A Duke, A Governess, and a Little Lady
5:30 a.m.
Liz woke up with a heavy heart. Emily had clung to her all night. There was no way of telling if either one of them had slept.
6:00 a.m.
When Liz was changing, Emily stayed right there next to her.
Liz looked down and saw the tiny finger marks where Emily had held onto her during the night.
Right next to them were much larger ones. These caused Liz to flinch.
She dressed and started getting Emily washed up and cleaned. Mrs. Kendall was not here, so Liz had to get everything ready. She laid out her nightgown, and a few ribbons.
6:30 a.m.
"Emily, I'm leaving these here for Max to wrap your hair at night, until you get a new governess, ok?" Emily nodded.
6:35 a.m.
"Come here, let me finish your hair." Emily sat down. "I'm going to fix it kind of tight, so that it will last longer." Emily nodded.
"Two, two lasts longer." Emily held up two fingers.
"Ok, two." Liz nodded. She looked at the clock,
6:45 a.m.
She finished quickly, and made her way down the stairs.
6:50 a.m.
They were waiting at the door. Emily's grip increased. "Don't leave, Mama." She whispered.
"What did you say?" She asked quietly.
"I didn't mean to." She ducked her head ashamed.
"No, no, if that's how you feel, Love, oh, Emily I love you so much, I'll miss you." She hugged her.
"That's two Mamas that went away." She held up her hands.
"Elizabeth." Rafael called from the door.
"Hush."
She pulled Emily away from the others and knelt down to her height.
"That's why I wanted two, so that I think of you." Emily hugged her. "I'll miss you, Mama."
Liz hugged her, she had promised herself she wouldn't cry, but tears started falling.
"Come on, let's go to Max." Liz pulled her back.
6:55 a.m.
She stopped in front of Max. Holding Emily close, Emily crying into her shoulders. "Thank you, Max. For everything. Please, take care of Emily for me?" Max nodded, blinking back his own tears.
"Take her upstairs. Don't let her stay here, take her upstairs and stay till I leave, please?" Liz pleaded.
Max nodded understanding. "Goodbye, Liz." He shook her hand. She tried to hand him Emily.
6:58 a.m.
Emily clung with a vice grip.
"No." She said tears pouring.
"Emily be a good girl, please." Liz whispered.
"No." She shook her head violently.
"Max take her." Max hated to do it, but lifted her by force.
"No! Mama!" She screamed. Max paused and turned to look at Liz.
"Go, Max." She told him.
"Mama, don't leave!" Emily was screaming as loud as she could. It made Liz want to cry even harder.
He hurried up the stairs. Liz could still hear Emily screaming for her to stay with her.
6:59 a.m.
Liz turned to Rafael with hatred blazing in her eyes.
"Let's go." She swept past him. No more tears. He would not get the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
"Elizabeth, your coat." Tess stopped her.
Liz turned and saw it was the one she wore on Christmas. "I don't need it, I don't get cold."
She paused before stepping into the carriage. She looked up and saw Max walking back in forth in front of an open curtained window.
Emily had stopped screaming but was being held by Max, crying. She saw her out the window. Liz waved a sad wave. Emily blew her a kiss and mouthed, "bye Mama." Liz turned and got into the carriage and it drove off. Away from Roswell, away from Tess, away from Emily, away from Max.
7:00 a.m.
It was the first time Max didn't like the snow.
The snow was coming down fast and hard. Liz didn't take a coat. And the only other one she had was the one laying on the bed.
****
12:00 p.m.
"Max how long are you going to stay with her?" Tess asked wandering into the nursery.
"Till she stops shaking." Max told Tess.
"Max, she'll be fine. Let's ride into London, there's nothing here to eat, you fired Mrs. Kendall."
"No, she doesn't want to leave."
"Who cares what she wants. She's five, what does she know?"
"Tess."
"Max." She stared him down. "You stay here, I'm going to London." She stormed out of the room.
"Tess!" He called out.
She came back fast. "Yes?" She said sweetly.
"You're going to London?"
"Yes."
"Don't come back." He shook his head and stood up.
"Pardon?" She looked at him.
"I'm not going to marry you." He said again.
"What?"
"Leave, Tess, go to London, Virginia, Pennsylvania. I don't care where. Just don't let me see you again." He stood up. Emily scrunched her fingers, if that was possible.
"For that little chit."
"No, for this little girl. Tess, leave." She stormed out of the room.
12:30 p.m.
Max smiled when he saw Tess ride away in her carriage.
"Emily, are you ready to eat?" He asked.
"Please?" She held onto him and rested her hand.
"Martha." He called.
"Yes, your grace?" She came.
"Do you cook?"
"Why of course." She looked surprised he asked.
"Alright. I'll pay you extra, make us a meal?" He smiled.
"Of course, your Grace." She curtsied and hurried out of the room.
5:30 a.m.
Liz woke up with a heavy heart. Emily had clung to her all night. There was no way of telling if either one of them had slept.
6:00 a.m.
When Liz was changing, Emily stayed right there next to her.
Liz looked down and saw the tiny finger marks where Emily had held onto her during the night.
Right next to them were much larger ones. These caused Liz to flinch.
She dressed and started getting Emily washed up and cleaned. Mrs. Kendall was not here, so Liz had to get everything ready. She laid out her nightgown, and a few ribbons.
6:30 a.m.
"Emily, I'm leaving these here for Max to wrap your hair at night, until you get a new governess, ok?" Emily nodded.
6:35 a.m.
"Come here, let me finish your hair." Emily sat down. "I'm going to fix it kind of tight, so that it will last longer." Emily nodded.
"Two, two lasts longer." Emily held up two fingers.
"Ok, two." Liz nodded. She looked at the clock,
6:45 a.m.
She finished quickly, and made her way down the stairs.
6:50 a.m.
They were waiting at the door. Emily's grip increased. "Don't leave, Mama." She whispered.
"What did you say?" She asked quietly.
"I didn't mean to." She ducked her head ashamed.
"No, no, if that's how you feel, Love, oh, Emily I love you so much, I'll miss you." She hugged her.
"That's two Mamas that went away." She held up her hands.
"Elizabeth." Rafael called from the door.
"Hush."
She pulled Emily away from the others and knelt down to her height.
"That's why I wanted two, so that I think of you." Emily hugged her. "I'll miss you, Mama."
Liz hugged her, she had promised herself she wouldn't cry, but tears started falling.
"Come on, let's go to Max." Liz pulled her back.
6:55 a.m.
She stopped in front of Max. Holding Emily close, Emily crying into her shoulders. "Thank you, Max. For everything. Please, take care of Emily for me?" Max nodded, blinking back his own tears.
"Take her upstairs. Don't let her stay here, take her upstairs and stay till I leave, please?" Liz pleaded.
Max nodded understanding. "Goodbye, Liz." He shook her hand. She tried to hand him Emily.
6:58 a.m.
Emily clung with a vice grip.
"No." She said tears pouring.
"Emily be a good girl, please." Liz whispered.
"No." She shook her head violently.
"Max take her." Max hated to do it, but lifted her by force.
"No! Mama!" She screamed. Max paused and turned to look at Liz.
"Go, Max." She told him.
"Mama, don't leave!" Emily was screaming as loud as she could. It made Liz want to cry even harder.
He hurried up the stairs. Liz could still hear Emily screaming for her to stay with her.
6:59 a.m.
Liz turned to Rafael with hatred blazing in her eyes.
"Let's go." She swept past him. No more tears. He would not get the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
"Elizabeth, your coat." Tess stopped her.
Liz turned and saw it was the one she wore on Christmas. "I don't need it, I don't get cold."
She paused before stepping into the carriage. She looked up and saw Max walking back in forth in front of an open curtained window.
Emily had stopped screaming but was being held by Max, crying. She saw her out the window. Liz waved a sad wave. Emily blew her a kiss and mouthed, "bye Mama." Liz turned and got into the carriage and it drove off. Away from Roswell, away from Tess, away from Emily, away from Max.
7:00 a.m.
It was the first time Max didn't like the snow.
The snow was coming down fast and hard. Liz didn't take a coat. And the only other one she had was the one laying on the bed.
****
12:00 p.m.
"Max how long are you going to stay with her?" Tess asked wandering into the nursery.
"Till she stops shaking." Max told Tess.
"Max, she'll be fine. Let's ride into London, there's nothing here to eat, you fired Mrs. Kendall."
"No, she doesn't want to leave."
"Who cares what she wants. She's five, what does she know?"
"Tess."
"Max." She stared him down. "You stay here, I'm going to London." She stormed out of the room.
"Tess!" He called out.
She came back fast. "Yes?" She said sweetly.
"You're going to London?"
"Yes."
"Don't come back." He shook his head and stood up.
"Pardon?" She looked at him.
"I'm not going to marry you." He said again.
"What?"
"Leave, Tess, go to London, Virginia, Pennsylvania. I don't care where. Just don't let me see you again." He stood up. Emily scrunched her fingers, if that was possible.
"For that little chit."
"No, for this little girl. Tess, leave." She stormed out of the room.
12:30 p.m.
Max smiled when he saw Tess ride away in her carriage.
"Emily, are you ready to eat?" He asked.
"Please?" She held onto him and rested her hand.
"Martha." He called.
"Yes, your grace?" She came.
"Do you cook?"
"Why of course." She looked surprised he asked.
"Alright. I'll pay you extra, make us a meal?" He smiled.
"Of course, your Grace." She curtsied and hurried out of the room.