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 wish she hadn't.
Max continued to hold Liz until there was a knock at the front door. Realizing that he had to answer it he carefully laid Liz down on the bed handing her Katarine.
She moaned at the loss of his body heat but curled into the blankets.
He leaned forward and kissed her quietly on the forehead. As he walked down the stairs he began to regret kissing her. He knew he shouldn't have. He kept telling himself that he did it because he was trying to comfort her and she needed it but he knew deep inside, that it wasn't the reason.
He opened the front door. Michael was standing there with a sleeping Emily in his arms.
"Good Evening, Max." Michael stepped inside.
"Good Evening, Michael." Max greeted. He took his sleeping cousin from Michael's arms. "Would you like to come in?"
"No, Maria and Ellie are waiting in the carriage and Ellie's quite exhausted, and when she's tired you don't want to mess with her." Michael smiled.
"Like her mother?"
"Exactly. But hey, I love them." He shrugged. "Good evening." He tipped his head as he turned down the steps.
"Wait, my mother wants you and your ladies to join us on Tuesday, it's Emily's birthday." He called softly.
"I'll see, Maria will make time in our schedule for it." He smiled and climbed back into the carriage.
Max turned and shut the door. He carefully carried Emily up the stairs and laid her in her bed. He turned to leave and found Liz standing in the doorway. "I'll change her, did she eat supper?"
Liz asked keeping her eyes on the ground.
"Yes." Max said. "I'll be down stairs, in the lounge."
Liz dressed Emily quickly, trying not to disturb her from her peaceful sleep. "Good night, love." She whispered before heading downstairs. She glanced at the clock it was 9:00. She had another long night ahead of her.
"What time do you go to sleep, Max?" Liz asked taking a seat on the soft sofa.
"Around midnight." He stated.
"May I stay with you till then?" She asked shyly.
"Aren't you going to bed?" He glanced up from his paper.
"I told you, I don't sleep at night." She said. She got up from her place and walked over to the bookcase. She turned and pointed, "May I?"
"Yes, Liz." He said going back to his paper.
"Thank you." She picked a book and returned to her seat.
By 11:00 she was nodding off. "Liz, you should go up to bed." He said gently.
"I can't." She curled up into a tight ball.
"Come on, I'll go with you." He uncurled her and lifted her in his strong arms.
"Please, put me down?" She asked.
"No."
She relaxed in his hold. She expected him to put her down when he reached her room. Instead he walked her to the rocker and sat down. She pushed against his chest trying to get him to let go.
"Hold still, go to sleep." He cooed. She was outraged, she was no babe.
"Pardon me sir, I'm not a young babe who needs to be rocked to sleep. I will not sleep." She pushed against him once again. But he had an advantage, he was stronger than she, it was a useless struggle.
She slumped in his arms. "Alright, but I'm not sleeping."
"You will." He adjusted her so they were both more comfortable.
Within minutes she was asleep.
He removed her robe and laid her down in bed. He made sure she was covered before he snuffed the candle and retired to his own room.
****
The scream came at 2:00 a.m. Max was out of bed in a minute.
"Liz!" He burst in the door without waiting to ask permission.
"Max!" She gasped out. She gasped for breath slowly reminding herself to breathe.
He took her in his arms for the third time in one night. She began to sob against his chest.
"It's ok, I'm here nothing's going to happen." He whispered to her. He ran his hand over her hair her back, any place he could find to soothe.
"I-I told you I didn't want to sleep." She said half angry half terrified.
"What's wrong, sweet?" He asked.
"H-hold me and I'll tell you in a minute." She said, still trying to catch her breath.
He obliged and took her more firmly in his arms. She calmed down to where she could talk.
"I don't like sleeping at night."
"I gathered that." He said plainly.
"Will you hush so I can tell you why?" She asked annoyed.
"Sorry, go on." He scooted back against her headboard.
"I, when I became Emily's governess, I was only seventeen." She began slowly. "Making me nineteen, not three and twenty. The only other person that knew this was Mrs. Burming, Emily's mama. I said I was one and twenty so Mr. Burming would allow me to stay on." Liz shifted.
"I was already thought young, but I was smart and I knew I could teach Emily as well as any, and, Virginia was far from Pennsylvania."
"Why did you leave Pennsylvania?" He asked gently.
"My papa died and I didn't want to stay with my stepmother and half sister."
"And your mama?" He asked stroking her hair.
"She died in childbirth when I was two and a half. I remember her though, although Papa says it comes from what he told me. There are things that only she and I would know that I remember." She said clutching him.
She picked up Katarine who was lying idly beside them.
"She made this for me when she was with child." She held her up and played with her arms, restlessly.
"I remember watching her make it. Wondering why her tummy was so big and I couldn't sit on her lap anymore." She said blushing at such a topic.
"Why did you give it to Emily?"
"Because I'm not to have daughters of my own." She said softly.
"And why not?"
"I don't want to be married."
"Emily is like your daughter then?" She asked.
"Yes."
"Isn't it odd for a governess to get so attached to their charges?"
"Yes, in a way it is. They could be moved at anytime, but I was secure with the Burmings, and I'm secure here, aren't I?" She turned and gazed up at him.
"Very."
She stopped talking after that. Max wanted to know more, knowing there was more to her story but didn't want to press her.
"You should go back to bed. We've been here nearly three hours. Emily awakens in one hour." Liz tried to pull out of his arms.
"She didn't awaken to your scream?" He asked.
"She'd sleep through a storm." She smiled as she settled back into bed, under the covers. He got up.
He kissed her before he left. She watched him leave.
The next morning they rose, and went about their daily business.
Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and neither mentioned the night at the silent townhouse.
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 wish she hadn't.
Max continued to hold Liz until there was a knock at the front door. Realizing that he had to answer it he carefully laid Liz down on the bed handing her Katarine.
She moaned at the loss of his body heat but curled into the blankets.
He leaned forward and kissed her quietly on the forehead. As he walked down the stairs he began to regret kissing her. He knew he shouldn't have. He kept telling himself that he did it because he was trying to comfort her and she needed it but he knew deep inside, that it wasn't the reason.
He opened the front door. Michael was standing there with a sleeping Emily in his arms.
"Good Evening, Max." Michael stepped inside.
"Good Evening, Michael." Max greeted. He took his sleeping cousin from Michael's arms. "Would you like to come in?"
"No, Maria and Ellie are waiting in the carriage and Ellie's quite exhausted, and when she's tired you don't want to mess with her." Michael smiled.
"Like her mother?"
"Exactly. But hey, I love them." He shrugged. "Good evening." He tipped his head as he turned down the steps.
"Wait, my mother wants you and your ladies to join us on Tuesday, it's Emily's birthday." He called softly.
"I'll see, Maria will make time in our schedule for it." He smiled and climbed back into the carriage.
Max turned and shut the door. He carefully carried Emily up the stairs and laid her in her bed. He turned to leave and found Liz standing in the doorway. "I'll change her, did she eat supper?"
Liz asked keeping her eyes on the ground.
"Yes." Max said. "I'll be down stairs, in the lounge."
Liz dressed Emily quickly, trying not to disturb her from her peaceful sleep. "Good night, love." She whispered before heading downstairs. She glanced at the clock it was 9:00. She had another long night ahead of her.
"What time do you go to sleep, Max?" Liz asked taking a seat on the soft sofa.
"Around midnight." He stated.
"May I stay with you till then?" She asked shyly.
"Aren't you going to bed?" He glanced up from his paper.
"I told you, I don't sleep at night." She said. She got up from her place and walked over to the bookcase. She turned and pointed, "May I?"
"Yes, Liz." He said going back to his paper.
"Thank you." She picked a book and returned to her seat.
By 11:00 she was nodding off. "Liz, you should go up to bed." He said gently.
"I can't." She curled up into a tight ball.
"Come on, I'll go with you." He uncurled her and lifted her in his strong arms.
"Please, put me down?" She asked.
"No."
She relaxed in his hold. She expected him to put her down when he reached her room. Instead he walked her to the rocker and sat down. She pushed against his chest trying to get him to let go.
"Hold still, go to sleep." He cooed. She was outraged, she was no babe.
"Pardon me sir, I'm not a young babe who needs to be rocked to sleep. I will not sleep." She pushed against him once again. But he had an advantage, he was stronger than she, it was a useless struggle.
She slumped in his arms. "Alright, but I'm not sleeping."
"You will." He adjusted her so they were both more comfortable.
Within minutes she was asleep.
He removed her robe and laid her down in bed. He made sure she was covered before he snuffed the candle and retired to his own room.
****
The scream came at 2:00 a.m. Max was out of bed in a minute.
"Liz!" He burst in the door without waiting to ask permission.
"Max!" She gasped out. She gasped for breath slowly reminding herself to breathe.
He took her in his arms for the third time in one night. She began to sob against his chest.
"It's ok, I'm here nothing's going to happen." He whispered to her. He ran his hand over her hair her back, any place he could find to soothe.
"I-I told you I didn't want to sleep." She said half angry half terrified.
"What's wrong, sweet?" He asked.
"H-hold me and I'll tell you in a minute." She said, still trying to catch her breath.
He obliged and took her more firmly in his arms. She calmed down to where she could talk.
"I don't like sleeping at night."
"I gathered that." He said plainly.
"Will you hush so I can tell you why?" She asked annoyed.
"Sorry, go on." He scooted back against her headboard.
"I, when I became Emily's governess, I was only seventeen." She began slowly. "Making me nineteen, not three and twenty. The only other person that knew this was Mrs. Burming, Emily's mama. I said I was one and twenty so Mr. Burming would allow me to stay on." Liz shifted.
"I was already thought young, but I was smart and I knew I could teach Emily as well as any, and, Virginia was far from Pennsylvania."
"Why did you leave Pennsylvania?" He asked gently.
"My papa died and I didn't want to stay with my stepmother and half sister."
"And your mama?" He asked stroking her hair.
"She died in childbirth when I was two and a half. I remember her though, although Papa says it comes from what he told me. There are things that only she and I would know that I remember." She said clutching him.
She picked up Katarine who was lying idly beside them.
"She made this for me when she was with child." She held her up and played with her arms, restlessly.
"I remember watching her make it. Wondering why her tummy was so big and I couldn't sit on her lap anymore." She said blushing at such a topic.
"Why did you give it to Emily?"
"Because I'm not to have daughters of my own." She said softly.
"And why not?"
"I don't want to be married."
"Emily is like your daughter then?" She asked.
"Yes."
"Isn't it odd for a governess to get so attached to their charges?"
"Yes, in a way it is. They could be moved at anytime, but I was secure with the Burmings, and I'm secure here, aren't I?" She turned and gazed up at him.
"Very."
She stopped talking after that. Max wanted to know more, knowing there was more to her story but didn't want to press her.
"You should go back to bed. We've been here nearly three hours. Emily awakens in one hour." Liz tried to pull out of his arms.
"She didn't awaken to your scream?" He asked.
"She'd sleep through a storm." She smiled as she settled back into bed, under the covers. He got up.
He kissed her before he left. She watched him leave.
The next morning they rose, and went about their daily business.
Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and neither mentioned the night at the silent townhouse.