Chapter Nine
"Oh, well done! That's right. Now, let's move onto the next chapter. Jenny, could you read it aloud for me, please?"
The sound of pages turning echoed through the quiet manor, followed by the soft sigh of Jenny as she prepared herself to read. "Do I have to?" she complained, and James swore he could hear the pout in her voice - if that were even possible.
"Yes, Jenny. You know how this goes; we each read a chapter, and then we practice our writing. The quicker you do it, the quicker it's over." A soft sigh, Alicia's this time. "Would you feel more comfortable if I went first?"
"...Maybe."
"Or is this your way of trying to get out of reading time altogether?"
Samuel snorted out a laugh, such an inelegant sound, before chirping, "Jenny can read just fine, but she thinks her reading voice is ugly. Maybe because it is!"
Ah, here they went again. The two argued so rarely, but when they did, it was always because Samuel started it. The boy had a smart mouth and knew exactly how to rile up poor Jenny, who only ever followed Samuel's lead.
But as James listened, he noticed how calmly Alicia handled it. She was a different person with the children; calm yet filled with warmth, never awkward or shy. It added to James' theory that she felt awkward only around him.
"Now, Samuel," Alicia chided sweetly, "that wasn't kind. What did I say this morning about treating your sister respectfully?"
Samuel puffed out a breath and muttered, "Just because I think it's funny doesn't mean it is."
"Exactly. For that, you can read first."
This was usually the point in time where Samuel would have caused a fuss, complaining loudly or outright refusing to do as he was asked. Memorably, he had once become so horrified by the idea of having to do extra work that he had stormed from the room and hidden under his bed. It had taken James and the maids half an hour to find him.
Now, however, he simply grumbled something under his breath. There were no raised voices or storm of feet towards the door, just a little huff and the rustle of a book. Then, Samuel's soft voice carried through the house.
James took his chance to enter, pushing open the door to step inside. The room they used as the classroom was adjoined to the playroom, although it was much smaller. Alicia sat behind a big desk with her legs pulled up beside her, elbows resting lightly on the polished oak. Across from her sat both Jenny and Samuel; the latter was holding a copy of Robinson Crusoe.
"A bit advanced for nine-year-olds, isn't it?" James asked, pointing towards the book, "but if you can get them to read it, I won't complain."
Alicia flushed, which was something she seemed to do a lot of nowadays. Or perhaps she always did, and James simply didn't know because he hadn't met her before. "I wasn't sure what their reading level was, so I picked a random book from the library. I used to read this as a child, but I always did have a strange taste in literature."
"It isn't strange at all," he reassured, "and it's only your first day. I'm sure there are plenty of novels for you to read together. If you can get them to read, that is." He ruffled Jenny's hair, which only earned him a scowl. "How is your first day, by the way?"
She blinked up at him, and he noticed how her hands twitched nervously, perhaps in thought. "I think it's going well, my lord," she replied, "Arithmetic went well, and I didn't have to correct any answers. You have two very intelligent younger siblings, even if they do enjoy complaining." She shot Samuel a teasing smile - only to suddenly straighten, cheeks flushed even darker. "I'm sorry, my lord, I don't mean to step out of line."
She hadn't. Quite the opposite, in fact. He enjoyed that she was so comfortable around Jenny and Samuel. It wouldn't do to have her treat them formally or like her superiors. They were only nine, for goodness sake. He parted his lips in reply, only to realize what she had actually meant; she wasn't worried about offending the children, but rather him. How absurd. "It's all right," he answered, "I want you to enjoy yourself here and be comfortable. Now, have you all eaten yet?"
"We finished numbers so quickly that I thought we could squeeze in some reading before lunch," Alicia replied, "That's all right, isn't it? I know you said I could adjust their schedule, but I'd hate to presume.
Step out of line. Presume. Was he really so intimidating that the poor woman was afraid to do anything of her own accord? He had tried to be kind, tried to reassure her, and only make himself known if there was a reason. Yet even after that, Alicia still believed him to be someone to worry over.
Those rumors dig deep, he reminded himself with a scowl, people will believe anything.
Yet hadn't she seemed to enjoy herself that first day when they walked through the gardens? Or was it little more than wishful thinking.
"Can we take a break, Miss Sempill?" Jenny's voice piped up, snapping James from his thoughts. "I'm starving."
When Alicia smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkled just the tiniest bit. James loved that about her - the little imperfections that only made her more lovely. Not that he thought of her as lovely, but... well, she was. "Of course," she said cheerfully, "remember to wash your hands and be back in an hour. We'll read then."
The children clambered to their feet, squeezing past the desk chairs that were too heavy to move and darting into the hall. Their voices followed them downstairs until it drifted off into silence.
The silence continued as Alicia stared at the desk. There was nothing there, no papers or book, yet she stared at the blank wood as if it were the most interesting thing she'd ever seen.
"You should eat too," James said, shattering the uneasy silence as Alicia's head darted up. "I believe it's roast chicken sandwiches today. Or soup, if you'd prefer something hot."
Alicia shifted, biting down on her lower lip. She seemed to do that often, although James had yet to figure out why. Whether it was a nervous habit or simply subconscious, he had no clue. "I could eat," she said eventually, "and the weather is nice."
