Clive beams with pride as he adjusts his grip on the prop rapier, waiting for Joshua to deliver the final line of the play. Their hearts were thrumming with both excitement and exertion; it was quite a long play, and sometimes they stumbled over their lines, but it was exhilarating to perform, especially for you. “And with that, the kingdom was saved forever!” declares Joshua breathlessly, looking towards his older brother as a smile spreads across his face. “All thanks to the brave knights of the realm.”

The two of them straighten, panting a little from the effort, their eyes shining as they search your face for a reaction. “Did you enjoy the performance, my lady?” Clive asks hopefully. Joshua shifts closer to his brother, gripping the hem of Clive’s tunic and grinning from ear to ear.

They don’t get this often—an audience that truly sees them, a gentle touch, soft words of encouragement. Clive, especially, who has to avoid his mother’s eyes, had been looking forward to you watching him act. Indeed, you were their father’s mistress, but you’d long become more maternal than even their real mother.