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!
"So, Miss Emily, although I guess it would be Lady Emily, now that you're back in England, I've heard your five years old?" Max asked gently.
"I will be, next Tuesday." She said sinking into Liz.
"September 27? Good day to be born." He smiled.
Emily turned a crimson shade and felt as if her face was on fire. She studied the man across from her.
He was really tall. When she stood up on the ground next to him it looked like forever till she reached his head. He had dark hair, like her papa. She missed her papa terribly and her mama. Feeling the need to cry, she snuggled closer into Liz and studied him some more.
His eyes were dark, but kind. She knew somewhere deep inside that he would never hurt her. He was just so, so big.
"I hear you're a smart girl." Max commented.
Emily looked up at Liz to see if she had heard, but her attention was on something out the window. She had that worried look on her face. The face she gets when she thinks she was sleeping late at night. When she'd sit by Emily's bed, and just, well, sit.
"You could say that, my lord." Emily whispered.
"You speak four languages?"
"Miss Beth speaks six." She stated matter of factly, wanting desperately to take his attentions from her.
Max looked up at the young woman sitting across from him. Her hair was long, brown and straight. It was unusual, in England, for a woman her age to wear her hair down and free. She looked like she could be intelligent. She must be if she was this girl's governess at such a young age. Six languages? He spoke as many, he has never in his life known another female, disregarding his sister, who spoke more than two.
"Six, Liz?" He had to ask.
Liz continued looking out the window. "Liz?"
"Miss Beth?" Emily gently squeezed her hand knowing that was the only way to help her out of the haze.
"Pardon?" Liz shook her head to clear it.
" Lady Emily here said you speak six languages, is that true?"
Liz smiled a shy smile and nodded her head. "Yes, my lord."
Max studied her when she turned to look back out the window. He felt something towards this girl. He wasn't sure what. He already knew that they would be staying with him, but Liz would be married. Something felt off at that thought. Unsettling.
Pretty soon Emily drifted off to sleep. There was complete silence in the carriage except for Emily's soft breathing.
Liz stroked Emily's hair while she thought about the man sitting across from her. When he had kissed her hands earlier, she felt alive like she hadn't felt alive before. She had wanted to blush but had long ago learned to hide it. One of the reasons she wanted to get into the carriage first was so that she could sit down. Her knees felt like they would give out.
"Liz?" She heard her name being called. She looked over to the handsome figure across from her.
"Yes, my lord?" She asked.
"I told you to call me Max." He said sternly.
"Sorry."
"How old are you?" He asked bluntly.
Liz looked at him shocked but answered. "Ni-three and twenty." She corrected herself.
"What?" He asked.
"Three and twenty."
He looked at her closely and then turned back out the window only to be greeted with the most spectacular sight. "What's that?" She asked with awe filling her voice.
"Lake Antar." He told her with a smile.
"That's yours?" She said.
"Well, my family's."
"Wow. Can you swim?" She had always wanted to learn but no one would teach her.
"Like a fish. You?"
"No one ever taught me." Liz looked down at her hands in her lap.
"You'll learn quickly." He said.
"Liz?"
"Yes?"
"You'll be ok here." He tried to reassure her.
"I'm not so sure about that." She answered honestly, looking him in the eye.
The carriage pulled up to the driveway and a young butler came down the front steps.
"Hello, Martin." He smiled, but felt that unsettling feeling inside him again.
"I trust your trip went well, my lord?" He asked helping his master down from the carriage.
"Excellent." He smiled. "Here Liz, hand the girl to me so you won't have to wake her.
"I've got her. I have to wake her up anyway to get her ready for bed." Liz explained. She set the sleeping girl on her feet and gently tried to coax her awake.
"Mama?" The girl rubbed her eyes.
"No, love. Come on." Liz stepped down from the carriage with the help of both Martin and Max.
"Elizabeth Parker, I'd like you to meet my butler, Martin Kendall. His father is, my driver, who goes by Kendall, and Mrs. Gloria Kendall, Martin's mother and Kendall's wife, is my head housekeeper.
Liz studied each of them. She liked the older couple but the way the young man was looking at her, was making her uncomfortable.
"Mrs. Kendall will show you to your room." He nodded at Mrs. Kendall to let her know it was to be done immediately. "Liz, after Emily's in bed, I'd like to talk to you about Emily's further education."
"Can't it wait till tomorrow, my lord?" She asked extremely tired.
"No, Liz it can't." He crossed his arms. He was not one to be reckoned with.
Well, neither was she.
TBC.
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!
"So, Miss Emily, although I guess it would be Lady Emily, now that you're back in England, I've heard your five years old?" Max asked gently.
"I will be, next Tuesday." She said sinking into Liz.
"September 27? Good day to be born." He smiled.
Emily turned a crimson shade and felt as if her face was on fire. She studied the man across from her.
He was really tall. When she stood up on the ground next to him it looked like forever till she reached his head. He had dark hair, like her papa. She missed her papa terribly and her mama. Feeling the need to cry, she snuggled closer into Liz and studied him some more.
His eyes were dark, but kind. She knew somewhere deep inside that he would never hurt her. He was just so, so big.
"I hear you're a smart girl." Max commented.
Emily looked up at Liz to see if she had heard, but her attention was on something out the window. She had that worried look on her face. The face she gets when she thinks she was sleeping late at night. When she'd sit by Emily's bed, and just, well, sit.
"You could say that, my lord." Emily whispered.
"You speak four languages?"
"Miss Beth speaks six." She stated matter of factly, wanting desperately to take his attentions from her.
Max looked up at the young woman sitting across from him. Her hair was long, brown and straight. It was unusual, in England, for a woman her age to wear her hair down and free. She looked like she could be intelligent. She must be if she was this girl's governess at such a young age. Six languages? He spoke as many, he has never in his life known another female, disregarding his sister, who spoke more than two.
"Six, Liz?" He had to ask.
Liz continued looking out the window. "Liz?"
"Miss Beth?" Emily gently squeezed her hand knowing that was the only way to help her out of the haze.
"Pardon?" Liz shook her head to clear it.
" Lady Emily here said you speak six languages, is that true?"
Liz smiled a shy smile and nodded her head. "Yes, my lord."
Max studied her when she turned to look back out the window. He felt something towards this girl. He wasn't sure what. He already knew that they would be staying with him, but Liz would be married. Something felt off at that thought. Unsettling.
Pretty soon Emily drifted off to sleep. There was complete silence in the carriage except for Emily's soft breathing.
Liz stroked Emily's hair while she thought about the man sitting across from her. When he had kissed her hands earlier, she felt alive like she hadn't felt alive before. She had wanted to blush but had long ago learned to hide it. One of the reasons she wanted to get into the carriage first was so that she could sit down. Her knees felt like they would give out.
"Liz?" She heard her name being called. She looked over to the handsome figure across from her.
"Yes, my lord?" She asked.
"I told you to call me Max." He said sternly.
"Sorry."
"How old are you?" He asked bluntly.
Liz looked at him shocked but answered. "Ni-three and twenty." She corrected herself.
"What?" He asked.
"Three and twenty."
He looked at her closely and then turned back out the window only to be greeted with the most spectacular sight. "What's that?" She asked with awe filling her voice.
"Lake Antar." He told her with a smile.
"That's yours?" She said.
"Well, my family's."
"Wow. Can you swim?" She had always wanted to learn but no one would teach her.
"Like a fish. You?"
"No one ever taught me." Liz looked down at her hands in her lap.
"You'll learn quickly." He said.
"Liz?"
"Yes?"
"You'll be ok here." He tried to reassure her.
"I'm not so sure about that." She answered honestly, looking him in the eye.
The carriage pulled up to the driveway and a young butler came down the front steps.
"Hello, Martin." He smiled, but felt that unsettling feeling inside him again.
"I trust your trip went well, my lord?" He asked helping his master down from the carriage.
"Excellent." He smiled. "Here Liz, hand the girl to me so you won't have to wake her.
"I've got her. I have to wake her up anyway to get her ready for bed." Liz explained. She set the sleeping girl on her feet and gently tried to coax her awake.
"Mama?" The girl rubbed her eyes.
"No, love. Come on." Liz stepped down from the carriage with the help of both Martin and Max.
"Elizabeth Parker, I'd like you to meet my butler, Martin Kendall. His father is, my driver, who goes by Kendall, and Mrs. Gloria Kendall, Martin's mother and Kendall's wife, is my head housekeeper.
Liz studied each of them. She liked the older couple but the way the young man was looking at her, was making her uncomfortable.
"Mrs. Kendall will show you to your room." He nodded at Mrs. Kendall to let her know it was to be done immediately. "Liz, after Emily's in bed, I'd like to talk to you about Emily's further education."
"Can't it wait till tomorrow, my lord?" She asked extremely tired.
"No, Liz it can't." He crossed his arms. He was not one to be reckoned with.
Well, neither was she.
TBC.