A Duke, A Governess, and a Little Lady
"I'm finished, Cousin."
Emily handed Max her copy book. She went back to her miniature desk on the other side of the room and started her math.
Max compared Emily's writing to the writing Liz had out on her paper.
Before she left, Liz had put together a portfolio of Emily's neatest work. Next to her work there were small corrections in Liz's fine handwriting. Max decided that since he wasn't going to send Emily to school he'd teach her himself until he could get out to find a governess.
"Emily, these don't match." He looked up at her.
"Again?" She asked.
"No more for today." He told her. He looked at the clock. "Are you ready for supper?"
"I'm starved." She smiled at him.
Ever since Liz left it had taken a lot to get Emily to start smiling again. She did once in a while but never a bright smile.
They ate in silence and by that time it was time to go to bed. Max sat on the bed and pulled her on his lap. "How are you doing?" He asked her as he did every night.
"I still miss her." She looked up at him.
"You will for a long time. You wanna know something?" He bent down close to her ear.
"What?"
"I still miss her too." He kissed her cheek.
"Do you love her?"
He studied her. "Yes, very much." He answered honestly.
"Did she love you?" Emily asked.
"I think so, I don't really know."
"Did she love me? Because I love her."
"She loved you very much Emily."
"Then why did she leave?" She started crying again.
"She didn't want to but she had to." Max comforted her.
"I know, she wouldn't have left me on purpose. Or you, she loved you." Emily told him.
"Don't say things like that Emily." He told her. He laid her down and read her a poem out of William Blake.
"Goodnight, Emily." Max said before snuffing the candle. "Remember, it's only three days, everything will get better."
"I hope so. Goodnight."
***
Max sat in his study after putting Emily to bed. He wasn't going to get any work done. He was scared for her. He couldn't do anything. He just hoped she would come back if anything happened.
Max looked up from his work when he heard the door open.
"Cousin." Emily's eyes filled with tears.
"Come here, Emily." He held his arms out to her.
She ran to him and began sobbing. "Can we please go see her?" Emily begged.
Max's heart broke at each of her sobs.
"No, Emily." He held her. "She has to come to us."
She accepted that. "Hold me?" Max almost broke out in tears. It was the same please Liz had given back at the townhouse.
"Alright."
He sat in the rocking chair, that he had moved down from the nursery.
An hour later he lay Emily down in her bed, in the nursery, that was now green. He knew she would make her way though the dark corridors to his bed.
Max went back down to his study and set back to work. Five minutes later the door creaked open again. He didn't look up. "Emily, I have work to do. You can sit on my lap but I can't rock you."
"I'd sit on your lap, but I'm soaked and you wouldn't want me to ruin your nice suit."
His eyes shot to the door.
"Liz." His mouth formed the words but nothing came out.
He sprang out of the chair and around the desk. He approached her slowly taking in her appearance.
Her hair was wet and tangled, she never let her hair tangle.
Her clothes were wet and torn.
Everything about her appearance was off.
The sparkle in her eyes, gone.
He took her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to her tighter. She was shivering.
"What happened?" He asked after laying his cheek on her head.
"I walked back." She explained.
"From where?" He asked, walking anywhere in this weather would be deadly.
"The docks." She shivered and held him tighter.
"Why didn't you send a messenger?" He asked. "I would have come for you in a second."
"I would've been dead by then. Max?"
"Hold me, I'm cold." Her body went limp in his arms.
****
"Liz?" She had fainted.
He picked her up and cradled her against his chest. Max took her upstairs. Quickly and very innocently he changed her into her nightgown that she had left behind. He combed and braided her hair as Emily had taught him.
He didn't leave her side all night. Nor did she wake up.
"Cousin?" He heard Emily call the next morning. Max rushed in there to quiet her down.
"Emily, you must be quiet." He picked her up and carried her to the next room.
"Look!" He turned the girl towards the bed.
"Mama!" She exclaimed. She crawled onto the bed next to Liz's sleeping form.
"Cousin, why is she so hot?" She asked pulling away.
"Hot?" He asked concerned.
"Yes, hot, cousin, feel her." She pressed his hand to her forehead.
"Oh my." Max pulled his hand from her, worried.
"Liz?" He called to her gently.
She didn't move. Max was in a panic.
"I have to go into the village." Max said. "I must get a doctor."
"Cousin, look." She pulled the curtain back. "It's snowing, you can't go." She said worried. He cursed under his breath. "What do I do?" He looked lost."
Emily quietly went over to him. "cousin, sit." She pushed him back into a chair and crawled into his lap. "When I was sick, Mama, my other mama, and Miss Caroline, my old governess, used to put cold cloths on my head."
"Alright." Max went down to the kitchen and returned with a bucket of water. Emily showed him where Mrs. Kendall had kept the clean linens. Carefully and together, they started to set everything right.
"I'm finished, Cousin."
Emily handed Max her copy book. She went back to her miniature desk on the other side of the room and started her math.
Max compared Emily's writing to the writing Liz had out on her paper.
Before she left, Liz had put together a portfolio of Emily's neatest work. Next to her work there were small corrections in Liz's fine handwriting. Max decided that since he wasn't going to send Emily to school he'd teach her himself until he could get out to find a governess.
"Emily, these don't match." He looked up at her.
"Again?" She asked.
"No more for today." He told her. He looked at the clock. "Are you ready for supper?"
"I'm starved." She smiled at him.
Ever since Liz left it had taken a lot to get Emily to start smiling again. She did once in a while but never a bright smile.
They ate in silence and by that time it was time to go to bed. Max sat on the bed and pulled her on his lap. "How are you doing?" He asked her as he did every night.
"I still miss her." She looked up at him.
"You will for a long time. You wanna know something?" He bent down close to her ear.
"What?"
"I still miss her too." He kissed her cheek.
"Do you love her?"
He studied her. "Yes, very much." He answered honestly.
"Did she love you?" Emily asked.
"I think so, I don't really know."
"Did she love me? Because I love her."
"She loved you very much Emily."
"Then why did she leave?" She started crying again.
"She didn't want to but she had to." Max comforted her.
"I know, she wouldn't have left me on purpose. Or you, she loved you." Emily told him.
"Don't say things like that Emily." He told her. He laid her down and read her a poem out of William Blake.
"Goodnight, Emily." Max said before snuffing the candle. "Remember, it's only three days, everything will get better."
"I hope so. Goodnight."
***
Max sat in his study after putting Emily to bed. He wasn't going to get any work done. He was scared for her. He couldn't do anything. He just hoped she would come back if anything happened.
Max looked up from his work when he heard the door open.
"Cousin." Emily's eyes filled with tears.
"Come here, Emily." He held his arms out to her.
She ran to him and began sobbing. "Can we please go see her?" Emily begged.
Max's heart broke at each of her sobs.
"No, Emily." He held her. "She has to come to us."
She accepted that. "Hold me?" Max almost broke out in tears. It was the same please Liz had given back at the townhouse.
"Alright."
He sat in the rocking chair, that he had moved down from the nursery.
An hour later he lay Emily down in her bed, in the nursery, that was now green. He knew she would make her way though the dark corridors to his bed.
Max went back down to his study and set back to work. Five minutes later the door creaked open again. He didn't look up. "Emily, I have work to do. You can sit on my lap but I can't rock you."
"I'd sit on your lap, but I'm soaked and you wouldn't want me to ruin your nice suit."
His eyes shot to the door.
"Liz." His mouth formed the words but nothing came out.
He sprang out of the chair and around the desk. He approached her slowly taking in her appearance.
Her hair was wet and tangled, she never let her hair tangle.
Her clothes were wet and torn.
Everything about her appearance was off.
The sparkle in her eyes, gone.
He took her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to her tighter. She was shivering.
"What happened?" He asked after laying his cheek on her head.
"I walked back." She explained.
"From where?" He asked, walking anywhere in this weather would be deadly.
"The docks." She shivered and held him tighter.
"Why didn't you send a messenger?" He asked. "I would have come for you in a second."
"I would've been dead by then. Max?"
"Hold me, I'm cold." Her body went limp in his arms.
****
"Liz?" She had fainted.
He picked her up and cradled her against his chest. Max took her upstairs. Quickly and very innocently he changed her into her nightgown that she had left behind. He combed and braided her hair as Emily had taught him.
He didn't leave her side all night. Nor did she wake up.
"Cousin?" He heard Emily call the next morning. Max rushed in there to quiet her down.
"Emily, you must be quiet." He picked her up and carried her to the next room.
"Look!" He turned the girl towards the bed.
"Mama!" She exclaimed. She crawled onto the bed next to Liz's sleeping form.
"Cousin, why is she so hot?" She asked pulling away.
"Hot?" He asked concerned.
"Yes, hot, cousin, feel her." She pressed his hand to her forehead.
"Oh my." Max pulled his hand from her, worried.
"Liz?" He called to her gently.
She didn't move. Max was in a panic.
"I have to go into the village." Max said. "I must get a doctor."
"Cousin, look." She pulled the curtain back. "It's snowing, you can't go." She said worried. He cursed under his breath. "What do I do?" He looked lost."
Emily quietly went over to him. "cousin, sit." She pushed him back into a chair and crawled into his lap. "When I was sick, Mama, my other mama, and Miss Caroline, my old governess, used to put cold cloths on my head."
"Alright." Max went down to the kitchen and returned with a bucket of water. Emily showed him where Mrs. Kendall had kept the clean linens. Carefully and together, they started to set everything right.