The older woman had looked at her as though she could not fathom what had brought about such an event, but nonetheless, there were three places set by the time Jane had arrived in the dining hall with Reuben.
She had gone to get him from his room once she was ready for the day and had eagerly told him that they would be having breakfast together. In an effort to surprise him, she did not mention that the duke would join them, but Reuben was clearly eager to spend the morning with her. So much so, he nearly failed to put on his shoes before he left his room.
Jane’s heart was filled with warmth and light as he reached for her hand once he was fully dressed, leading the way out the door like a gentleman. When they arrived at the dining table, Jane helped him into a chair, tucking a napkin into his collar to keep him from dirtying his clothes while they ate before she settled down on his right side.
The duke was nowhere in sight, and a wave of frustration nearly overtook her, but she willed herself to be patient.
It was likely not an easy thing for him to subject himself to the gathering when it was clear that he was greatly disturbed by Reuben’s constant choice to ignore him. Jane could only imagine the bitterness within his heart and she hoped that this... them sharing a meal together would bring them closer.
“We’ll just wait another five minutes darling, and then we’ll dig in,” she promised gently to Reuben who appeared content to simply stare at her.
Jane beamed at him softly, lightly tapping his nose with the tip of her finger, grinning when he giggled.
“Good morning, Your Grace.”
Jane turned around in time to see the servants greet the duke as he walked into the dining room, her cheeks heating up for reasons unbeknownst to her when their eyes met.
“Duchess,” Thomas greeted as he settled down in the spot that had been arranged for him on Reuben’s left side, nodding with a small smile. “Lord Wetherby. Good morning to you both.”
Reuben regarded his father with mild curiosity but said nothing, so Jane spoke up for the both of them.
“And a good morning to you, as well. I hope you had a pleasant night’s rest,” she said, unfurling her napkin to spread it on her lap.
“Did you? I have never asked, my apologies,” he expressed suddenly.
“I,” she blinked. “I do not know what you are apologizing for. Or why.”
“It just occurred to me that I do not know if you have been sleeping well here. It is an odd thought; you must please ignore it –”
“I have. My nights are always restful. Thank you, Your Grace.” She told him earnestly.
Thomas nodded, shifting his attention to Reuben. After glancing at his son, he surveyed the spread of food that had been servedfor breakfast, then picked a sausage with his fork and lowered it onto the child’s plate.
“Eat, Reuben. You need to eat well in order to grow well.”
The boy regarded the plate with mild disdain before turning to Jane and pointing to it. Jane glanced at the plate for a moment, then took the sausage and placed it into her plate, replacing it with ham for Reuben. She cut it into little pieces and told him softly,
“There you go, little one.”
Reuben picked up his fork and began to eat, where as, Thomas filled up his cup with some coffee, downing half of it in moments. Jane tried to look as kind as possible as she said,
“He prefers ham. And pancakes – but with jam instead of syrup.”
“That’s an odd preference,” Thomas scoffed.
“He is a child. They can be picky or they could love different kinds of foods. Ultimately, he is much better than a child who refuses to eat at all. He is healthy and we will appreciate that,” Jane told him, hoping he understood that she wasn’t trying to belittle him.
Thomas sighed and offered Reuben a pancake. The boy looked at it and then at his father for a brief moment before turning toface Jane. She smiled at him, sending an apologetic expression to Thomas before she cut up the pancake for him.
“Even when I get it right, he ignores me. This was pointless,” Thomas grumbled, serving himself some eggs.
“It has barely been ten minutes since we began eating. He isn’t used to you being by his side. Give him some time –”
“But I have been here. For the past three years, I was here. But just like now, I was as unimportant to him as I am now. No matter what I do, it doesn’t make a difference.”
Jane huffed and lowered her utensils, before reaching out to cover Reuben’s ears with her hands.
“Firstly, I think it would be best if we stopped speaking about him as though he is not here. He is not hard of hearing; he just doesn’t want to speak. We must be mindful of how we act and speak around him. Secondly, Thomas, he is a child. I do not think he is doing this – refusing to acknowledge you out of some... malicious intent. You are his father and I am certain he knows that. I am not a parent, I have never been, but I do have some experience with caring for children. They love to be the centre of attention, to feel seen. I know that you have hoped that he and I would grow close, but that is no excuse to neglect him completely. And if this was how you avoided him –”
