Tessa dragged Jem back inside and down a hallway, pointing out rooms left, right and centre.
"That one's the spare room, and then the bathroom, and then the laundry closet, and, this one's my room." Jem peeked in and saw a very neat room with bookshelves lining all possible wall space.
Tessa looked hesitantly at him and bit her lip.
"So, you'll be needing somewhere to sleep so, um, if you wanted-"
"Could you possibly make up the bed for me in the spare room please?" Jem interrupted. "I'm afraid hospital bed corners weren't part of what the Silent Brothers taught me, and the results of any attempts made by me would be disastrous."
"Oh. of course, of course." Tessa only appeared surprised for a second, then bustled to the laundry closet and waddled into the spare room with an armful of white linen. "Well come on then!" She called out to Jem. "I can't have you staying here without knowing how to take care of your bed!"
"Humph. I come out of the brotherhood to be taught how to fold bed sheets." Jem mumbled as he followed her in, being rewarded by a pillow in the face.
…
"You can start by pulling the pillowslip onto that," Tessa said as she laid out a sheet onto the bed. "Then you can come help me with the sheet corners."
With an experienced hand Tessa showed Jem how to fold the sheet over and tuck it underneath the mattress. Her hands shook as she corrected his mistakes and guided his hands over the linen. She subconsciously smoothed out several creases and then jumped as if she had been shocked.
"Excuse me," Tessa whispered, and she dashed out of the room. She stumbled down the hallway and leant against the kitchen bench, breathing in deeply. A pair of golden eyes flashed in front of her own, followed by some softer blue ones. She hardly noticed the fine hand resting hesitantly on her shoulder.
"Tessa?" Jem said softly. He took her by the hand and gently led her over the lounge where he sat beside her, holding her hand between his two. Tessa stared silently down at her knees.
"James," she whispered. "I… I taught him that as well. Lucie too. She always got the sheets stuck in the bed frame… And I – "
Tessa gasped and drew her hands to her face. Jem slowly pulled them away, exposing Tessa's glistening eyes. He hesitated for a moment as he rubbed his finger over her knuckles.
"And what did you do when she got the sheets stuck in the frame? I do hope you didn't get angry, I may make the same mistake." He asked gently.
"I would…" Tessa breathed in. "I would let her try to get them unstuck, and if they tore, she would have to sleep with them like that, but if they were fine, James would have to redo her bed."
"And what mischief did James get up to?" Jem coaxed.
Tessa smiled wanly. "James was always too truthful. He did not realise that sometimes it would be kinder to lie to someone than to tell them the truth. Like when he exclaimed to Charlotte how he had tortured her cat for sacrificial purposes. Or broke poor little Katherine Penhallow's heart when he told her that her nose was humongous…"
Jem listened thoughtfully as Tessa let out her memories. Every sentence she started was more confident than the last, and her gestures became more animated as she spoke. Jem moved only from her side to make some tea, which she sipped in between anecdotes. Jem had always marvelled at Tessa's storytelling abilities, and listening to her in that moment, he remembered those experiences as brotherhood had not permitted him to. Black haired boys falling into lakes, red and brown tresses flowing in a summer breeze, peaceful blue eyes, melancholy music telling a life story, but no… the music had stopped. Tessa was no longer talking, but curled up on the lounge, her head resting in Jem's lap. He tucked a wayward curl behind her ear and carried her into her room. He tucked her into her bed, kissed her quickly and softly on the forehead, and was walking from the room when a small voice called out behind him.
"Jem?" Tessa eyelashes fluttered against her weary eyes.
He looked behind him in the doorframe. "Yes?"
"You still have to tell me about your life."
Jem smiled, a peaceful, contented, simple smile. "Tomorrow."
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