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!
Liz followed closely behind the waddling woman. It couldn't be called walking. The old woman really was a dear but she talked all too much.
She paused at the doorway of one of the rooms to catch her breath. "This will be the young miss's room." She opened it. Everything inside was a pale pink.
Emily hated pink.
"Miss Beth, it's pink." She pointed out quietly.
Liz just about died. There was no way Emily would be able to sleep in here.
"Shh." She shushed Emily.
"This used to be the princess's room."
"Princess?" Liz asked, picking up Emily at her silent request.
"Oh, the Princess Isabel, she's the marquess' sister you know."
Liz was astonished. THE Crown Princess Isabel, was Max's sister?
"Really?" She asked.
"Yes, raised her myself, if I say so. I wasn't always housekeeper, I was nanny at a time." She smiled proudly. "I always knew our Izzy would marry well, just not the Crown Prince well."
"So she's going to be queen?"
"Yep, and if I'm not mistaken our king is ill, God help him, she will be in a few years coming. And they already had a son."
Liz knew all about them. It had made news when Prince Alexander had chosen a wife. It reached the Americas. As for the boy, "What's the young prince's name?" She was curious to find out.
"Christopher." She said simply.
"Cute little one if I say so myself." She smiled and went back to setting things straight.
"Lady Emily, sit here." She directed her to the chair.
Emily obediently went and sat down. She looked at Liz eyes pleading not to leave her.
She was scared. Elizabeth had known she was afraid but tonight she was downright terrified.
Mrs. Kendall dressed her in her nightclothes and began brushing her hair, all the while talking about Princess Isabel.
"I can do it." She was going to take the brush from the old woman's hands.
"No, no, it's been such a long time since I did a young girl's hair, let me do it please?" She asked.
"Alright with you Emily?"
"Yes." She said quietly.
Liz sat down in the chair next to her and began brushing her own hair out.
"Miss Parker, why do you wear your hair down?"
Liz stopped in the middle of a braid.
"Am I not supposed to?" She asked worriedly.
"It's fine, it's just, well, usually woman your age wear their hair up." She said.
"But I don't like it up." She said finishing the braid and throwing it behind her shoulder before starting on the other one.
"Indoors I suppose it will be fine, but outdoors, you'll have to."
"OK." She was heavily annoyed now. She hated her hair up, it made her feel older than she was.
Mrs. Kendall finished with her hair and Emily crawled into her lap.
There was a knock on the door. "Miss Parker, my lord would like to see you now."
"Tell him I'll be there in 10 minutes, Martin, please?" She asked picking up Emily. She laid Emily down on the bed. "Will you both please excuse us?" Liz asked.
"I'll put the girl to bed, you go and meet with Max." Mrs. Kendall urged.
"No, I will put her to bed. Now please?" She looked towards the door. She would let her do hair and anything else but she was not about to let her put her to bed. That was her job and it would always be her job.
"Alright, Miss Parker." They both agreed and Mrs. Kendall waddled out the door.
"How do you like it here?" Elizabeth asked.
"Mrs. Kendall talks a lot, and it's pink." She said talking in her normal voice now that they were alone.
"I know, but you'll be ok." Liz assured her.
"Where will you sleep?"
"Just in the next room." Liz pointed to the doorways that lead to her quarters.
"I want to be with you." Emily said nervously.
Liz handed he Katarine, Emily's favorite doll. "No." She said firmly.
"Please, just for tonight?" She asked.
"Alright, tonight only."
"Good, I don't want to sleep in the pink." Emily said disgusted.
"Alright, lay down, which poem do you want to read, Em?" She asked sitting on the edge of the tiny bed. She pulled out her small poem book by William Blake.
"Divine Image." She said automatically.
"Alright." She sat back and began to read. Ten minutes and three poems later, Emily was out.
"Goodnight, love." She kissed her forehead and sat the book on the sidetable.
Elizabeth made her way down to the study and knocked on the door.
"Come in, Liz." Came from within the huge double doors.
"You wanted to speak with me, my lord."
"You are to call me Max, I will not ask you again." He said firmly.
"Alright." She nodded her head.
"You are three and twenty you say?"
"Yes, my-Max." She said correcting herself.
"Good. And you speak six languages?" He asked.
"Yes. I speak five but I read latin." She explained. "I'm starting to speak it better but Papa wouldn't allow me to speak it and Mrs. Burming is no longer able to teach me."
"What other languages do you speak?" He asked her precisely in Latin.
"German, because the church we went to, that was the only language they spoke, French, Spanish, English, Swedish, and I'm learning Latin." She said.
"You seem to understand pretty well." He switched to French.
"I take my studies seriously." She answered back without thinking.
"What church did you go to?" He asked in German.
What is going on? She asked herself, she was confused, is he testing me? "Our Redeemer, Lutheran. It was a small roadside church in my hometown outside of Philadelphia."
"How'd you learn so many languages?" He asked amazed.
"Papa was Swedish Nobility, Mama was French nobility. It was expected of me to know both languages. I lived in America, I had to know English. German Speaking church, I had to be able to understand the sermon. And finally my grandmother was of Spanish descent and she taught me what I know."
"Wow." He said astonished. "That's quite an accomplishment."
"Thank you, Max." She ducked her head. "Most men would be intimidated you are not." Where had that come from?
"Yes, I speak as many myself, but my latin's fluent." He told her in Spanish.
She nodded.
"What languages does Lady Emily know?" He asked standing up and moving across the room.
"Spanish, French, German, and English." She said.
"And you've been her governess how long?"
"Since she was two."
"Two years?"
"Yes."
"She learned that in two?"
"She's a fast learner."
"Now, about you, Liz." He said looking at her.
"What about me?" She asked.
"Why aren't you married?"
She froze in her seat.
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!
Liz followed closely behind the waddling woman. It couldn't be called walking. The old woman really was a dear but she talked all too much.
She paused at the doorway of one of the rooms to catch her breath. "This will be the young miss's room." She opened it. Everything inside was a pale pink.
Emily hated pink.
"Miss Beth, it's pink." She pointed out quietly.
Liz just about died. There was no way Emily would be able to sleep in here.
"Shh." She shushed Emily.
"This used to be the princess's room."
"Princess?" Liz asked, picking up Emily at her silent request.
"Oh, the Princess Isabel, she's the marquess' sister you know."
Liz was astonished. THE Crown Princess Isabel, was Max's sister?
"Really?" She asked.
"Yes, raised her myself, if I say so. I wasn't always housekeeper, I was nanny at a time." She smiled proudly. "I always knew our Izzy would marry well, just not the Crown Prince well."
"So she's going to be queen?"
"Yep, and if I'm not mistaken our king is ill, God help him, she will be in a few years coming. And they already had a son."
Liz knew all about them. It had made news when Prince Alexander had chosen a wife. It reached the Americas. As for the boy, "What's the young prince's name?" She was curious to find out.
"Christopher." She said simply.
"Cute little one if I say so myself." She smiled and went back to setting things straight.
"Lady Emily, sit here." She directed her to the chair.
Emily obediently went and sat down. She looked at Liz eyes pleading not to leave her.
She was scared. Elizabeth had known she was afraid but tonight she was downright terrified.
Mrs. Kendall dressed her in her nightclothes and began brushing her hair, all the while talking about Princess Isabel.
"I can do it." She was going to take the brush from the old woman's hands.
"No, no, it's been such a long time since I did a young girl's hair, let me do it please?" She asked.
"Alright with you Emily?"
"Yes." She said quietly.
Liz sat down in the chair next to her and began brushing her own hair out.
"Miss Parker, why do you wear your hair down?"
Liz stopped in the middle of a braid.
"Am I not supposed to?" She asked worriedly.
"It's fine, it's just, well, usually woman your age wear their hair up." She said.
"But I don't like it up." She said finishing the braid and throwing it behind her shoulder before starting on the other one.
"Indoors I suppose it will be fine, but outdoors, you'll have to."
"OK." She was heavily annoyed now. She hated her hair up, it made her feel older than she was.
Mrs. Kendall finished with her hair and Emily crawled into her lap.
There was a knock on the door. "Miss Parker, my lord would like to see you now."
"Tell him I'll be there in 10 minutes, Martin, please?" She asked picking up Emily. She laid Emily down on the bed. "Will you both please excuse us?" Liz asked.
"I'll put the girl to bed, you go and meet with Max." Mrs. Kendall urged.
"No, I will put her to bed. Now please?" She looked towards the door. She would let her do hair and anything else but she was not about to let her put her to bed. That was her job and it would always be her job.
"Alright, Miss Parker." They both agreed and Mrs. Kendall waddled out the door.
"How do you like it here?" Elizabeth asked.
"Mrs. Kendall talks a lot, and it's pink." She said talking in her normal voice now that they were alone.
"I know, but you'll be ok." Liz assured her.
"Where will you sleep?"
"Just in the next room." Liz pointed to the doorways that lead to her quarters.
"I want to be with you." Emily said nervously.
Liz handed he Katarine, Emily's favorite doll. "No." She said firmly.
"Please, just for tonight?" She asked.
"Alright, tonight only."
"Good, I don't want to sleep in the pink." Emily said disgusted.
"Alright, lay down, which poem do you want to read, Em?" She asked sitting on the edge of the tiny bed. She pulled out her small poem book by William Blake.
"Divine Image." She said automatically.
"Alright." She sat back and began to read. Ten minutes and three poems later, Emily was out.
"Goodnight, love." She kissed her forehead and sat the book on the sidetable.
Elizabeth made her way down to the study and knocked on the door.
"Come in, Liz." Came from within the huge double doors.
"You wanted to speak with me, my lord."
"You are to call me Max, I will not ask you again." He said firmly.
"Alright." She nodded her head.
"You are three and twenty you say?"
"Yes, my-Max." She said correcting herself.
"Good. And you speak six languages?" He asked.
"Yes. I speak five but I read latin." She explained. "I'm starting to speak it better but Papa wouldn't allow me to speak it and Mrs. Burming is no longer able to teach me."
"What other languages do you speak?" He asked her precisely in Latin.
"German, because the church we went to, that was the only language they spoke, French, Spanish, English, Swedish, and I'm learning Latin." She said.
"You seem to understand pretty well." He switched to French.
"I take my studies seriously." She answered back without thinking.
"What church did you go to?" He asked in German.
What is going on? She asked herself, she was confused, is he testing me? "Our Redeemer, Lutheran. It was a small roadside church in my hometown outside of Philadelphia."
"How'd you learn so many languages?" He asked amazed.
"Papa was Swedish Nobility, Mama was French nobility. It was expected of me to know both languages. I lived in America, I had to know English. German Speaking church, I had to be able to understand the sermon. And finally my grandmother was of Spanish descent and she taught me what I know."
"Wow." He said astonished. "That's quite an accomplishment."
"Thank you, Max." She ducked her head. "Most men would be intimidated you are not." Where had that come from?
"Yes, I speak as many myself, but my latin's fluent." He told her in Spanish.
She nodded.
"What languages does Lady Emily know?" He asked standing up and moving across the room.
"Spanish, French, German, and English." She said.
"And you've been her governess how long?"
"Since she was two."
"Two years?"
"Yes."
"She learned that in two?"
"She's a fast learner."
"Now, about you, Liz." He said looking at her.
"What about me?" She asked.
"Why aren't you married?"
She froze in her seat.
TBC.