Refining Lord Preston by Beers Laura

Author:Beers, Laura
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-02-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Emma was pleased when Lord Preston crouched down beside Grace, without hesitation of any kind.

“I must admit that I have never played with dolls before,” Lord Preston said.

“That isn’t surprising,” Emma responded as she handed him the doll in her hand. “You can play with Barbara.”

“What will you play with?”

“I am content watching you play with Grace.”

Lord Preston gave her a grateful smile before turning his attention towards Grace. “What would you like to play?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” came Grace’s shy response.

Lord Preston leaned closer and asked, “Should we arm these dolls and lead them into battle?”

A small smile came to Grace’s lips. “Dolls do not go into battles.”

Tabitha snorted, apparently not as enthralled by her book as she appeared.

“What do they do, then?”

“You dress them and play with them in the dollhouse,” Grace explained.

“That doesn’t sound very exciting,” Lord Preston teased. “I could always commission some tiny swords and axes.”

Grace giggled. “You are funny.”

Lord Preston ran his hand over the wooden doll’s head. “When I was younger, I played with toy soldiers.”

Emma interjected, “As did I.”

With an amused look, Lord Preston responded, “Why am I not surprised?”

“I played with my brothers’ toy soldiers,” Emma explained. “They were much more fun than playing with dolls.”

“Can I play with toy soldiers?” Grace asked hopefully.

Lord Preston nodded. “I shall have some delivered at once, but I would encourage you to continue playing with your dolls, as well.”

Grace hugged Susan and shared, “Mrs. Hepworth made me a doll, but I wasn’t allowed to take it to the workhouse.”

“Why not?” Lord Preston asked.

“Mrs. Seton said no one is allowed to bring toys to the workhouse,” Grace replied dejectedly as Tabitha scowled at her book. “She was really mean.”

“I’m sorry that Mrs. Seton was mean to you,” Lord Preston said. “If I have my wish, no one will be mean to you ever again.”

Grace abruptly rose, leaving her doll on the ground. “I don’t want to play with dolls anymore,” she said before walking over to Tabitha.

Lord Preston glanced over at Emma with a questioning look. She tilted her head towards Tabitha and Grace, encouraging him to go speak to them.

Rising, Lord Preston walked over to the girls and pointed at the book. “What are you reading?”

Tabitha closed the book, but she kept her gaze downcast. “I’m just looking at the pictures.”

“Why is that?”

“I’m afraid I can’t read,” Tabitha admitted.

Lord Preston reached for a chair and pulled it closer. “Do you want to learn how to read?” he asked as he sat down.

“I do,” Tabitha said, bringing her gaze to meet his. “Mrs. Hepworth had just started teaching me when she grew ill.”

“I am sorry you had to witness that,” Lord Preston said.

“It was horrible hearing her cough,” Tabitha shared. “She would cough so hard that she would bleed into the handkerchief.”

Lord Preston gave her a sad smile. “It was a good thing you were there to help her.”

Tabitha shrugged her tiny shoulders. “Mrs. Hepworth taught me how to cook only a few things, so we ate nearly the same thing every night.

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