When Gabriel arrived at the estate, ready to teach Henry for the afternoon, he quickly realised that things were very quiet and rather tense.
“Good afternoon, Mr Whitman,” the maid said softly, greeting him with a gentle blush in her cheeks.
“Good afternoon,” he replied, curious about her hushed tone and lack of eye contact. Whatever it was that had taken place, he was hoping that everyone was at least all right.
“I was told you take you to the study where Lord Montague is waiting for you,” she said.
“Thank you,” he replied.
With that, the maid led Gabriel down the hall to the study where Henry sat, looking bored and discouraged. It did not bode well for the afternoon ahead, what with all of the things that Gabriel was hoping to cover in their lessons.
“Lord Montague,” he said with a smile.
“I told you, you must call me Henry,” he said, gesturing for Gabriel to sit across from him at the desk.
“Yes, of course, Henry. It is good to see you. I trust you had a pleasant weekend?” Gabriel asked.
Henry winced, scrunching up his nose in a way that alerted Gabriel to trouble.
“Forgive me, but is everything all right? It would seem that something is different here,” Gabriel said.
“Well, things are always a bit strange here, I suppose. It is my sister, Kittie,” he said.
Gabriel’s heart quickened with worry. What had happened to her? Was she all right?
“Your sister?”
“She and Richard were at a ball and she was supposed to dance with some wealthy men and try to find a husband and all of that. But, just like me, she failed Richard. His standards are far too high, you know. Still, I can’t imagine why she would sneak off and read at a ball as she did,” Henry said.
“She snuck off?” Gabriel asked, hiding his amusement. This young woman certainly was interesting.
“Yes, she did. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Kittie is not like other young women and she has little interest in dancing or entertaining people. Nevertheless, I would have thought she might at least try to appease him for one evening,” Henry said.
“And things have not been peaceful since then?” Gabriel inquired.
“Not at all. She was not only reading, but she was trying to read Latin, which made him even angrier. He said that he has not given her permission to study languages that only men ought to learn,” Henry said.
Gabriel was struck by this news. He was impressed that Lady Montague wanted to learn Latin at all but couldn’t understand why her brother refused to allow it. There was no reason to stop her from trying and he wondered if she had been teaching herself for long or if this was simply an effort after he had spoken to her about what Henry would be learning.
This was certainly something he had not expected, but Gabriel couldn’t help being curious to learn more. He wanted to speak with Lady Montague and ask her about her interest in Latin and whether or not she had been trying to learn anything else as well. He wished he would be allowed to teach her in addition to Henry so that she could have her intelligence cultivated.
But it was obvious that Richard had no intention of allowing that and Gabriel had no choice but to respect that decision. He needed to honour the wishes of his employer and look at Lady Montague as merely the sister of his student—even if that felt nearly impossible.
She was not only a striking beauty but had a mind the likes of which he had scarcely heard of in a woman. Then again, he was making assumptions on all of this. he didn’t know her, truly. He simply felt intrigued by her and that was enough to send his mind spinning.
“Well, I suppose it must be difficult for your brother and your sister when they have very different expectations of what she ought to be doing with her time,” Gabriel said.
“Yes, it is a challenge for them both. Kittie loves to learn, but Richard told her that she has no need for other languages, and she ought to have been socialising and wooing bachelors. I wish they would stop arguing about it, but I know it has been difficult for them since they cannot seem to agree on the role of a woman like Kittie,” Henry said.
“If that is so, may I make a suggestion?”
Henry looked at him with suspicion and then interest.
“I suppose,” he said.
“Your sister wants very much to learn. Perhaps you may do her a favour by taking advantage of your opportunity. I imagine that it must be painful for her, knowing that she will never have this same chance that you do. I honestly believe that it is a sign of respect if you do what you are able to show her that you are grateful to have this chance,” Gabriel said.
Henry opened his mouth as if to refute, but he immediately stopped, closed it, and nodded.
“You’re right,” he said.
“You think so?”
“Kittie deserves to learn from you, far more than I do. The fact is that I am here, and she is not. I should never undermine that. But I do ask that you will be patient with me, for I truly know very little of the things my brother wishes for me to learn,” he said.
“And that is perfectly fine. You and I are going to work hard, together, and we are going to ensure that you understand these concepts. I promise that you will be surprised by how much you enjoy the lessons,” he said.
“Have your previous students been more eager than I?” Henry asked, apologetically.
“Some have and some have not. To be honest with you, I enjoy teaching no matter what, but my favourite students are those who come to realise that they are capable of far more than they ever realised. It is those who did not expect much from themselves who I find to be the most capable,” he said.
Henry flashed a small grin, clearly relieved to hear this. Gabriel wanted him to be more confident, but it was obvious there was much work to be done. They quickly got to work, and Gabriel studied the ways Henry learned best, noting that he was not overly fond of learning through books and seemed more interested in open discussion. In Gabriel’s opinion, the young man simply needed a friend and he realised that Henry could be more open to learning if he felt that Gabriel was willing to be that friend.
“So, rather than quoting to me from the classics, I would like you to tell me, in Latin, how you feel today,” Gabriel said.
Henry froze, his mouth ajar. He had clearly never been asked that question before.
“I know that it is very difficult to express emotions in another language, but—”
“But I have never been asked to express my emotions even in English. How am I meant to share how I feel?” Henry asked with a scoff of disbelief.
Gabriel couldn’t help feeling saddened by this. He hated the way so many families insisted their children or siblings remain silent on their thoughts. It was unfair and, he thought, unhealthy for the mind.
“You may begin simply,” Gabriel said. “Tell me in English whether you feel sad, happy, joyful, angry. Whatever it may be, you may tell me.”
Henry paused and his brows scrunched together. He was obviously struggling, unsure what to say or how he was meant to feel. Gabriel felt dreadfully sorry for him.
“I suppose I feel confused,” he finally admitted.
“Confused. Yes, that is all right. Now, tell me, is your confusion more along the lines of being frightened, exterruit, or uncertain, incertum?” Gabriel asked.
Again, it was clear that Henry didn’t know how to answer. At last, he gave up and simply looked at Gabriel, wincing in dismay.
“I don’t know,” he confessed.
Gabriel smiled and rested a hand on Henry’s shoulder.
“It’s all right, Henry. We’ll figure it out,” he said.
The lesson continued and Gabriel did his best to encourage Henry. In the back of his mind, however, he continued wondering about Lady Montague and whether or not she felt sad, maestitia, or if she looked to the future with spe, a future of hope.