Never Less Than A Lady | Herophine

Chapter Thirty Four

Josephine

A week at Roscombe transformed Aiden Marlowe into a fair approximation of a young gentleman. Josephine was amused and touched at how carefully Aiden observed her and Hero, copying their speech and manners, and he had plenty of opportunities since the three of them took all their meals together. He was amazingly quick. His country accent was disappearing fast, though it reappeared when he was excited.

The boy's mind was as hungry as his body. Josephine tutored him in the afternoons, working on his reading and arithmetic and giving him a grounding in history and geography. Roscombe had a good library, and Aiden was usually to be found there when he wasn't otherwise engaged.

In the mornings, Hero took the boy riding. He reported that Aiden was a natural with horses and would make a first-class rider.

In return, Aiden hero-worshipped Hero. Josephine tucked the boy in every night. They talked about his day, she answered some of his endless questions, then kissed him good night. It had taken only three days for Aiden to outgrow his earlier ambition to become a coachman. Now, he confided to Josephine, he wanted to become an army officer. She thought that might be a good career for him. But he would have plenty of time to decide.

He hadn't even gone to school yet, and already she was missing him.

The day before they were to leave for London, Hero announced at breakfast, "Aiden, you've worked hard and deserve a holiday. The village fair starts today and it's so close we can walk. Would you like to go this afternoon? We can make a family outing of it."

"Oh, yes, sir!" Aiden beamed.

Josephine was equally pleased at the idea of the three of them being a family. Would Aiden help bind her and Hero together? If so, all the more reason to love the boy.

"I swear that lad has grown an inch in the last week," Josephine said fondly as she watched Aiden laughing at a Punch and Judy show with a group of other children.

"At the least, he's put on some much needed weight," Hero agreed. "He's making up for the hungry times."

Thinking of Aiden's appetite, she asked, "Is the food good at the Westerfield Academy?"

"Very. Lady Willow knows that wellfed males of any age are less likely to cause trouble." Hero's voice lowered. "Here come more neighborhood gentry to be introduced. You're a source of great interest, milady."

"It's only natural. You're a large local landowner and a local hero as well. Of course people are happy that you're finally settling down at Roscombe." Josephine smiled at the older couple that approached.

Wisely, the gentleman introduced himself and his wife as Sir Geoffrey and Lady Bridges, probably guessing that after so many years away, Hero might be unsure of names. But his mother's family had lived in Gloucestershire for generations, and he was seen as part of the community. Sir Geoffrey and his wife were very welcoming.

After a few minutes of chat, the Bridges moved on and Josephine took Hero's arm again. It was a beautiful day for a fair, sunny and with the first snap of autumn in the air. A good day to celebrate the last week of progress.

Josephine had begun to relax since Hero had made no more cool comments about ending their marriage. Perhaps their silent, searing nights were changing his mind. She wanted to believe their relationship was special. If it wasn't-she'd rather not know.

During the next hours, Josephine met a dizzying number of people. She and Hero performed the traditional fair activities of admiring livestock and jugglers while sampling food from vendors. Josephine skipped the sausage on a stick since her stomach wasn't in the mood, but she enjoyed the fresh lemonade, apple tarts, and the toasted cheese on bread.