Page 287 of Historical Hotties
Janet frowned, looking a good deal like her mother in that gesture. “Her name is Mary,” she said flatly. “Mary is obedient. Why can’t she come inside?”
“Because she is a chicken,” Thor said patiently. “Chickens do not live inside. People do.”
“But she is myfriend.”
“I understand. But she is still a chicken.”
He’d told her that a dozen times, but still, she continued to ask. He was fairly certain that she was trying to wear him down, hoping he’d give permission because he was either annoyed or finally took pity on her. Truth be told, it was difficult to look into that little face and not want to give in, but Caledonia most emphatically didn’t want a chicken in the bedchambers, so Janet was going to have to accept it. In fact, as Thor stood there and tried to reason with her, Caledonia emerged from their bedchamber.
“It is time for lessons, ladies,” she said, extending an arm to herd them toward the stairwell. “And stop asking about your chicken. Mary will be fine in the kitchen yard, where she has always been.”
“But she is lonely,” Janet said, starting her sob story on her mother.
“Not for long,” Caledonia said evenly. “You will see her soon.”
“If she cannot sleep with me, can we at least give her a bed?”
“She has a nest to sleep on.”
“Sheneedsa bed.”
Thor was grinning, watching the interaction between Caledonia and her somewhat manipulative middle daughter.They were still becoming accustomed to one another, but they were learning quickly and bonding beautifully. The littlest daughter even slipped her hand into Caledonia’s without prompting as she began to lead them down the stairs. He thought it was all rather sweet and had to admit that he enjoyed being a parent more than he’d thought he would. He let Caledonia take the lead in all things, of course, but he liked having the baby fall asleep on him after supper, or Janet climbing into his lap because she wanted to talk more about her chicken.
A shockingly domestic life for a man who had never even considered such a thing.
But no more shocking than his suggestion to assume the de Wylde name. He had no intention of shirking the de Reyne name entirely, merely adding de Wylde to it. As he’d told Caledonia, it wasn’t unusual for a man to take his wife’s family name if she was of a higher station and he assumed what was largely considered a family title. He’d been thinking about doing it for a few days now, ever since this life he’d undertaken had become something delightful. He still couldn’t believe he had such a beautiful, brilliant wife, and already he was falling in love with her daughters.
Even Jane.
“Let us attend to our lessons now and we will discuss the chicken later,” Caledonia was saying as she went down the stairs with a little girl in each hand. “For now, we have tasks to attend to. So does Thor. My angel?”
He was right behind them as they came off the stairs with the keep entry directly in front of them. “I certainly do,” he said. “You attend your lessons, and mayhap I will speak with Darius about a… bed… for a chicken. Mayhap he can build one.”
Janet ripped her hand from Caledonia’s grip and threw herself at him, trying to hug him and grab him all at the same time in her excitement.
“Will you?” she nearly yelled. “Will you ask him?”
Thor had to steady her before she tripped and fell on him. “I will ask,” he assured her, but then he caught sight of Caledonia’s disapproving expression, and that cooled his own enthusiasm. “But… mayhap we should ask for your mother’s approval first. My love?”
Caledonia couldn’t very well deny the child. She thought a bed for a chicken to be quite ridiculous, but perhaps this was all part of gaining her daughter’s trust. She was building something here and wanted to make her child happy, so perhaps she needed to relent on this.
Even if it was with a bed for a chicken.
“If Darius will build such a thing, I suppose it is acceptable,” she said reluctantly. “Thor, why not take Janet with you to ask Darius? You can join us in the solar once you have spoken to him.”
Janet seemed wildly excited about a chicken bed. Fighting off a smirk, Thor winked at his wife and took the child with him, holding her hand as they headed from the keep. Caledonia watched them go, smiling as they faded from view. Then she looked down at the child still in her grip, noting that Joan was looking up at her. She smiled at her and squeezed her hand.
“Shall we go to our lessons now?” she asked, not really expecting an answer. Joan was bright, but speaking was still beyond her capabilities. “Lessons?Lessons?”
As she nodded, the child nodded. Caledonia wasn’t sure if she was simply mimicking her or if she really understood her, but it didn’t matter. She took the little girl into the solar, where they had an entire corner set up with a table for their lessons. Today, they were working on letters. Caledonia sat down, pulled Joanonto her lap, and wrote the letterAon a piece of vellum. They had been working onAand words associated with the letterAfor the past week. That was how Caledonia had been taught long ago, so she simply repeated the lessons Lady d’Umfraville taught her.
Nicola joined them shortly and, soon enough, Janet returned. Nicola took over part of the lesson and spoke of all of the words that started with the letterA. She even gave the girls small green apples because the word apple started with anA. Janet was very good at writing the letter, and Joan could write it so that it was semi-legible, which was a big step for the little girl.
She was praised appropriately.
Toward the nooning hour, Nicola pulled out small pieces of vellum and a few paints they had made with berries and grass. There were only four colors, but that didn’t matter. With a frayed water reed as a brush, Janet and Joan could paint pictures as part of their lessons. They seemed to like learning to paint best of all, so Nicola helped them with their pictures while Caledonia headed off to the kitchen to bring them back something to eat for the midday meal. The door to the solar was closed, and when she opened it, a small body fell through, onto the floor at her feet.
Jane pushed herself off the ground.
