Tom Holland Imagines

The Stable Boy Part 5 (Vintage!Tom)

Y/n sat next to her father who was at the head of the table across from Harrison. She stared down at her plate as they discussed politics, a boring subject that she had never had an interest in. Y/n enjoyed reading and helping people.

"Y/n, what do you think?" She looked up as her father said her name.

"Hmm?" Her father frowned and she heard a small laugh from Harrison. Claire rolled her eyes as Y/n's face flushed.

"What do you think of the taxes that the government is making the upper class pay?" Samuel said.

"Oh, I guess it makes sense if they are making lower classes pay too," She said, her father didn't seem too happy by her answer but Harrison gave her a soft smile.

"I completely agree with you," He said.

The servants brought the main course and the four of them ate in silence before Samuel spoke.

"Y/n, I was thinking that tomorrow you can the Duke could go riding around the grounds," he said and Y/n nodded, looking at Harrison who gave her a smile.

"Of course," She said, mirroring him.

The rest of dinner was finished in uncomfortable silence as Y/n thought about Peter, why he spoke so little of himself. She had never met any man that had little interest in talking about his position and the power he would come to hold, that is, besides Harrison but Y/n had yet to have a proper conversation with the young man.

Once dinner was over, she quietly excused herself and made her way towards the stables, wanting to see Peter again.

He was feeding Achilles when she walked in. He looked up and a smile made its way to his face as the young woman walked towards him.

"How'd the dinner go?" He asked and Y/n shrugged.

"It was boring. But I'm going riding with the duke tomorrow," She said and the smile disappeared from Peter's face.

"Have you ever spoken to him before?" He asked and Y/n shrugged.

"Just to say hello, but other than that, not a word," She said and Peter nodded, a silence filling the barn. "He seems kind," She said and Peter scoffed.

"Any man will seem nice until you're married, they only want the power and money you can give them," Peter said and Y/n gasped.

"How could you speak of him that way? You don't even know him!" Y/n said, taking a step back from him. He rolled his eyes and turned to face her.

"I know the company he keeps, the people that influence him. They are nothing but vicious, power-hungry men who will do anything to grab hold of it, so when your laying in your bed at night and wondering how your husband is denying you everything that was once yours, remember what I told you," Peter said and Y/n shook her head, tears threatening to fall.

"Y-your wrong," She said and Peter didn't respond, turning back to Achilles. Y/n stared at the back of his head, thoughts running through her own. She turned around and walked out of the barn, wiping tears from her eyes as Peter stared after her.

-

The next morning, Y/n was in her riding gear, walking towards the stables with Harrison at her side. They were quiet, but it was uncomfortable as Harrison took in the great view of Harlaxton's land.

Walking into the stables, Y/n stiffened when she saw Peter. She didn't want to remember their previous conversation but his words replayed over in her head.

"Your grace, Lady Y/n," Peter said, bowing his head respectfully, though his eyes held resentment.

"Your horses are ready for you," He said and while Harrison got on Alexander, Peter helped Y/n onto Achilles. She swung her leg over his back and made herself comfortable, she noticed that Peter's hand lingered longer on her thigh than it should've.

She looked down at him to see him staring back up at her. A look in his eyes that she couldn't place.

"Do you know the best places to ride?" Harrison asked Y/n and Peter quickly removed his hand, stepping away from Achilles and making his way out of the barn.

"Yes, if we ride north for a while we can view the entire grounds of Harlaxton," Y/n said, slightly missing the warmth of Peter's hand.

-

The two had been out for about an hour when Y/n suggested that they stop to let the horses rest.

Harrison helped her down from Achilles and they tied the reins around two small trees before walking together into the woods.

"Can I ask you a question?" Y/n asked and Harrison nodded.

"Of course,"

"Why don't you seem eager to impress me?" Y/n said and Harrison looked at her, a confused look on his face.

"What do you mean?" He asked and Y/n sighed.

"The other suitors, they always talked about themselves and always tried to show the power and wealth they had. You don't seem to want to have a conversation with me," Y/n said and Harrison looked forward, sighing.

"It wasn't my idea to come here," He said simply and Y/n nodded.

"Was there someone else?" She asked and he hesitated before nodding. "What's her name?" She asked and Harrison smiled.

"Grace. Her name is Grace," He said and Y/n smiled.

"You must really love her," She said and Harrison nodded.

"Do you have anyone?" He asked and Y/n sighed, thinking back to Peter.

"I hoped that I had, but at the moment I'm not entirely sure," She said softly.

"Was it the stable boy?" He asked and Y/n looked over at him, her eyes wide.

"H-how did you know?" She asked and he let out a small laugh.

"I saw the way you looked at each other. It's the same way I looked at Grace," he said and Y/n looked down at the ground.

"Does it hurt this much? When they say mean things?" She asked and he nodded.

"When you truly love someone, you trust them with everything you have," He said quietly.

They walked in silence for a while before making their way back to the horses and riding back. It was quiet, but this time peaceful.

-

Peter was waiting in the stables for them, he helped Y/n down from Achilles and took both the reins off of the horses. Harrison gave Y/n a knowing look as he walked out of the barn, leaving the two of them alone.

"Hey, Peter..." Y/n whispered and he almost couldn't hear her. "I'm sorry for yesterday," She said and he turned to face her.

"I'm the one that should be sorry. It was wrong of me to speak of the duke in such a way," there was a small pause as Peter looked down at the ground, "I'm sure the two of you will be very happy together," He said but Y/n shook her head.

"He loves someone else...just as I do," she whispered and Peter looked up at her, his eyes wide.

"Y-you do?" He asked and she nodded, taking a step closer to him.

"Yes. I love you, Peter," Y/n said, wrapping her arms around his neck, he wrapped his arms around her waist and brought his lips to hers.

They were warm and made Y/n feel at home, well, she was at home but this made her feel safe and secure. Being with Peter was better than anything she had ever experienced before. He was the first to pull away, resting his forehead on hers.

"I love you too."