A Duke, a Governess, and a Little Lady
Rating: PG-13 at most
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, we'd still have a show to watch.
Summary: Elizabeth Parker is a governess for Emily Burming in the early 1800s but when tragedy strikes they move 3000 miles away, to live with a cousin Emily's never met and a Duke Elizabeth might not be able to handle!
"My lord, there is a letter here for you, from Aunt Mabel Burming, in America." Martin the young butler asked stepping into his master's study.
"What does it say, Martin?" Max didn't even look up from his papers.
Martin cleared his throat preparing to read the letter, still becoming accustomed to reading the mail.
Maxwell, I am sorry to inform you that your cousin Edward Burming was killed in an accident early on the morning of August 3, 1816. His wife Georgiana Burming died in childbirth later that same morning. As you know they have a young child of five, making her your second cousin. I'm sending her to live with you. I'm too old to raise a child of such a tender age. I will be sending her with her young governess, the girl is three and twenty. Once she and the young girl arrive you are to do whatever you wish with both of them. I don't care. But I don't want anything to do with them. Although, I really think Emily, you cousin, would make a nice lady, valuable tool for bargaining. Just some advice to a loved one. Yours truly, Mabel Burming
Martin stood nervously he didn't like being involved in family matters.
"Darn that woman! I should know by now that a letter from Aunt Burming is never good." He stood up and began pacing. What were he to do with a child of five, and a governess of three and twenty? Then he got an idea.
And, who did she think he was, using little girl as a tool to secure positions. His parents hadn't believed in it, why should he?
"Martin, how old are you?"
Startled out of his thoughts, "four and twenty, my lord, I'll be five and twenty next month."
"Have you considered marriage?"
****
"Miss Beth, I can't see." She held her hands up.
Elizabeth obliged her and held her up over the railing. "Can you see it?" She asked pointing out the coastline.
"There's England." Emily shivered slightly.
"Are you cold?"
Emily rested her head on Elizabeth's shoulder. "No."
"Can we ever go back to Virginia?" She asked looking at her with round blue eyes.
"I don't know, love. We'll see." She took in a breath knowing Emily wouldn't just accept that. "Um, Emily?"
"Yeah?"
"Probably not."
****
Max went to the tower for the third time in an hour.
"Is it in yet?" He asked the guard.
"Nay, my lord." The guard answered trying not to get annoyed.
Max paced back to his carriage. He didn't like the docks, it was rusty and the smell of dirty sea water and dead fish. There was just something about it he didn't like. If they weren't here in a half hour he'd go to the inn and rent out two rooms. They had a three hour journey ahead of them.
A half an hour later he walked back to the tower. A young woman and a frightened little girl with blonde curls were talking to the guard. Something about that little girl's eyes looked familiar.
"Pardon me, but has the Princess come in yet?" He asked.
The young woman glared at him for interrupting, while the little girl clutched the doll she was holding tighter and backed up.
"Emily, stay still." She commanded sharply. "I just came in on the Princess is there someone you were looking for?"
"Yes, a Miss Parker and a Miss Burming?" He inquired.
"That, would be us." She declared.
He studied her and the little girl once more. "Follow me."
Max started walking and Elizabeth followed as closely as possible, dragging Emily behind.
"My lord, could you slow down, please, our legs aren't as long as yours." She called.
He stopped abruptly causing Elizabeth to slam into his back with a loud "hmpf."
Elizabeth shook her head to clear it. Looking up she saw the most beautiful carriage she had ever seen.
"I, my lady, am Lord Maxwell Evans. But you may call me Max, everyone else does." He smiled.
"I'm Elizabeth Parker." He took her hand and brushed a kiss over it. "And this is Emily Burming, my young charge." She introduced. "I'm commonly called Beth."
"Liz." He stated.
"Liz?" She was confused.
"I'll call you Liz."
"Why?"
"Because I want to." He stooped down to Emily level, as Liz liked to call it. "How do you do Miss Emily?"
"Liz it is." She muttered.
Emily shrunk back and looked up at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth gave her a look. "Good, m-my lord." She whispered. "A-and you?"
"Just fine thank you." He stood up to full height.
When he stood full height he stood more than a foot taller than Elizabeth. She was looking squarely at his chest.
"Well, we better be off." He said opening the door.
He went to grab Emily. She hid behind Elizabeth.
"I'll go first." Elizabeth said, knowing Emily would follow no questions asked.
"Fine Liz." He helped her up.
Emily immediately let out a shriek of disapproval at being removed from her security.
She glared up at him tiny fists on her hips. "P-please help me u-up?" She asked, half angry, half terrified.
"Alright." He swiftly lifted her up where she crawled into Elizabeth's lap.
Max climbed in after. "Ready?" He asked.
Elizabeth sighed. "I guess."
And the carriage jerked forward.
TBC.
Thanks everyone for all the wonderful reviews!
Rating: PG-13 at most
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, we'd still have a show to watch.
Summary: Elizabeth Parker is a governess for Emily Burming in the early 1800s but when tragedy strikes they move 3000 miles away, to live with a cousin Emily's never met and a Duke Elizabeth might not be able to handle!
"My lord, there is a letter here for you, from Aunt Mabel Burming, in America." Martin the young butler asked stepping into his master's study.
"What does it say, Martin?" Max didn't even look up from his papers.
Martin cleared his throat preparing to read the letter, still becoming accustomed to reading the mail.
Maxwell, I am sorry to inform you that your cousin Edward Burming was killed in an accident early on the morning of August 3, 1816. His wife Georgiana Burming died in childbirth later that same morning. As you know they have a young child of five, making her your second cousin. I'm sending her to live with you. I'm too old to raise a child of such a tender age. I will be sending her with her young governess, the girl is three and twenty. Once she and the young girl arrive you are to do whatever you wish with both of them. I don't care. But I don't want anything to do with them. Although, I really think Emily, you cousin, would make a nice lady, valuable tool for bargaining. Just some advice to a loved one. Yours truly, Mabel Burming
Martin stood nervously he didn't like being involved in family matters.
"Darn that woman! I should know by now that a letter from Aunt Burming is never good." He stood up and began pacing. What were he to do with a child of five, and a governess of three and twenty? Then he got an idea.
And, who did she think he was, using little girl as a tool to secure positions. His parents hadn't believed in it, why should he?
"Martin, how old are you?"
Startled out of his thoughts, "four and twenty, my lord, I'll be five and twenty next month."
"Have you considered marriage?"
****
"Miss Beth, I can't see." She held her hands up.
Elizabeth obliged her and held her up over the railing. "Can you see it?" She asked pointing out the coastline.
"There's England." Emily shivered slightly.
"Are you cold?"
Emily rested her head on Elizabeth's shoulder. "No."
"Can we ever go back to Virginia?" She asked looking at her with round blue eyes.
"I don't know, love. We'll see." She took in a breath knowing Emily wouldn't just accept that. "Um, Emily?"
"Yeah?"
"Probably not."
****
Max went to the tower for the third time in an hour.
"Is it in yet?" He asked the guard.
"Nay, my lord." The guard answered trying not to get annoyed.
Max paced back to his carriage. He didn't like the docks, it was rusty and the smell of dirty sea water and dead fish. There was just something about it he didn't like. If they weren't here in a half hour he'd go to the inn and rent out two rooms. They had a three hour journey ahead of them.
A half an hour later he walked back to the tower. A young woman and a frightened little girl with blonde curls were talking to the guard. Something about that little girl's eyes looked familiar.
"Pardon me, but has the Princess come in yet?" He asked.
The young woman glared at him for interrupting, while the little girl clutched the doll she was holding tighter and backed up.
"Emily, stay still." She commanded sharply. "I just came in on the Princess is there someone you were looking for?"
"Yes, a Miss Parker and a Miss Burming?" He inquired.
"That, would be us." She declared.
He studied her and the little girl once more. "Follow me."
Max started walking and Elizabeth followed as closely as possible, dragging Emily behind.
"My lord, could you slow down, please, our legs aren't as long as yours." She called.
He stopped abruptly causing Elizabeth to slam into his back with a loud "hmpf."
Elizabeth shook her head to clear it. Looking up she saw the most beautiful carriage she had ever seen.
"I, my lady, am Lord Maxwell Evans. But you may call me Max, everyone else does." He smiled.
"I'm Elizabeth Parker." He took her hand and brushed a kiss over it. "And this is Emily Burming, my young charge." She introduced. "I'm commonly called Beth."
"Liz." He stated.
"Liz?" She was confused.
"I'll call you Liz."
"Why?"
"Because I want to." He stooped down to Emily level, as Liz liked to call it. "How do you do Miss Emily?"
"Liz it is." She muttered.
Emily shrunk back and looked up at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth gave her a look. "Good, m-my lord." She whispered. "A-and you?"
"Just fine thank you." He stood up to full height.
When he stood full height he stood more than a foot taller than Elizabeth. She was looking squarely at his chest.
"Well, we better be off." He said opening the door.
He went to grab Emily. She hid behind Elizabeth.
"I'll go first." Elizabeth said, knowing Emily would follow no questions asked.
"Fine Liz." He helped her up.
Emily immediately let out a shriek of disapproval at being removed from her security.
She glared up at him tiny fists on her hips. "P-please help me u-up?" She asked, half angry, half terrified.
"Alright." He swiftly lifted her up where she crawled into Elizabeth's lap.
Max climbed in after. "Ready?" He asked.
Elizabeth sighed. "I guess."
And the carriage jerked forward.
TBC.
Thanks everyone for all the wonderful reviews!