Page 280 of Historical Hotties
He crooked a finger at her.
“Come here,” he said. “Sit down.”
He was indicating a clean spot of hay near one of the empty stalls, but Jane was confused by the request. “Why?” she said.
“Because I am asking you to. Please, my lady.”
“Who are you?”
“I am the new Earl of Tamworth and Stafford,” he said. “Your father held the title before I did. Now it belongs to me because the king granted it to me. Do you understand?”
She nodded, but he wasn’t entirely sure she really understood. Still, his explanation had her moving over to the spot he had indicated. When she sat down, he sat a few feet away from her, facing her.
For this conversation, he needed to get down to her level.
“My name is Thor,” he said, looking into those dark eyes. “As I told you, I am the new earl. That means you will be living in my home from now on. Do you understand me so far?”
Jane nodded. “All of us?” she said. “Me and my sisters and Madam Madonna and the servants?”
Thor wasn’t sure he should tell her about Madam Madonna yet, but on the other hand, he wanted to be completely truthfulwith her from the start. Lies or hiding information wouldn’t do well when building trust, and he wanted to build that very much.
“Lady Jane, do you know what a lie is?” he asked, avoiding her question.
She nodded solemnly. “Aye,” she said. “Lies displease God.”
“Butwhatis a lie?”
“When you say something that is not true.”
“Exactly,” he said. “Well done. Now, do you think God is displeased when people are cruel?”
“Aye.”
“I think so, too,” Thor said. “My lady, how old are you?”
Jane shrugged. “I am not of age yet,” she said. “Madam Madonna said I will be of age in a few years and then I will marry someone of her choosing.”
That was an interesting bit of information, but he didn’t pursue it. “May I ask if Madam Madonna is good to you?” he asked.
She nodded without hesitation. “She prays for us,” she said. “She prays that God will let me go to heaven. My sisters will not go to heaven, but I will.”
“Did Madam Madonna tell you that?”
“Aye.”
“Do you love your sisters, my lady?”
That was a question Jane had never considered before. Perhaps no one had ever asked her. It seemed to confuse her.
“They are my sisters,” she said.
Thor phrased it another way. “I know,” he said. “But if they were to get hurt or die, would you be sad?”
She had to think about that. “I would miss them.”
“Because you love them,” Thor said. When she still looked rather blank, he elaborated. “If they were to become ill, would you help them?”
“I have helped them when they are ill.”
