A Duke, A Governess, and a Little Lady
Max did everything Emily had told him to do.
It was funny, taking instructions from a five year old. That five year old was now in bed on a cot that she made him drag in here.
Max decided that talking was the only left for him to do. She was sleeping, restlessly, but sleeping.
He talked for hours about anything and everything. He told her that he had left Tess. He told her about Emily, and how she was fairing. Anything that popped into his mind while he was sitting there he said.
During the day, Emily sat on the floor studying hard. She read aloud to Liz everyday from William Blake. She started recopying it into French. She read it aloud for Max to correct but Liz to hear. To come back to her.
At night it took a lot of persuasion to get Emily to crawl into bed and sleep. He promised he would wake her up if anything happened.
**** Liz tried to open her eyes and couldn't. They were so heavy and she was so tired.
She tried to move her head. That was heavy to.
She stopped moving. Taking a deep breath, she recognized that smell. It was Max! Stop fooling yourself, she told herself. He was gone, she was probably on some ship on the way back to America now. She didn't feel the familiar rocking of the ship and was surprised. Suddenly a small sound came to her hears. She hadn't realized she couldn't hear before.
"Rhi-Rhinos, help."
"This is a rhinoceros." She recognized that voice.
"Where did you get these from?" Another, smaller voice came once again. "Lord Michael drew them for me when we returned from his travels in Africa."
Liz tried to open her eyes, she wanted to so desperately. She licked her lips they were so dry. She turned her head towards the sound.
She tried to get her eyes open. It was bright. She closed her eyes and tried again. Everything was out of focus. She blinked and everything came sharply into focus. The room was not all that bright afterall. The curtains were open, it was night out. Candles were lit everywhere in the room.
She looked over; Max was sitting with Emily looking at a book.
"You went to Africa?" Emily asked amazed.
"Yes, when I was one and twenty."
"Wow!"
"Max." Her lips formed the words nothing came out. She licked her lips her mouth was dry. "Max." She said in a faint whisper but it was enough.
Max's head jerked up. "Liz?" He said quietly.
"Max." She said trying to sit up.
"No, no, Love, lay down." He instructed her. He sat on the side of the bed. He brushed her hair back. "How do you feel?" He asked softly stroking her hair.
"Thirsty." She squeaked. Emily ran to the basin and brought her a cup of water.
She drank slowly. Max took the cup away.
"How do you feel?" He asked concerned.
"Tired." She sunk back into the bed, her eyes starting to drift shut.
"Go back to sleep. We'll be here when you wake up." He said comfortingly.
She felt Emily crawl into bed next to her. " I stay here next to you?" She asked.
She could only nod as she shut her eyes.
She heard Max tell her to lie extra still and not move around too much.
****
Liz woke up when she heard murmurs outside her door. Her head wasn't as weak and she lifted it with more ease.
"You're awake." Emily said excitedly. "I'll go get cousin."
Emily returned quickly with Max not far behind her. Behind him was a man Liz didn't recognize.
"Hello, Elizabeth, my name is Dr. Pascal." He introduced himself. "How do you feel?" He asked in a kind voice.
"Tired, but I'm not cold anymore." She smiled at Max. Emily crawled in next to her.
"Elizabeth, did you have the Fever when you were a child?" He asked.
"No." She answered.
"That's what it was then. I don't know how smart it would be to have the young girl next to her. The rooms still contaminated." He advised.
"She already had it."
"How old is Emily?" The doctor asked.
"She's five." Liz told him.
"How old was she when she had the Fever?" He felt her forehead.
"She must have been a year. Her other governess contracted it from her, and she didn't make it."
"A one year old survived the Fever?" He asked amazed.
"Obviously." As interesting as Emily past illness is that's what it was past. Liz was ill now. "Is she ok?"
Liz smiled at Max as the doctor examined her. She felt fine and knew the worst was over she just did it to appease him.
"She's fine. Just plenty of rest, you need to get a cook in here to make her some soups." The doctor advised.
"One starts tomorrow. I'll-"
"Don't worry about it, my wife is down there right now. She'll leave enough until tomorrow. Good day, your Grace." The doctor exited the room.
****
Liz woke up again with Max sitting by her side. She felt weight next to her and figured it was Emily.
Looking around the room she noticed, she wasn't in her room. "Where am I?"
"You are in England, Roswell Manor to be exact." Max answered with a smile.
"I know that, but this isn't my room."
"It's mine." He stated.
"Yours, why am I in yours?" She asked.
"Because it's bigger and I didn't think you'd want doctors coming in and out of your bedroom." He explained.
She did love being here. His smell surrounded her, making her feel safe.
"How do you feel?" He asked concerned.
"Better than I have for the past, how long have I been asleep?" She asked.
"One week and five days." He told her. "It took till yesterday to get a doctor here because of the snow."
"That's a long time." She looked at her hands. "Help me sit up?" She asked.
He propped pillows behind her and she leaned against the headboard. "Liz, if you feel up to it, would you like to tell me what happened?" He asked softly so as not to awaken Emily.
She nodded. "Some of it I blacked out." She studied her hands then her nightgown. How did she get into that nightgown?
"Max, why am I in my nightgown?" She asked.
He blushed. "You were wet and you were passed out. I didn't look, well as much as I could, I couldn't leave you in the clothes." He met her eyes honestly.
She felt a warmth go up her spine he cared for her enough that he would change her, as uncomfortable as he had been. Then remembering something she looked him in the eye.
"Where's Tess?" She asked.
"She left. The day you left. I didn't want her here anymore. I'm sorry it took your leaving for me to see that." He looked at her.
She smiled. "What about your mother?"
"She's ok with it. I have to find a duchess soon." Liz looked down again.
"Liz, tell me what happened and why you walked back fifteen miles in the snow."
"Ok." She took a breath and began her story.
"We got to the docks around noon. There wasn't another ship leaving for the states until the following week. We rented out a room at the small inn. Rafael was not too happy that he hadn't consummated the marriage on the wedding night. So he had decided that we would fix that problem later that night."
Max moved closer to her. She held her hand up and shook her head. "No. Stay there."
"Liz." He looked her over concerned.
"No, just let me finish." She swallowed and continued. "He told me of this and left the room. I was terrified. It hadn't even dawned on me to leave. He was gone all day." She took another breath. "When he came back it was later. I hadn't changed because it was cold and I wasn't about to spend the next week in the same bed as him. I doubt he would have slept on the floor. When he came back, he was drunk."
"Liz."
"Max, I'm not going to finish if you don't stay quiet." She threatened.
"Alright."
"He came back and he was so drunk that he passed out on the bed."
"I didn't sleep that whole night. He woke up the next morning and screamed at me. Then left." She shifted. "He said I needed to become social with the other ladies so that I wouldn't look bad. I washed up and went down to converse with the innkeeper's wife. She conveniently needed someone to watch her young son, who was seven, the other governess was ill. I watched him for the day and did odd jobs to get enough money for a coach ride to just two miles outside the village. I snuck out during the night. Rafael came back drunk. I knew this was how it was going to be for the rest of my life so I left."
"It wasn't snowing when I left. Of course, I didn't bring my cloak. The coach dropped me off inside the village, since it had started snowing."
"Why didn't you have him bring you all the way here? I would have paid the price when you arrived."
"I know, but I didn't think of that then, and it was starting to snow and he still had more passengers to transfer. I started walking. It took me all day until I got here to walk through the snow. It was terribly cold."
"Why didn't you think of sending a man from the village up here to get me?" He asked.
"I wasn't thinking. All I knew was that I had to stay off the main road. Several horseback riders came by and I had to make a dash for the forest. As you saw my clothes. I just wanted to get back here as soon as possible."
"I'm glad you did, I just wish that you wouldn't have had to get sick because of it." His earlier concern coming out.
"I know, but I did, but I'm ok now." She reassured him.
"I see that." He smiled.
"Max when did you sleep?" He looked tired and ragged.
"Every few hours."
"You should rest."
"No you should." He corrected her.
"I'm not tired." She shook her head.
"Make a deal. You sleep, and I'll sleep too."
Liz nodded through a yawn. "Alright. Where do you sleep?"
"I brought in a little cot. Go to sleep, I'll see you in the morning." Max explained.
"Goodnight, Max." She whispered.
"Goodnight, Liz." He stood over her.
When he was sure she was definitely asleep, "I love you."
Max did everything Emily had told him to do.
It was funny, taking instructions from a five year old. That five year old was now in bed on a cot that she made him drag in here.
Max decided that talking was the only left for him to do. She was sleeping, restlessly, but sleeping.
He talked for hours about anything and everything. He told her that he had left Tess. He told her about Emily, and how she was fairing. Anything that popped into his mind while he was sitting there he said.
During the day, Emily sat on the floor studying hard. She read aloud to Liz everyday from William Blake. She started recopying it into French. She read it aloud for Max to correct but Liz to hear. To come back to her.
At night it took a lot of persuasion to get Emily to crawl into bed and sleep. He promised he would wake her up if anything happened.
**** Liz tried to open her eyes and couldn't. They were so heavy and she was so tired.
She tried to move her head. That was heavy to.
She stopped moving. Taking a deep breath, she recognized that smell. It was Max! Stop fooling yourself, she told herself. He was gone, she was probably on some ship on the way back to America now. She didn't feel the familiar rocking of the ship and was surprised. Suddenly a small sound came to her hears. She hadn't realized she couldn't hear before.
"Rhi-Rhinos, help."
"This is a rhinoceros." She recognized that voice.
"Where did you get these from?" Another, smaller voice came once again. "Lord Michael drew them for me when we returned from his travels in Africa."
Liz tried to open her eyes, she wanted to so desperately. She licked her lips they were so dry. She turned her head towards the sound.
She tried to get her eyes open. It was bright. She closed her eyes and tried again. Everything was out of focus. She blinked and everything came sharply into focus. The room was not all that bright afterall. The curtains were open, it was night out. Candles were lit everywhere in the room.
She looked over; Max was sitting with Emily looking at a book.
"You went to Africa?" Emily asked amazed.
"Yes, when I was one and twenty."
"Wow!"
"Max." Her lips formed the words nothing came out. She licked her lips her mouth was dry. "Max." She said in a faint whisper but it was enough.
Max's head jerked up. "Liz?" He said quietly.
"Max." She said trying to sit up.
"No, no, Love, lay down." He instructed her. He sat on the side of the bed. He brushed her hair back. "How do you feel?" He asked softly stroking her hair.
"Thirsty." She squeaked. Emily ran to the basin and brought her a cup of water.
She drank slowly. Max took the cup away.
"How do you feel?" He asked concerned.
"Tired." She sunk back into the bed, her eyes starting to drift shut.
"Go back to sleep. We'll be here when you wake up." He said comfortingly.
She felt Emily crawl into bed next to her. " I stay here next to you?" She asked.
She could only nod as she shut her eyes.
She heard Max tell her to lie extra still and not move around too much.
****
Liz woke up when she heard murmurs outside her door. Her head wasn't as weak and she lifted it with more ease.
"You're awake." Emily said excitedly. "I'll go get cousin."
Emily returned quickly with Max not far behind her. Behind him was a man Liz didn't recognize.
"Hello, Elizabeth, my name is Dr. Pascal." He introduced himself. "How do you feel?" He asked in a kind voice.
"Tired, but I'm not cold anymore." She smiled at Max. Emily crawled in next to her.
"Elizabeth, did you have the Fever when you were a child?" He asked.
"No." She answered.
"That's what it was then. I don't know how smart it would be to have the young girl next to her. The rooms still contaminated." He advised.
"She already had it."
"How old is Emily?" The doctor asked.
"She's five." Liz told him.
"How old was she when she had the Fever?" He felt her forehead.
"She must have been a year. Her other governess contracted it from her, and she didn't make it."
"A one year old survived the Fever?" He asked amazed.
"Obviously." As interesting as Emily past illness is that's what it was past. Liz was ill now. "Is she ok?"
Liz smiled at Max as the doctor examined her. She felt fine and knew the worst was over she just did it to appease him.
"She's fine. Just plenty of rest, you need to get a cook in here to make her some soups." The doctor advised.
"One starts tomorrow. I'll-"
"Don't worry about it, my wife is down there right now. She'll leave enough until tomorrow. Good day, your Grace." The doctor exited the room.
****
Liz woke up again with Max sitting by her side. She felt weight next to her and figured it was Emily.
Looking around the room she noticed, she wasn't in her room. "Where am I?"
"You are in England, Roswell Manor to be exact." Max answered with a smile.
"I know that, but this isn't my room."
"It's mine." He stated.
"Yours, why am I in yours?" She asked.
"Because it's bigger and I didn't think you'd want doctors coming in and out of your bedroom." He explained.
She did love being here. His smell surrounded her, making her feel safe.
"How do you feel?" He asked concerned.
"Better than I have for the past, how long have I been asleep?" She asked.
"One week and five days." He told her. "It took till yesterday to get a doctor here because of the snow."
"That's a long time." She looked at her hands. "Help me sit up?" She asked.
He propped pillows behind her and she leaned against the headboard. "Liz, if you feel up to it, would you like to tell me what happened?" He asked softly so as not to awaken Emily.
She nodded. "Some of it I blacked out." She studied her hands then her nightgown. How did she get into that nightgown?
"Max, why am I in my nightgown?" She asked.
He blushed. "You were wet and you were passed out. I didn't look, well as much as I could, I couldn't leave you in the clothes." He met her eyes honestly.
She felt a warmth go up her spine he cared for her enough that he would change her, as uncomfortable as he had been. Then remembering something she looked him in the eye.
"Where's Tess?" She asked.
"She left. The day you left. I didn't want her here anymore. I'm sorry it took your leaving for me to see that." He looked at her.
She smiled. "What about your mother?"
"She's ok with it. I have to find a duchess soon." Liz looked down again.
"Liz, tell me what happened and why you walked back fifteen miles in the snow."
"Ok." She took a breath and began her story.
"We got to the docks around noon. There wasn't another ship leaving for the states until the following week. We rented out a room at the small inn. Rafael was not too happy that he hadn't consummated the marriage on the wedding night. So he had decided that we would fix that problem later that night."
Max moved closer to her. She held her hand up and shook her head. "No. Stay there."
"Liz." He looked her over concerned.
"No, just let me finish." She swallowed and continued. "He told me of this and left the room. I was terrified. It hadn't even dawned on me to leave. He was gone all day." She took another breath. "When he came back it was later. I hadn't changed because it was cold and I wasn't about to spend the next week in the same bed as him. I doubt he would have slept on the floor. When he came back, he was drunk."
"Liz."
"Max, I'm not going to finish if you don't stay quiet." She threatened.
"Alright."
"He came back and he was so drunk that he passed out on the bed."
"I didn't sleep that whole night. He woke up the next morning and screamed at me. Then left." She shifted. "He said I needed to become social with the other ladies so that I wouldn't look bad. I washed up and went down to converse with the innkeeper's wife. She conveniently needed someone to watch her young son, who was seven, the other governess was ill. I watched him for the day and did odd jobs to get enough money for a coach ride to just two miles outside the village. I snuck out during the night. Rafael came back drunk. I knew this was how it was going to be for the rest of my life so I left."
"It wasn't snowing when I left. Of course, I didn't bring my cloak. The coach dropped me off inside the village, since it had started snowing."
"Why didn't you have him bring you all the way here? I would have paid the price when you arrived."
"I know, but I didn't think of that then, and it was starting to snow and he still had more passengers to transfer. I started walking. It took me all day until I got here to walk through the snow. It was terribly cold."
"Why didn't you think of sending a man from the village up here to get me?" He asked.
"I wasn't thinking. All I knew was that I had to stay off the main road. Several horseback riders came by and I had to make a dash for the forest. As you saw my clothes. I just wanted to get back here as soon as possible."
"I'm glad you did, I just wish that you wouldn't have had to get sick because of it." His earlier concern coming out.
"I know, but I did, but I'm ok now." She reassured him.
"I see that." He smiled.
"Max when did you sleep?" He looked tired and ragged.
"Every few hours."
"You should rest."
"No you should." He corrected her.
"I'm not tired." She shook her head.
"Make a deal. You sleep, and I'll sleep too."
Liz nodded through a yawn. "Alright. Where do you sleep?"
"I brought in a little cot. Go to sleep, I'll see you in the morning." Max explained.
"Goodnight, Max." She whispered.
"Goodnight, Liz." He stood over her.
When he was sure she was definitely asleep, "I love you."