"Matthew?"
He looks up immediately, panic in his eyes. His mother is walking over, holding her hand up to shield her face from the sun. He brings his hands behind his back, hiding what had caught his attention earlier. He straightens up and smiles.
"What have you got there?" His mother asks with a smile, lowering herself to meet his eyes.
She is most beautiful. And sad.
There is a certain sadness in his mother's eyes. He watches her sometimes, staring out into nothing when she believes she is alone. Her eyes are much, much darker than his blue ones and they can be both warm and dull at the same time.
"May I see?" She asks him and tilts her head. Matthew shakes his head and his mother's smile widens. "Please?"
She's said the magic words. There is no refusing her now.
Slowly, he brings up his little hands and shows her. She will be angry, he knows it. He uncurls his fingers hesitantly. His mother's breath hitches. When he plucks up the courage to look at her eyes, he sees that she is not angry.
"Do you know what this is?"
Matthew shakes his head. He looks down at the object in his hands. It makes a noise but beyond that there is nothing else that he knows about it.
"It was your father's watch," His mother explains patiently, looking at it curiously.
"Father's?" He repeats slowly, watching the sticks move around the circle face. His mother nods. The sadness is there again, but only for a fleeting moment.
"It tells one what time of the day it is. You shall wear it someday," She tells him and his eyes grow wide. "But until then, would you mind it if I looked after it?"
She holds her hand out.
He nods with a smile and gives it to her, excited at the prospect of being the bearer of his father's watch someday. His mother lets out a soft laugh. She straightens up and holds a hand out.
"Would you like to join me for tea?"
He nods, taking her hand and walking back with her.
"Will you read to me, mama?" He looks up at her with a hopeful face.
"Only if you promise that you will not feed the dog crumpets when I am not looking," She says with a raised eyebrow and a hint of a smile.