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!
"Who was that?" Tess asked as Elizabeth scampered up the stairs?
"The governess, you've yet to meet my young cousin Emily, who I'm to take care of till she turns eighteen." Max lead her into the study and pulled the call cord.
"That's a long time, Maxwell." She purred as she latched onto his arm. Max resisted the urge to pull his arm away.
"Yes, my lord?" Martin said stepping into the room.
"Please go get Miss Parker and Lady Emily?" He told him. "I have someone they need to meet."
Martin turned "And Martin, keep your hands and eyes to yourself." Martin nodded.
"Now, Tess, what brings you here today?" He asked wondering if she could detect his loathing.
"I came by to see you, I forgot they arrived yesterday." She said helping herself to the seat.
"I'm very busy today, Tess." Max answered taking his own seat. "I have to get the two of them settled before I can do anything." He said.
"That's what the servants are for, darling." She drawled.
"No, I'm the host, I see to them until they are completely settled in."
"Can you accompany me to the Opera, Tuesday night?" She asked.
"No." He was through with the rumors that he was with Tess.
"Please, Max, it's not like you have prior engagements."
"Actually I do." He stated.
"We-"
She was cut off by the knock on the door. "My lord, you wanted to see us?" Liz asked quietly, Emily cowering behind her, clutching Katarine.
"Emily, come here." He said gently.
She looked up at Liz with sparkling blue eyes. "Go on." Liz urged.
She let go of Liz's hand and skirted around Tess, far as possible. She made it safely to Max.
"Hello." She said quietly, smiling.
"Hello, Emily." He lifted her up onto his lap. "This here is my friend Miss Tess Harding." He introduced. "Tess, Lady Emily Burming."
Emily stared at the woman across from her. "How come I'm Lady and she's miss?" Emily whispered in his ear. Tess still heard.
"Pardon." Tess glared at the girl sitting in the position she wanted to be in.
"Emily!" She said appalled.
Max tried to hold back a smile.
"What?" Emily asked confused. Miss Beth told her that whenever she had a question to voice it.
"She's not a lady because her family is not nobility, Emily." Max explained.
"I am?" She asked.
"Yes, you're my cousin and I'm a marquess."
"Oh." She nodded her head. Why was Tess turning red? "Why is she turning red?" Emily pointed out.
"Emily." Liz said, quietly, yet telling Emily not to test her.
"Miss Harding, I'd like you to meet our governess, Miss Parker."
Liz nodded in her direction.
"So, I'm a lady and she's a miss?" Emily asked to clarify.
"Yes." Max said patiently.
"Miss Beth is a miss." She observed. She leaned back and whispered something in his ear.
He burst out laughing and set her down on her feet. "Goodbye, Cousin." She waved as she took Liz's hand.
"Good day, my lord, Miss Harding." Elizabeth nodded and left the room. She was going to have to check that mouth of Emily.
"She's a curious one isn't she?" Tess said through gritted teeth.
"Yes, and she's the reason I can't accompany you Tuesday." He said standing up.
"What?"
"I'm busy, Tess, good bye." Emily's innocent curiosity gave him the courage to be more blunt with her.
"Goodbye, I'll stop by tomorrow."
She walked out the door.
"Martin!" Max called.
"Yes, my lord?" He stepped into the room.
"Please have this delivered to my mother and father please." He handed him a note.
"Of course, my lord."
****
The next day they began their first lessons, Liz wanted to go outside since Max informed them that the good weather was not to stay for much longer.
Max was at a safe distance watching the way they worked together.
Emily had a copybook and was neatly and efficiently copying her tutor's writing. They were speaking Spanish today. The morning had been filled with math and arguments over how to do a specific problem. Now everything was mores subdued filled with copying, speaking, spelling, and Spanish grammar.
"Sorry to interrupt, Liz." Max said walking up to them.
Liz gave him an annoyed look, "Go ahead, my lord." She stopped Emily from finishing her dictation.
"If we're to make it to London by tonight we must leave now." He said.
"What?" London, since when were they going to London?
"We're going to my townhouse tonight and we're staying there for the weekend, Emily needs some dresses and if we're to redecorate that room, what better place is there besides London?" He asked as if it were obvious.
"But we haven't packed anything." She said starting to panic.
"Already taken care of, by the time we get back to the house, the Kendalls will have everything ready for us to go." He smiled.
"Am I allowed to finish this?" She asked pointedly. She hated being told things last minute.
"Yes, by all means, just be done within the half hour." He said returning to his spot by the tree. He lifted up his book with his business affairs in it and returned to doing it.
"Yes, my lord."
She took forty five minutes to finish.
"We're ready now, my lord." She stood up, pulling a sleepy Emily behind her.
Max just gave her an amused glance and gathered all his books together. He put them in the satchel attached to his horse's saddle.
Max helped Liz onto her horse before settling Emily on his saddle and climbing up behind her.
"Let's go." He told her and started off at a trot so as not to jostle Emily.
Liz followed without protest, thoroughly annoyed yet fascinated with her employer.
A/N: Short I know but don't worry, I have a long weekend ahead!
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!
"Who was that?" Tess asked as Elizabeth scampered up the stairs?
"The governess, you've yet to meet my young cousin Emily, who I'm to take care of till she turns eighteen." Max lead her into the study and pulled the call cord.
"That's a long time, Maxwell." She purred as she latched onto his arm. Max resisted the urge to pull his arm away.
"Yes, my lord?" Martin said stepping into the room.
"Please go get Miss Parker and Lady Emily?" He told him. "I have someone they need to meet."
Martin turned "And Martin, keep your hands and eyes to yourself." Martin nodded.
"Now, Tess, what brings you here today?" He asked wondering if she could detect his loathing.
"I came by to see you, I forgot they arrived yesterday." She said helping herself to the seat.
"I'm very busy today, Tess." Max answered taking his own seat. "I have to get the two of them settled before I can do anything." He said.
"That's what the servants are for, darling." She drawled.
"No, I'm the host, I see to them until they are completely settled in."
"Can you accompany me to the Opera, Tuesday night?" She asked.
"No." He was through with the rumors that he was with Tess.
"Please, Max, it's not like you have prior engagements."
"Actually I do." He stated.
"We-"
She was cut off by the knock on the door. "My lord, you wanted to see us?" Liz asked quietly, Emily cowering behind her, clutching Katarine.
"Emily, come here." He said gently.
She looked up at Liz with sparkling blue eyes. "Go on." Liz urged.
She let go of Liz's hand and skirted around Tess, far as possible. She made it safely to Max.
"Hello." She said quietly, smiling.
"Hello, Emily." He lifted her up onto his lap. "This here is my friend Miss Tess Harding." He introduced. "Tess, Lady Emily Burming."
Emily stared at the woman across from her. "How come I'm Lady and she's miss?" Emily whispered in his ear. Tess still heard.
"Pardon." Tess glared at the girl sitting in the position she wanted to be in.
"Emily!" She said appalled.
Max tried to hold back a smile.
"What?" Emily asked confused. Miss Beth told her that whenever she had a question to voice it.
"She's not a lady because her family is not nobility, Emily." Max explained.
"I am?" She asked.
"Yes, you're my cousin and I'm a marquess."
"Oh." She nodded her head. Why was Tess turning red? "Why is she turning red?" Emily pointed out.
"Emily." Liz said, quietly, yet telling Emily not to test her.
"Miss Harding, I'd like you to meet our governess, Miss Parker."
Liz nodded in her direction.
"So, I'm a lady and she's a miss?" Emily asked to clarify.
"Yes." Max said patiently.
"Miss Beth is a miss." She observed. She leaned back and whispered something in his ear.
He burst out laughing and set her down on her feet. "Goodbye, Cousin." She waved as she took Liz's hand.
"Good day, my lord, Miss Harding." Elizabeth nodded and left the room. She was going to have to check that mouth of Emily.
"She's a curious one isn't she?" Tess said through gritted teeth.
"Yes, and she's the reason I can't accompany you Tuesday." He said standing up.
"What?"
"I'm busy, Tess, good bye." Emily's innocent curiosity gave him the courage to be more blunt with her.
"Goodbye, I'll stop by tomorrow."
She walked out the door.
"Martin!" Max called.
"Yes, my lord?" He stepped into the room.
"Please have this delivered to my mother and father please." He handed him a note.
"Of course, my lord."
****
The next day they began their first lessons, Liz wanted to go outside since Max informed them that the good weather was not to stay for much longer.
Max was at a safe distance watching the way they worked together.
Emily had a copybook and was neatly and efficiently copying her tutor's writing. They were speaking Spanish today. The morning had been filled with math and arguments over how to do a specific problem. Now everything was mores subdued filled with copying, speaking, spelling, and Spanish grammar.
"Sorry to interrupt, Liz." Max said walking up to them.
Liz gave him an annoyed look, "Go ahead, my lord." She stopped Emily from finishing her dictation.
"If we're to make it to London by tonight we must leave now." He said.
"What?" London, since when were they going to London?
"We're going to my townhouse tonight and we're staying there for the weekend, Emily needs some dresses and if we're to redecorate that room, what better place is there besides London?" He asked as if it were obvious.
"But we haven't packed anything." She said starting to panic.
"Already taken care of, by the time we get back to the house, the Kendalls will have everything ready for us to go." He smiled.
"Am I allowed to finish this?" She asked pointedly. She hated being told things last minute.
"Yes, by all means, just be done within the half hour." He said returning to his spot by the tree. He lifted up his book with his business affairs in it and returned to doing it.
"Yes, my lord."
She took forty five minutes to finish.
"We're ready now, my lord." She stood up, pulling a sleepy Emily behind her.
Max just gave her an amused glance and gathered all his books together. He put them in the satchel attached to his horse's saddle.
Max helped Liz onto her horse before settling Emily on his saddle and climbing up behind her.
"Let's go." He told her and started off at a trot so as not to jostle Emily.
Liz followed without protest, thoroughly annoyed yet fascinated with her employer.
A/N: Short I know but don't worry, I have a long weekend ahead!