointed at a rocking chair in a corner of the room.
“You should sit and stay with him for a little bit. It is clear he favours your company more. Spend some more time with him, while you still have his attention,” he urged, leaving the room before she could respond.
The housekeeper and the nanny left moments later, and Jane just stood, rocking the boy in her arms. With a deep breath, she settled in the chair, patting his hair gently.
“You precious little thing,” she mumbled softly as he peaked up at her. “All you wanted was to be held. I am more than happy to do so, whenever you want me to.”
The boy’s green eyes filled with tears and she cooed sweetly, wiping away his tears gently, before pressing a kiss to the crown of his head. There was a book on the dresser near the rocking chair, and Jane thought it might be a good idea to read to him, since she was not sure what else to say at this time.
The story was one she was not familiar with, but she did her best to sound enthusiastic as she could, while also keeping her voice as low as possible so as not to startle him. In a few minutes, she had begun to enjoy the story, occasionally glancing at Reuben to ensure he was doing all right. He stayed silent, but he continued to cry.
She did not know what to do, but her instincts told her to keep holding him and reading, so she continued, occasionally stroking his hair and rocking back and forth.
Halfway through the book, she looked down at him, smiling to herself when she found that he had fallen asleep.
Jane spent the rest of the day with Reuben.
The boy did not say anything to her, but he was determined to keep her close, because he ensured she was within reach at alltimes. If she attempted to move, he would reach out and clutch at her skirts.
She read him another story and fed him his lunch when the time came.
