Luke suppressed a smile. “It is not going to hurt you.”
“I know that.” Emily snapped.
“Then why are you holding it as though it were a poisonous serpent?” Luke raised an eyebrow at her.
“I am not.” Emily gripped the book more firmly. “I just do not understand why you have handed me a book.”
“It is an abecedarium.” He replied simply.
“A what?” Emily frowned.
“A book of letters. I want you to read it. Not the sentences, just the letters.” He gestured again to the pages, keeping his voice even.
“But what is the point?” Emily asked.
Is she being deliberately combative?Luke clamped down on his irritation, taking a breath and keeping his voice level and even.“I need to understand the limits of your education.”
“I thought we had already done that. I know very little.” Emily raised an eyebrow at him.
He sighed.This is going to be a long night.“That does not tell me very much. Very little is subjective.”
“It feels objective to me.” Emily wrapped her arms around herself.
Luke narrowed his eyes, trying to understand why she seemed determined to avoid the subject. “Facts and feelings are not the same thing.”
“In this case they are as good as each other. My feelings around my inadequacies are grounded in the fact of it.” Emily replied.
“If you are going to spend the entire time arguing with me, I fear we will make staggeringly slow progress.” Luke shot back, his temper getting the better of him.
“I am not arguing with you.”
“You are now arguing about arguing.” Luke ran a hand through his hair as understanding dawned on him. “You are either avoiding the task because you are afraid or you are simply choosing to be infuriating.”
“I am not afraid.”
“Prove it.” Luke pointed at the book. “Read the letters from the book. They should be nice and big, and this edition has each in a different type face.”
Emily raised it, and Luke noticed her hands shaking. She took a deep breath, opened her mouth and closed it several times.
Eventually, she looked up at him. “Do you have to watch me?”
“I need to know that you are reading from the book, and not just reciting the alphabet by rote.” Luke explained.
Emily raised an eyebrow at him, a half-smile on her face. “You do not trust me?”
Luke felt a flush of warmth in his cheeks and hoped that in the dim light, Emily would not be able to see. “It is not that I do not trust you, mostly that I know you are clever and at times impatient.”
Luke found himself smiling at Emily who was looking at him with a mix of surprise and amusement on her face. “How is it possible to be complimentary and insulting in the same breath?”
“It is one of my many talents.” He shrugged, smiling in what he hoped was a cheeky way.I am out of practice.
“Such humility.” Emily rolled her eyes, but Luke caught a glimpse of her smile.
There was a beat of silence, but it felt comfortable. It was as if there was a warmth in the air. Luke shook his head, trying to think sensibly and said, “Would it help if I only looked at the book?”
“But it will be upside down, won’t it?” Emily glanced from Luke to the abecedarium.
Luke nodded. “Yes. Though as the print is large, it will be easy enough to read.”
