me."
When he had the carriage backed up and all the reigns and straps in their place, Derek felt under the seat of the wagon for his bag, then hooked the lead to Blueberry's bridle and led him across the lawn. He made a point to go by the front porch so he could see Catherine again, but by the time he got there she was gone, most likely ushered inside by Jonathan.
Walking into the shade of the stable, Derek was glad to see Lady Sarah Mary-Ruth was asleep. "Now if you just stay really quiet," he whispered to Blueberry, "we won't have to deal with her until dinner time. Sound good?"
With both horses content, he climbed the ladder and set his paper bag on his bed. He then walked to the small door at the end of the loft and pulled it open for light. Settling down with his Bible in one hand and his pad of paper and a pencil in the other, Derek flipped open to a random page.
Instead of just going through and learning how to write all the letters at once, he decided to pick a verse a day and copy it down then practice the letters that were in it. Choosing a very short one to start with, he began to slowly draw the letters as he saw them. His writing was jagged and sloppy. And, truth-be-told, it didn't look very much like what was on the Bible page.
"Well," he told himself, "you're only just starting. You aren't going to write like a scholar." Picking out each of the individual letters, Derek wrote them over in the order they appeared below the verse, then set to work copying them several times, running over on the back of the sheet.
Just as he was finishing a row of T's, he heard voices below him. Derek froze.
"Oh, she's so pretty! What's her name?" It was Aniline.
"That's Lady Sarah Mary-Ruth. She's my mother's. This one's mine."
"What's his name?"
"Blueberry," Gabriel said with a sheepish laugh. "I got him for my seventh birthday."
Aniline giggled a little. "I think it's a darling name for a darling horse. Hello, Blueberry."
"You can pet him, if you want to. He's friendly."
"Hi there," she said again. "You are such a handsome boy. But I suppose you should be if you're Gabriel's. He's a very handsome boy, too."
Did she forget that Gabriel's standing right there? Derek wondered. She is so stupid.
"I just gave you a compliment, Gabriel Worthington," she said in a playful voice.
"Oh, uh, thank you."
She giggled again. "You're welcome. You know, when a girl gives you a compliment you are allowed to give her a compliment back."
There was a pause.
"You're dress is very ni Mm!"
There was the sound of scuffing feet.
Curious, Derek peeked over the edge of the loft floor, trying to see what they were doing. His eyes rolled. She was kissing him! Derek sat up quickly, feeling very much like he'd just seen something he shouldn't have. He stayed as quiet as he could so they wouldn't know his was there.
"It's about time to go back to the house for tea, isn't it?" Aniline asked coyly a few seconds later.
"Umm, yeah. Just about." Gabriel sounded distant and breathless.
Through the open window in the loft, Derek watched them walk up the hill and disappear down the other side towards the house. Gabriel's hand was locked firmly in Aniline's.
Derek leaned back against the wall, letting out the breath he'd been holding.
He definitely did not need to see that.
Late that night, curled up in his bed, his lamp shining brightly, Derek stared at his Bible, picking out letters he'd memorized already. The only real problem with his efforts, he was finding, was he didn't know what to call each letter. Just pointing to them, telling himself, "This is that one," and "That is this one," wasn't making it easy for him to distinguish between the ones that looked alike.
"What I need is someone to tell me what each one sounds like. Or at least what it's called."
Skimming the page once more, he thought, I should give them my own names. It'd be like having my very own alphabet . Smiling at the idea of someone who couldn't read having their own
When he had the carriage backed up and all the reigns and straps in their place, Derek felt under the seat of the wagon for his bag, then hooked the lead to Blueberry's bridle and led him across the lawn. He made a point to go by the front porch so he could see Catherine again, but by the time he got there she was gone, most likely ushered inside by Jonathan.
Walking into the shade of the stable, Derek was glad to see Lady Sarah Mary-Ruth was asleep. "Now if you just stay really quiet," he whispered to Blueberry, "we won't have to deal with her until dinner time. Sound good?"
With both horses content, he climbed the ladder and set his paper bag on his bed. He then walked to the small door at the end of the loft and pulled it open for light. Settling down with his Bible in one hand and his pad of paper and a pencil in the other, Derek flipped open to a random page.
Instead of just going through and learning how to write all the letters at once, he decided to pick a verse a day and copy it down then practice the letters that were in it. Choosing a very short one to start with, he began to slowly draw the letters as he saw them. His writing was jagged and sloppy. And, truth-be-told, it didn't look very much like what was on the Bible page.
"Well," he told himself, "you're only just starting. You aren't going to write like a scholar." Picking out each of the individual letters, Derek wrote them over in the order they appeared below the verse, then set to work copying them several times, running over on the back of the sheet.
Just as he was finishing a row of T's, he heard voices below him. Derek froze.
"Oh, she's so pretty! What's her name?" It was Aniline.
"That's Lady Sarah Mary-Ruth. She's my mother's. This one's mine."
"What's his name?"
"Blueberry," Gabriel said with a sheepish laugh. "I got him for my seventh birthday."
Aniline giggled a little. "I think it's a darling name for a darling horse. Hello, Blueberry."
"You can pet him, if you want to. He's friendly."
"Hi there," she said again. "You are such a handsome boy. But I suppose you should be if you're Gabriel's. He's a very handsome boy, too."
Did she forget that Gabriel's standing right there? Derek wondered. She is so stupid.
"I just gave you a compliment, Gabriel Worthington," she said in a playful voice.
"Oh, uh, thank you."
She giggled again. "You're welcome. You know, when a girl gives you a compliment you are allowed to give her a compliment back."
There was a pause.
"You're dress is very ni Mm!"
There was the sound of scuffing feet.
Curious, Derek peeked over the edge of the loft floor, trying to see what they were doing. His eyes rolled. She was kissing him! Derek sat up quickly, feeling very much like he'd just seen something he shouldn't have. He stayed as quiet as he could so they wouldn't know his was there.
"It's about time to go back to the house for tea, isn't it?" Aniline asked coyly a few seconds later.
"Umm, yeah. Just about." Gabriel sounded distant and breathless.
Through the open window in the loft, Derek watched them walk up the hill and disappear down the other side towards the house. Gabriel's hand was locked firmly in Aniline's.
Derek leaned back against the wall, letting out the breath he'd been holding.
He definitely did not need to see that.
Late that night, curled up in his bed, his lamp shining brightly, Derek stared at his Bible, picking out letters he'd memorized already. The only real problem with his efforts, he was finding, was he didn't know what to call each letter. Just pointing to them, telling himself, "This is that one," and "That is this one," wasn't making it easy for him to distinguish between the ones that looked alike.
"What I need is someone to tell me what each one sounds like. Or at least what it's called."
Skimming the page once more, he thought, I should give them my own names. It'd be like having my very own alphabet . Smiling at the idea of someone who couldn't read having their own
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