A Duke, A Governess, and a Little Lady
"Mrs. Kendall stay here with her please?" Liz asked.
"His Grace asked me to escort you down there myself."
"No, stay here with her, if she wakes up I don't want her coming to find me, understood?" She asked.
"Alright, Miss Parker." She sat down by the fire and pulled out her knitting. Where she got that from Liz never knew.
"I'll be back." She whispered.
"I'm praying for you, Love." Mrs. Kendall said so Liz couldn't hear.
****
Liz made her way through the halls that were now home for her.
She heard voices in the study. She picked out Max's deep voice, and Rafael's rough voice. She listened one voice she couldn't identify, and one she knew as the high chirpy dying bird voice of Tess.
She knocked. "Enter Miss Parker." She heard Max use formally. That cannot be a good sign.
"Ah, Miss Parker." The old gentleman said, he had a strong Irish accent. "Nice to finally meet you, I've heard wonderful things about you."
Liz blushed.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Patrick McCormick." He nodded. "Would you be seated?" He asked kindly.
Liz sat and studied the people around her. Max tried to offer her a smile but she could tell it was not a real smile. Rafael and Tess on the other hand, were smiling true, genuine smiles. Liz's posture faltered a second and then she put on a mask. You could not tell what she was thinking. The only one that knew that face was Max.
He wanted to leave so he wouldn't have to see the hurt on her face, but he wanted to be there for her when she found out. He had tried everything. He didn't know what else to do.
"Let's get started shall we?" Mr. McCormick sat down.
"Miss Parker, how old were you when your father married you off to Mr. Derevko?" He asked kindly.
"I was fifteen." She said calmly.
"OK, in the States, you're allowed to be married at that age with your parent's consent." He took a breath. "Miss Parker, you are not Miss Parker anymore, your husband could charge you with desertion."
"What?" She asked. "He left me."
"I left you in the care of relatives, and you knew I was going to be back, my dear."
"He can, and you're lucky if he won't. Mrs. Derevko," Liz took a gasped at being called that. "You shouldn't even be a governess because of your status, only, virgins, which you being married would make you not one, are. Miss Harding here could call you up on that as well for tainting her young wards mind." Liz studied his face he didn't mean any of the things he said. She noticed he'd make a face whenever he said Harding or Derevko.
She looked upon a grinning Rafael, and a smiling Tess. She turned to look at Max.
His back was to her, his front facing the fire. His head was down. Feeling someone looking at him, he turned around and met her eyes. They locked. She looked straight at him as she said the next words.
"I-I'm a virgin." The breath left him, his gaze more intense on her.
"What?" Mr. McCormick asked. "You didn't consummate your marriage?"
"No." Her eyes still never left Max's.
"You didn't consummate it?" Max asked finally.
"No."
"You didn't consummate it?" Mr. McCormick asked again.
"No!" Rafael lashed out.
"Why not?"
"He left right after the ceremony." Liz explained.
"Could you annul it then?" Max asked.
"Yes." He stated.
Max breathed a sigh of relief.
"If you would have told me, we would have been done with this mess right now."
"You can only get an annulment if both parties are willing, especially the husband, and he's not." Rafael said menacingly.
"That would be a problem." Mr. McCormick said again.
"Elizabeth we leave tomorrow at noon." Rafael said, before turning and exiting the room.
"Goodnight, dear sister." Tess exited the room again.
"I'll see you in the morning, your Grace." Liz walked out of the room.
Mr. McCormick said his goodbyes leaving Max alone in his study.
He walked to the window and looked out. The snow was falling again. Softly it hit the ground and blended into the others each a unique snowflake of it's own. Ever since he was a little boy he loved watching the snowfall, it always calmed him.
His mother used to tell him that he would sit for hours not doing anything but watching the snowfall. With his tutor, when it was snowing, they had to tie the curtains closed so that he couldn't see outside. It was his reward for being good, leaving the curtains open.
Max thought about the girl upstairs. Not a girl, a woman. He knew that he wanted to keep her around for more than just Emily. He wanted her there for himself. If he couldn't have her, than he didn't want anyone to have her. He felt a fierce protectiveness in him when it came to Liz. The same protectiveness came over him when he thought of Emily but it was different. Emily was innocent and he just wanted to keep it that way. Liz had a whole world out there against her, he wanted to take her in his arms and wrap her in their safety. To tell her everything would be ok.
To tell her he loved her.
He had been denying it before but now he couldn't do that anymore. He had fell in love with her back at the townhouse that night, so many months ago. He had known something was wrong then, but didn't pry. That's when he first started to recognize the protectiveness in him.
He wished with everything in him that he could cry off with Tess. He couldn't do that. It would hurt his mother too much. He was at a loss. The only thing he knew was that he couldn't allow was for Rafael to marry him. It took a half an hour to get the courage to go up and see her.
****
Liz sat up in bed. Someone was in her room. "Mrs. Kendall?" She called hopefully.
No answer.
"Emily?"
No answer.
"Rafael, if that's you I'm going to scream." She said.
No answer.
Someone sat on her bed. She was about to scream when someone's hand went over her mouth.
"Shhh, don't scream. Emily's in the next room, you don't want to wake her up do you?"
A/N: Who could it be? hahahahaha
"Mrs. Kendall stay here with her please?" Liz asked.
"His Grace asked me to escort you down there myself."
"No, stay here with her, if she wakes up I don't want her coming to find me, understood?" She asked.
"Alright, Miss Parker." She sat down by the fire and pulled out her knitting. Where she got that from Liz never knew.
"I'll be back." She whispered.
"I'm praying for you, Love." Mrs. Kendall said so Liz couldn't hear.
****
Liz made her way through the halls that were now home for her.
She heard voices in the study. She picked out Max's deep voice, and Rafael's rough voice. She listened one voice she couldn't identify, and one she knew as the high chirpy dying bird voice of Tess.
She knocked. "Enter Miss Parker." She heard Max use formally. That cannot be a good sign.
"Ah, Miss Parker." The old gentleman said, he had a strong Irish accent. "Nice to finally meet you, I've heard wonderful things about you."
Liz blushed.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Patrick McCormick." He nodded. "Would you be seated?" He asked kindly.
Liz sat and studied the people around her. Max tried to offer her a smile but she could tell it was not a real smile. Rafael and Tess on the other hand, were smiling true, genuine smiles. Liz's posture faltered a second and then she put on a mask. You could not tell what she was thinking. The only one that knew that face was Max.
He wanted to leave so he wouldn't have to see the hurt on her face, but he wanted to be there for her when she found out. He had tried everything. He didn't know what else to do.
"Let's get started shall we?" Mr. McCormick sat down.
"Miss Parker, how old were you when your father married you off to Mr. Derevko?" He asked kindly.
"I was fifteen." She said calmly.
"OK, in the States, you're allowed to be married at that age with your parent's consent." He took a breath. "Miss Parker, you are not Miss Parker anymore, your husband could charge you with desertion."
"What?" She asked. "He left me."
"I left you in the care of relatives, and you knew I was going to be back, my dear."
"He can, and you're lucky if he won't. Mrs. Derevko," Liz took a gasped at being called that. "You shouldn't even be a governess because of your status, only, virgins, which you being married would make you not one, are. Miss Harding here could call you up on that as well for tainting her young wards mind." Liz studied his face he didn't mean any of the things he said. She noticed he'd make a face whenever he said Harding or Derevko.
She looked upon a grinning Rafael, and a smiling Tess. She turned to look at Max.
His back was to her, his front facing the fire. His head was down. Feeling someone looking at him, he turned around and met her eyes. They locked. She looked straight at him as she said the next words.
"I-I'm a virgin." The breath left him, his gaze more intense on her.
"What?" Mr. McCormick asked. "You didn't consummate your marriage?"
"No." Her eyes still never left Max's.
"You didn't consummate it?" Max asked finally.
"No."
"You didn't consummate it?" Mr. McCormick asked again.
"No!" Rafael lashed out.
"Why not?"
"He left right after the ceremony." Liz explained.
"Could you annul it then?" Max asked.
"Yes." He stated.
Max breathed a sigh of relief.
"If you would have told me, we would have been done with this mess right now."
"You can only get an annulment if both parties are willing, especially the husband, and he's not." Rafael said menacingly.
"That would be a problem." Mr. McCormick said again.
"Elizabeth we leave tomorrow at noon." Rafael said, before turning and exiting the room.
"Goodnight, dear sister." Tess exited the room again.
"I'll see you in the morning, your Grace." Liz walked out of the room.
Mr. McCormick said his goodbyes leaving Max alone in his study.
He walked to the window and looked out. The snow was falling again. Softly it hit the ground and blended into the others each a unique snowflake of it's own. Ever since he was a little boy he loved watching the snowfall, it always calmed him.
His mother used to tell him that he would sit for hours not doing anything but watching the snowfall. With his tutor, when it was snowing, they had to tie the curtains closed so that he couldn't see outside. It was his reward for being good, leaving the curtains open.
Max thought about the girl upstairs. Not a girl, a woman. He knew that he wanted to keep her around for more than just Emily. He wanted her there for himself. If he couldn't have her, than he didn't want anyone to have her. He felt a fierce protectiveness in him when it came to Liz. The same protectiveness came over him when he thought of Emily but it was different. Emily was innocent and he just wanted to keep it that way. Liz had a whole world out there against her, he wanted to take her in his arms and wrap her in their safety. To tell her everything would be ok.
To tell her he loved her.
He had been denying it before but now he couldn't do that anymore. He had fell in love with her back at the townhouse that night, so many months ago. He had known something was wrong then, but didn't pry. That's when he first started to recognize the protectiveness in him.
He wished with everything in him that he could cry off with Tess. He couldn't do that. It would hurt his mother too much. He was at a loss. The only thing he knew was that he couldn't allow was for Rafael to marry him. It took a half an hour to get the courage to go up and see her.
****
Liz sat up in bed. Someone was in her room. "Mrs. Kendall?" She called hopefully.
No answer.
"Emily?"
No answer.
"Rafael, if that's you I'm going to scream." She said.
No answer.
Someone sat on her bed. She was about to scream when someone's hand went over her mouth.
"Shhh, don't scream. Emily's in the next room, you don't want to wake her up do you?"
A/N: Who could it be? hahahahaha