She’s nae more than a wee lass. She doesnae need to worry about adults’ problems.
The door to Agnes’s room was propped open, with the soft sound of her voice drifting into the hallway. It was unusual. Katherine hadn’t known her to be the kind of child who spoke out loud while playing alone. In fact, she was quite sure Agnes would say it was silly to talk aloud when she played.
When Katherine and Tilly stepped inside, she noticed the reason for Agnes’s chatter. Sitting in her chambers, with his back straight and his keen eyes fixed on his daughter as she spoke, was Liam. He hadn’t realized that Katherine and her maid had entered as all his attention was on Agnes, who was reading aloud slowly.
So he hasnae left yet as he said he would. I suppose he slept in his own chambers, to avoid me.
The realization only made her feel worse.
After giving herself a moment to gather her composure and ignore the strangeness in her chest, Katherine cleared her throat and adjusted her basket of yarn at her hip. Keeping her voice cheerful and speaking as if Liam wasn’t watching their every move, she asked, “Are ye nearly ready for today’s lesson?”
Agnes’s eyes narrowed, looking at the stray strands of yarn as she said, “Ye’re teachin’ me to knit?”
“I am,” Katherine confirmed as she walked over to the window seat where Agnes was perched. She settled next to the girl, putting the supplies between the two of them. “It’s quite a useful skill. When it gets chilly durin’ the winter, ye can make hats and gloves and scarves to keep ye warm. And it’s a good way to keep yer hands busy and pass the time.”
She plucked out a set of wooden knitting needles and handed them to Agnes before she retrieved her own. Then, she grabbed a ball of white yarn. Agnes followed her lead, picking a ball of purple yarn that was startlingly close to the color of Katherine’s wedding gown.
“Now,” Katherine said, Liam’s gaze pricking each bit of her exposed skin, “I’m goin’ to show ye how to cast on.” She sat up straighter, keeping her movements carefully economical.
Agnes scooted closer, pressing her cheek against Katherine’s biceps as she watched intently. Then, when Katherine fished out the end of her skein, she did the same. “What now?”
“Knittin’ has more numbers than ye’d expect,” Katherine murmured as she gathered the yarn. “When ye cast on, the amount of stitches ye use is all ye get. We’re just goin’ to make a square practice. So, we’re goin’ to cast on ten.”
She started slowly, pausing to allow Agnes to follow along with each movement. The first stitch Agnes made was too loose, the second too tight. She huffed, frustrated, unraveling her work and starting again. This time, the stitches held, not quite perfect but surprisingly adept for a beginner.
I was correct. This is precisely the kind of task she’ll excel at.
“Very good,” Katherine praised, her breath catching when she heard Liam shift in his chair. From the corner of her eye, she could see him leaning forward, seeming to examine their interaction. “Next, ye’re goin’ to want to insert yer second needle like this to make the first stitch.”
She took a moment to glance away from the work in her hands. Liam’s gaze practically burned into her. It didn’t seem at all like he was there to observe the lesson but rather that he was there to observeher.
Agnes watched her as she worked then said, “Can ye do it once more?”
Katherine obliged easily, ducking her head away from Liam’s gaze and frogging the stitch. Then, she pushed the basket away from between them and scooted closer. As she created the firstrow this time, she held her work in front of Agnes. When she finished, Agnes repeated her actions.
The girl’s clumsy hands moved agonizingly slowly as she threaded the yarn through the needle. When her work on the needles looked nearly identical to Katherine’s, she waited for her next instruction. Something about this kind of work started to click in her mind, and Agnes caught on more and more quickly.
“Ye’re a natural,” Katherine praised as she and Agnes slowly worked up their swatches. “I kent ye would be.”
“Aye, she is,” Liam said, finally speaking for the first time since Katherine entered the room.
It had been impossible to forget he was there observing, but she still jumped at the low timbre of his voice. Her head snapped up from the work in front of her. He was pushing himself to his feet, not casting another glance their way as he left the room.
As soon as his footsteps began to disappear down the corridor, Katherine’s entire body relaxed. She took her first full breath since she’d walked into Agnes’s chambers. Rolling her shoulders back, she continued to knit in silence, watching each stitch and purl that Agnes cast.
Her little hands worked diligently, occasionally glancing at what Katherine had done and comparing it to her own work. She went slowly, testing each stitch for its integrity. Her tiny body was held carefully, as if she were consciously reminding herself of her posture.
Katherine was surprised at how quickly the girl had become comfortable around her. While she’d been polite, Agnes had made no attempt to hide her general annoyance with Katherine’s volume and boisterous ideas. Now, she only met Katherine’s suggestions with mild skepticism.
I wonder if Liam has ever sat with her like this or if he’s even tried to teach her anything.
“I ken I can do better,” Agnes tutted a few moments later, unraveling her work before starting again. “I’m startin’ to understand how it should feel.”
Her perfectionism and her need to be completely obedient were lessons Liam had probably taught his daughter. Katherine could picture him standing over Agnes, demanding she do things perfectly. The image was so vivid that she looked at the chair he had sat in, almost expecting him to be sitting there again.
Blinking at the empty space, she chastised herself for letting him occupy so much of her thoughts. She should be concentrating on Agnes. The issues between Katherine and Liam didn’t concern her. Those were for Katherine to contemplate in the privacy of the chambers that Liam refused to share with her.
Besides, Agnes deserves to have someone who is completely focused on her.
