A Most Personal Property (Ganymede Quartet Book 1) Read Free Page A

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    For the duration of the meal, Timothy stood behind Father’s chair as he always did, ready to take dictation or serve in any capacity. Timothy was brisk and proper, with an air of quiet authority, and Father relied on him implicitly. Henry loved Timothy; he had been more of a father to him than Father.
    Henry wasn’t quite as close with Mother’s slave, Pearl. Pearl was kept quite busy with her mistress’ demands and had had fewer occasions to assist in Henry’s upbringing. That job had been left mainly to Nurse. In her youth, Pearl had also been a great beauty, and she still was in certain lights, but her mistress’ illnesses had affected her, as well. Like all slaves, she dressed plainly, in blacks and greys, but unlike most, she wore her hair plainly, as well, pulled back in a tight, nut-brown bun without braids or other adornment. She was gentle and unassuming, the very definition of ‘ladylike.’
    After dinner, they repaired to the upstairs parlor, their family room. Father was of a mind to see his daughter, so Timothy sent Paul upstairs to fetch her. Seven-year-old Cora came down with Nurse to say goodnight and the occasion of the invitation had put her in high spirts. Like Henry, Cora was tall, dark and attractive. Unlike Henry, she was talkative and assertive, and the piping timbre of her voice made Father wince, though he allowed her to sit on his lap a few minutes and kissed her cheek.
    Cora was always so happy to see Henry that he felt guilty for not spending more time with her. When she got down from Father’s lap, she approached Henry with a little hesitation, shyly flirtatious, and blushed when he smiled at her.
    “Henry, did you know? When I start regular school next week, I get to start dancing school, too.”
    Henry did know this. “It was the same for me,” he assured her, “when I was your age.”
    “Nurse says you were tall even when you were little.” She leaned her hip against the side of Henry’s chair and reached out to toy with his cufflink. “When you were my age, were you taller than me, do you think?”
    “You’d have to ask Nurse. I never paid any attention to things like that.”
    “I’m taller than any of my friends,” she offered, ruffling the fine black hairs on the back of his wrist with a tentative fingertip. “I’m tallest of anyone.”
    Henry was also taller than any of his friends, and he was a little apprehensive that he would end up as tall as Father or even taller. He did hope his little sister didn’t grow up into some ungainly stork of a girl, but he did not share this with her.
    Cora suddenly slumped over sideways, flopping bonelessly over the arm of the chair so that her dark ringlets spilled across Henry’s lap, and the abruptness of her movement startled him.
    “Cora!” Henry sat up straight in a hurry, pushing back in the chair, trying to put space between his crotch and his little sister. He waved his hands ineffectually, trying to shoo her away, but she clearly did not share his sense that hers was inappropriate behavior.
    Unconcerned with Henry’s panicked fussing, Cora said, “You know, you can come upstairs any time you want, Henry. Any time you want to play. You’re not too big to play, I don’t think.”
    From her spot near the door, Nurse said, “Stand up, please, Miss,” in a tone that brooked no argument.
    Cora sighed and stood upright, tossing her curls back over her shoulder with an impatient jerk of her chin. “It gets boring with just Nurse,” she said confidentially, leaning close and lowering her voice, surely to spare Nurse’s feelings.
    If Cora’s life followed Henry’s pattern, she would live in the nursery, separate from the adult household, until she was at least 10, with Nurse assuming the entire responsibility for raising her. She would continue to see the rest of the family infrequently until that time, and likely wouldn’t see them much more often afterward. Henry only saw his parents at meals; neither parent