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.”
