duke dismissed them both with a gruff, “Humph! No wonder Bolgolam was vexed to have a giant suddenly wash up on the shore of Lilliput and turn everything in the kingdom upside down.”
Was he talking about Lemuel Gulliver in Lilliput or the new governess at Renforth Abbey? Leah wondered as Kit showed her more of his little figures. If he meant the latter, she could only observe that some things in his household needed to be turned on their heads.
She might not be a giant, like Gulliver, but she had the power of right on her side. What could stand against that?
* * *
Did his son truly see him as some sort of sour-faced petty tyrant like Gulliver’s enemy, who would tie him down with a thousand small, annoying threads?
Hayden had done his best to stifle that thought for the past week. But now, as he listened to Kit’s afternoon lesson, it ambushed him again.
Miss Shaw was reading part of the story about the ridiculously long list of restrictions set upon Gulliver’s freedom. Did the new governess consider his rules regarding her position equally restrictive? And perhaps equally ridiculous?
“‘If an express require extraordinary dispatch...’” she read, “‘the Man-Mountain shall be obliged to carry in his pocket the messenger and...’ what is the next word, Kit?”
“‘Horse,’” the child responded immediately.
“Very good.” Miss Shaw continued reading. “‘The messenger and horse a six days’ journey, once in every...’”
“‘Moon’!” Kit supplied the next word before she could even ask.
“Well done! ‘And return the said messenger back (if so required) safe to our Imperial Presence.’”
Let Miss Shaw think what she liked! Hayden crossed his arms tightly over his chest and shifted in his seat. The rules he had put in place were for his son’s protection, so Kit did not overtax his strength or get too excited. No doubt Skyresh Bolgolam believed he was protecting the citizens of Lilliput from the potentially dangerous actions of the giant castaway. Actions that might seem perfectly innocent to Lemuel Gulliver if he were home in England could have dire consequences on an island populated with inhabitants only a few inches tall.
Drat it all! He was doing it again. Hayden made a conscious effort to relax his scowling features.
By the time the governess finished reading the whole list, with some help from Kit, Hayden could no longer keep his thoughts to himself. “Perhaps the reason Bolgolam seems so disagreeable is because Gulliver gets to tell the story. The reader knows Gulliver’s intentions toward his hosts are entirely benevolent. But how could the high-admiral know that? Surely he was right to be wary of a creature that posed such a grave threat to the kingdom?”
The silence that greeted his outburst felt charged with ridicule.
“It is only a story, Your Grace,” Miss Shaw said at last.
Hayden could picture her exchanging mocking looks with his son. That added fuel to his outrage. Was Leah Shaw trying to turn Kit against him?
“I know it is a story,” he snapped. A story that contained unsettling parallels with his own life.
“Now, Kit, let’s see how well you remember your numbers.” Miss Shaw addressed the child in a tone of feigned cheer that seemed designed to exclude his father from their conversation. “How many soldiers has the high-admiral set to guard Gulliver?”
Hayden heard the rattle of toy figures being taken from their box, then Kit began to count, “One...two...three...”
On he continued, all the way to nine—a considerable accomplishment for a boy who had only begun learning his numbers the previous day. Hayden’s heart swelled with pride, though he could not stifle a pang of regret that he had let his son reach the age of seven without learning to count.
He tried to justify himself with the excuse that a bedridden boy had no need of such knowledge...except perhaps for the self-respect that came from mastering a skill other children
Was he talking about Lemuel Gulliver in Lilliput or the new governess at Renforth Abbey? Leah wondered as Kit showed her more of his little figures. If he meant the latter, she could only observe that some things in his household needed to be turned on their heads.
She might not be a giant, like Gulliver, but she had the power of right on her side. What could stand against that?
* * *
Did his son truly see him as some sort of sour-faced petty tyrant like Gulliver’s enemy, who would tie him down with a thousand small, annoying threads?
Hayden had done his best to stifle that thought for the past week. But now, as he listened to Kit’s afternoon lesson, it ambushed him again.
Miss Shaw was reading part of the story about the ridiculously long list of restrictions set upon Gulliver’s freedom. Did the new governess consider his rules regarding her position equally restrictive? And perhaps equally ridiculous?
“‘If an express require extraordinary dispatch...’” she read, “‘the Man-Mountain shall be obliged to carry in his pocket the messenger and...’ what is the next word, Kit?”
“‘Horse,’” the child responded immediately.
“Very good.” Miss Shaw continued reading. “‘The messenger and horse a six days’ journey, once in every...’”
“‘Moon’!” Kit supplied the next word before she could even ask.
“Well done! ‘And return the said messenger back (if so required) safe to our Imperial Presence.’”
Let Miss Shaw think what she liked! Hayden crossed his arms tightly over his chest and shifted in his seat. The rules he had put in place were for his son’s protection, so Kit did not overtax his strength or get too excited. No doubt Skyresh Bolgolam believed he was protecting the citizens of Lilliput from the potentially dangerous actions of the giant castaway. Actions that might seem perfectly innocent to Lemuel Gulliver if he were home in England could have dire consequences on an island populated with inhabitants only a few inches tall.
Drat it all! He was doing it again. Hayden made a conscious effort to relax his scowling features.
By the time the governess finished reading the whole list, with some help from Kit, Hayden could no longer keep his thoughts to himself. “Perhaps the reason Bolgolam seems so disagreeable is because Gulliver gets to tell the story. The reader knows Gulliver’s intentions toward his hosts are entirely benevolent. But how could the high-admiral know that? Surely he was right to be wary of a creature that posed such a grave threat to the kingdom?”
The silence that greeted his outburst felt charged with ridicule.
“It is only a story, Your Grace,” Miss Shaw said at last.
Hayden could picture her exchanging mocking looks with his son. That added fuel to his outrage. Was Leah Shaw trying to turn Kit against him?
“I know it is a story,” he snapped. A story that contained unsettling parallels with his own life.
“Now, Kit, let’s see how well you remember your numbers.” Miss Shaw addressed the child in a tone of feigned cheer that seemed designed to exclude his father from their conversation. “How many soldiers has the high-admiral set to guard Gulliver?”
Hayden heard the rattle of toy figures being taken from their box, then Kit began to count, “One...two...three...”
On he continued, all the way to nine—a considerable accomplishment for a boy who had only begun learning his numbers the previous day. Hayden’s heart swelled with pride, though he could not stifle a pang of regret that he had let his son reach the age of seven without learning to count.
He tried to justify himself with the excuse that a bedridden boy had no need of such knowledge...except perhaps for the self-respect that came from mastering a skill other children
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