Mable beamed under Tobias' praise, and Edmund took the spare moment to have his first bite of his meat pie.  It was delicious, and warm, and the only thing that could have made it better was if the taste of his lies wasn't so thick on his tongue.

"Is there anything else we'll need to know before starting the work?" Edmund asked when he was finished with the mouthful.  "Anything else you're, um, concerned about?  I'm sure we might have more questions closer to starting, but - just, if there's anything else we need preparing for."

"You will be given instructions along with the rest of the workers once we begin," Tobias replied. "But you probably should know me wife's given birth some three months ago and she's been ill since. She is slowly recovering, but fragile still. You should not be in the house much, Edmund, but you, Mable, must keep yer voice down when yer inside, also for the sake of me daughter. T' bairn is stronger now, but we do not want 'er sleep interrupted. And I'd appreciate it if ye both be kind and patient around me wife, she isn't quite 'erself yet. But if ye see any possible trouble, or she acts in a strange way, ye come and tell me."

He'd rather not share as much at all, but if Alice was well enough she'd help with the hay making and they were bound to run into her. Alice seemed to behave and actually try as of late. She actually followed instructions and had even started bringing him and Jimmy water when they were out on the field, without being asked to do so. A peace offering that he had gladly taken and returned with allowing her to play Sally's piano, so long as she handled it with care and Emma was not asleep. She was better with Emma too - that was, willing to hold the child and play with her, though he could see the jealousy whenever it became evident that Emma preferred the wetnurse over Alice, and he dreaded the trouble that would lead to. It was her own fault, but he'd bite his tongue every time he wanted to point that out. The minister had told him to examine his own role in the dynamic and he did his best not to add coal to the fire.

Edmund seemed to inexplicably perk up a bit at the mention of a baby - one as young as three months old, too.  Mable's eyes widened a bit as well, but they glanced at Edmund before returning to Tobias when he continued.  Under the table, the boy's hands tightened against his trousers.

He loved babies..!  It had been so long since Mable was small enough to hold with ease.  Edmund knew he would probably never be able to see the young girl, let alone hold her, but just knowing she would be in the house already brought a lightness in Edmund's chest.

Mable looked a little less excited about the prospect, but she'd never had the chance to take care of someone smaller or younger than her.

"We - we'll be very careful around both of them," Edmund assured.  "Me and Mable are very good with children, so you won't have anything to worry about.  And, of course, you'll be the first to know if something is wrong with your wife."

Were they now? Tobias looked critically from one sibling to the other. "Hmm, and where did you get that experience?" he asked. He did not want to frighten them, but he also didn't like being lied to, and this last admission did help call into question the rest. If they didn't know where their mothers were, he doubted there were younger siblings.

Under Tobias’ heavy gaze, Edmund bit the inside of his cheek.  He wasn’t lying, he wouldn’t about this - but he supposed Tobias wouldn’t know that.  Still, he struggled to find the words to explain, and after a moment, Mable took over.

“Edmund raised me from the time I was born, so taking care of young children, and babies especially, is like second nature to him!  He’s really very patient and kind, and he’s - he’s never raised his voice at me even once in our whole lives.  Our family situation is very tragic, I’m sure you can imagine, and Edmund’s only ever done what’s best for me.  And I learned everything I know from him of course, so - so we’re both very responsible.”

The boy did his best not to be surprised by how confidently Mable defended him.  Not everything she said was true, he had most certainly yelled at her - especially lately - but saying that to Tobias wouldn’t give him a good impression at all.

After lunch, he would give Mable the tightest hug and buy her all the sweets she wanted.

Tobias's eyes rested on Edmund, until his sister spoke and he looked at her. There was something disarming about the child's boldness, and he was about to just nod and leave it there, when he remembered that he was taking strangers into his home. "What about this tutor? Did he or she not help raise you?" he looked back over to Edmund again. And if there had been a tutor, why was he illiterate?

So many questions from Tobias was intimidating, but he had good reason to ask them, so Edmund tried not to let it bother him.  "Mable's tutor wasn't - she didn't live with us on the farm.  She was a teacher in the town closest to us, but we lived too far to attend lessons regularly, so she asked us to pay for private lessons."

A nervous habit, Edmund tugged on the hair at the base of his neck as he spoke, his eyes never lifting above Tobias' neck.  "We didn't have a lot of money at the time, so I let Mable take the lessons rather than me.  I was - it might have not been the smartest decision, but I was young at the time.  And I don't regret it either.  I don't have time to sit and read books anyway, but it's something that Mable enjoys.  So."

Tobias watched the boy who didn't look him in the eye and felt another stab of pity. If he spoke the truth - he wasn't entirely certain how much of this entire story was true, but the fact was that she could read and he could not - he had sacrificed his own future in favour of his little sister's. And he had raised her while just a child himself.

"But ye must learn yer letters at least. Ye can't do many jobs or anythin' much without at least some readin' and writin'." He turned to Mable. "Ye should teach yer brother."

Tobias was right, and of course Edmund knew that, but that didn't make hearing what he had to say that any easier.  Instead of replying, he just nodded and looked down at his food.  Under the table, he squeezed Mable's hand, seeing her open her mouth to reply out of the corner of his eye.

She huffed, and closed it, also averting her eyes to her food.

"I'll learn," he managed quietly after a moment.  "It's not - it's not Mable's responsibility to teach me.  I'll find someone and - yeah.  I'll learn."

What were they hiding? Tobias watched the two critically. "She'd be the most logical choice, as she is around you so much, and you have helped her go to school," he protested, partly just to see what sort of reaction he'd get. He had a feeling that if he could get the girl to talk, he'd get a lot more information.