Page 7 of Sleepless in Saunton
“They feel clean.”
“Excellent.” Putting the glass down, Jane dropped a little curtsy. “I am Miss Jane Davis. Who might you be?”
“Tatiana Thompson. The earl is my uncle.” The last was said with reverent pride. Jane realized that the gentleman she had seen disembark from the carriage earlier that day must be the new brother of the earl.
Well, not new, per se. Just newly discovered.
“Then we are related … distantly. The earl’s son is my cousin.”
“Ethan?”
“That is correct.”
“My papa grew quite stern when he heard about Ethan.”
“Did he?”
“He did. I think he had an issue with how long the earl had been married.”
Jane rubbed her face, not sure how to respond. “Um …”
“Is it because Ethan is a bastard? Like my papa?”
Jane could not prevent a grimace from flickering across her face. How did she wind up being the unfortunate party to address this question?
“I think it best you ask your papa about that.”
“Is Ethan a bastard?”
Jane shook her head. “Ethan is a very nice boy. A true gentleman. It is true his mother and the earl were not wed, so he is natural born. But it is not polite to call someone a bastard.”
“Why?”
Tucking a curl behind her ear, Jane dropped into the chair so she might be more of a height with the little girl. “Bastard is an impolite word. Ethan cannot help the circumstances of his birth. It is more polite to say natural born.”
Tatiana contemplated her for several seconds. “Then the person who called Papa a bastard was being rude?”
“Yes, it is rude.”
“I did not like the man. He was complaining to his companion the entire time he waited in the drawing room, and I thought he was not very nice. Or correct about his complaints.”
“How did you know what a bastard is?”
“The man sort of explained it during his complaining. He did not know I was hiding behind the sofa. It was enlightening.”
Jane chuckled. “It is not polite to eavesdrop.”
“What is that?”
“It means to listen to another’s conversation.”
Tatiana shrugged. “What they do not know cannot offend them.”
At this, Jane could not hold back a laugh.From the mouth of babes.
Tatiana stepped forward, placing a hand on Jane’s cheek as she stared deep into her eyes. “I like you.”
She smiled in response. “Thank you. I like you, too.”
