A Duke, a Governess, and a Little Lady
AN: Hey guys! I debated over and over again whether or not I was going to do the wedding and I decided against it. Just imagine it yourself. It will have reflections back in the following posts, so in a sense you will eventually experience the wedding, just not all at the same time. Sorry!
"Mama!" Emily ran into her mother's sleeping chambers.
"Yes?" She said sleepily. She was buried under Max's arms and luckily at her insistence, both were in nightclothes.
"Emily, why are you in here?" Max asked playfully.
"I wanted to be with you." She said simply crawling into bed with them.
"And Miss Clara is where?" Liz asked moving away from him.
"I don't know." She answered snuggling down between them.
She paused as if she just noticed something. "Cousin," Max flinched, she hadn't yet begun to call him Papa and Max and Liz had decided not to push the subject, "What are you doing here?" She twisted her head to look at him.
Liz looked away stifling a laugh and hiding her blush.
"Same reason you are."
"Why?" She demanded mornings were her time.
"Because I wanted to be close to your Mama."
"Well." She said flustered. She had always been the first one with Mama in the morning. "Were you having fun, without me?" She turned and looked at them with hands on her hips.
"Yes." Liz squeaked out while blushing a deep shade of red Max had never seen before.
"Why don't we go see what breakfast there is to eat?" Max said with an arrogant grin on his face.
"Yes, why don't we." Liz quickly agreed. "Emily go get changed, I'll meet you in there in a moment." Liz instructed.
"Yes, Mama." She slid out of the bed and glared at Max. "I'll talk to you downstairs." She raced out of the room leaving the door wide open.
Max went over and shut it. "Is she always in here in the morning, how come she hasn't come before?" He smiled.
"Because we slept later than usual and usually Clara has her until she's sure you're out of here." Liz said.
"You plan that?" Max asked surrounding her with his arms.
"Have to, she thinks she's the first one that sees me in the morning and takes joy in that."
"Alright." He kissed her.
"How is the little one?" He spread his hand over her tummy that had a tiny bump in it.
"Fine, they are doing fun." She smiled.
"They?" He turned her around to face him.
"The doctor says I'm showing too early and that there might more than one baby in there." Her eyes sparkled.
He picked her up before quickly setting her down. "Are we going to tell Emily?" He asked.
"No, we can't tell her, it wouldn't be proper." Liz shook her head sadly.
"I know, but when have we ever been 'proper'?" He asked.
"Do you want to answer her questions?"
He shook his head. "No."
"Mama!" Emily shouted.
"Go get dressed now, Max." She pushed him through the door that connected their rooms.
Liz's maid rushed in the door as if she had known she was ready to be dressed. She changed quickly.
****
"Emily, do you think you could go faster?" Liz asked pulling her horse up next to Emily's.
"No." Emily said clinging to her horse.
Liz was anxious to see Maria's new baby, she had him the day before.
"No faster, Liz." Max said sneaking up on the both of them.
"Why not?" Liz asked.
"Because." He looked towards her abdomen.
"Alright." She looked down and moved him to a canter.
"That's good, Emily, keep up with your mama." Max brought up the rear.
Within a half an hour Liz was sitting with Maria holding the sleeping baby.
"He's gorgeous, Maria." Liz cooed.
"Thank you." Maria said. She still looked exhausted.
"Was it horrible?" Liz asked after she handed the baby back, her hand resting on her tummy.
"It wasn't that bad." Maria looked at the baby then back at Liz. "Well, it was, but once the baby's here you forget all about it." Maria encouraged.
Liz talked a while more until Max called her home.
****
"Mama?" Emily crawled into Liz's lap in front of the fire.
"Yes?"
"Can I have a baby too, like Lady Maria's?" She asked.
"Not until you have a wedding." Liz told her.
"But I already had a wedding." She said confused.
"When, I don't believe I was there?" Liz said.
"Remember, at the church in London? You were there. You wore the white dress; Cousin said you looked like an angel. Remember?" She said confused.
"That was my wedding." Liz said. "Yes, I do remember it."
"I had fun. I remember I had the flowers Adele's hair was really curly almost like mine." She said.
"Yes, you were the flower girl." Liz clarified.
"Yeah, the flower girl."
"And Prince carried the ring on the pillow." She said getting into it. Adele and Emily both called Christopher, Prince.
"Yes, the ring bearer."
"I want a wedding like that." She said dreamily.
"You can. But first you need to grow up and find a man to marry." She said.
"I already know whom I'm going to marry." She said with confidence.
"And who would that be?" Liz asked.
"Prince."
"No, you can't marry Prince."
"Why not?"
"Because he's your cousin." Liz explained.
"You married Cousin."
"But he's not my cousin." She told her holding back her smile.
"Oh." She rested. "I'll find someone."
"Yes, Cousin and I will find someone for you." Emily relaxed into her arms.
"Yes." She said quietly as in thought. "Cousin."
Max watched silently from across the room.
****
"Max, what's on your mind?" Liz stroked his cheek from where she was cuddled in his arms in bed.
"Emily." He stated.
"Why?" She blinked.
"What does she think of me?" He asked quietly, like a little boy in need of reassurance.
"Why, she loves you." Liz said. "Why do you ask?"
"I don't know. It's nothing really." He said shrugging it off.
"No, Max, it means something to you, what's wrong?" Liz said scooting up.
"I, it's just, I don't want to be just cousin anymore." He said quietly.
"Well, you are her cousin." She said simply.
"I know, but I feel like so much more than that." He stroked her hair.
"Like a papa?" She whispered.
He nodded.
Liz sighed. "Max, she loves you so much right now. You have to let her come to her own conclusion that she wants to call you that. Although I have a feeling it will be soon. Max, she calls me Mama only because she's known me as her second mama most of her life."
"I know, Liz, and I don't want to push her, yet it's some little nagging feeling, every time she calls me Cousin it just hurts." He said.
"Don't worry, I'm sure by the time your children are born she will call you Papa." She scooted up to kiss him.
He nodded and pulled her closer to him. "I know."
****
"Mama." Liz woke up to hear a tiny whispering.
There was a tiny knock. "Mama!" Came through the door with more volume.
"Who's there?" Max sat up in bed.
"Max, who else calls me Mama, Max?" She looked at him annoyed. "Put your robe on and go back to your room." Liz instructed.
"Fine." He placed a kiss on her forehead as she went to open the door. "Mama, I'm scared, can I stay with you."
"Why are you scared, you're almost six years old." Liz took the girl back her bed and lie down beside her.
"Why does it smell like Cousin?" She asked.
"Because, I like the way Cousin smells." Liz answered smoothly.
"My other mama liked the way my other papa smelled." She told her.
"I know, wives tend to do that."
"Mama?"
"Yeah?"
"How come Ellie and Prince have Mama and Papa, and I have Mama and Cousin?"
"Because that's what you call Max." Liz said carefully.
"I have Mama but no Papa."
"Max is sort of like your papa."
"Yes, but I don't call him papa." Emily clarified.
"I'm sure you could and he wouldn't mind." Liz told her.
"Could I?" Emily said with awe in her voice.
"You should ask him." Liz said.
"I want to see him now."
"He's sleeping."
"I want to sleep by him." Emily said.
"Alright." Liz slipped on her slippers and helped Emily with hers. "You have to be quiet." Liz led her to the adjoining door.
"How come your room is so close to his and mine's down the hall?"
"Because, husbands are always close to their wives." Liz said slipping through the door.
Liz lifted Emily onto the higher bed and she scrambled over to Max.
Liz crawled in beside him.
Emily settled on Max's chest while Liz took her place in the crook of his arms. Both arms came across the girls keeping them close to him, even in sleep.
****
Clara was in a frenzy. The young lady Emily had vanished. The house was in an uproar.
"We have to wake the duke and duchess." A maid said.
"No!" Clara said frantically. They were for sure going to fire her. Emily was always slipping away from her.
"Yes, the faster they're up the faster she'll be found. Her Grace has that child wrapped around her finger." The same maid said.
"I know." Clara walked slowly upstairs to the family quarters.
"Your Graces, I-" She paused there was all three duke, duchess, and little lady, asleep on his bed.
With a sigh of relief she slid out of the room and shut the door.
Max smiled at the maid's expression. He stared back down at the girl in his arms. Liz was awake as well. Emily, for once was still asleep.
She started to stir.
Liz shifted to make room for her to move onto the bed but she stayed firmly on Max's bare chest. Her eyes blinked open.
"Morning, Mama." She said sleepily.
She moved her head so she could see Max. He smiled down at her as he stroked her hair.
"Morning, Papa."
The End
Epilogue coming soon!
AN: Hey guys! I debated over and over again whether or not I was going to do the wedding and I decided against it. Just imagine it yourself. It will have reflections back in the following posts, so in a sense you will eventually experience the wedding, just not all at the same time. Sorry!
"Mama!" Emily ran into her mother's sleeping chambers.
"Yes?" She said sleepily. She was buried under Max's arms and luckily at her insistence, both were in nightclothes.
"Emily, why are you in here?" Max asked playfully.
"I wanted to be with you." She said simply crawling into bed with them.
"And Miss Clara is where?" Liz asked moving away from him.
"I don't know." She answered snuggling down between them.
She paused as if she just noticed something. "Cousin," Max flinched, she hadn't yet begun to call him Papa and Max and Liz had decided not to push the subject, "What are you doing here?" She twisted her head to look at him.
Liz looked away stifling a laugh and hiding her blush.
"Same reason you are."
"Why?" She demanded mornings were her time.
"Because I wanted to be close to your Mama."
"Well." She said flustered. She had always been the first one with Mama in the morning. "Were you having fun, without me?" She turned and looked at them with hands on her hips.
"Yes." Liz squeaked out while blushing a deep shade of red Max had never seen before.
"Why don't we go see what breakfast there is to eat?" Max said with an arrogant grin on his face.
"Yes, why don't we." Liz quickly agreed. "Emily go get changed, I'll meet you in there in a moment." Liz instructed.
"Yes, Mama." She slid out of the bed and glared at Max. "I'll talk to you downstairs." She raced out of the room leaving the door wide open.
Max went over and shut it. "Is she always in here in the morning, how come she hasn't come before?" He smiled.
"Because we slept later than usual and usually Clara has her until she's sure you're out of here." Liz said.
"You plan that?" Max asked surrounding her with his arms.
"Have to, she thinks she's the first one that sees me in the morning and takes joy in that."
"Alright." He kissed her.
"How is the little one?" He spread his hand over her tummy that had a tiny bump in it.
"Fine, they are doing fun." She smiled.
"They?" He turned her around to face him.
"The doctor says I'm showing too early and that there might more than one baby in there." Her eyes sparkled.
He picked her up before quickly setting her down. "Are we going to tell Emily?" He asked.
"No, we can't tell her, it wouldn't be proper." Liz shook her head sadly.
"I know, but when have we ever been 'proper'?" He asked.
"Do you want to answer her questions?"
He shook his head. "No."
"Mama!" Emily shouted.
"Go get dressed now, Max." She pushed him through the door that connected their rooms.
Liz's maid rushed in the door as if she had known she was ready to be dressed. She changed quickly.
****
"Emily, do you think you could go faster?" Liz asked pulling her horse up next to Emily's.
"No." Emily said clinging to her horse.
Liz was anxious to see Maria's new baby, she had him the day before.
"No faster, Liz." Max said sneaking up on the both of them.
"Why not?" Liz asked.
"Because." He looked towards her abdomen.
"Alright." She looked down and moved him to a canter.
"That's good, Emily, keep up with your mama." Max brought up the rear.
Within a half an hour Liz was sitting with Maria holding the sleeping baby.
"He's gorgeous, Maria." Liz cooed.
"Thank you." Maria said. She still looked exhausted.
"Was it horrible?" Liz asked after she handed the baby back, her hand resting on her tummy.
"It wasn't that bad." Maria looked at the baby then back at Liz. "Well, it was, but once the baby's here you forget all about it." Maria encouraged.
Liz talked a while more until Max called her home.
****
"Mama?" Emily crawled into Liz's lap in front of the fire.
"Yes?"
"Can I have a baby too, like Lady Maria's?" She asked.
"Not until you have a wedding." Liz told her.
"But I already had a wedding." She said confused.
"When, I don't believe I was there?" Liz said.
"Remember, at the church in London? You were there. You wore the white dress; Cousin said you looked like an angel. Remember?" She said confused.
"That was my wedding." Liz said. "Yes, I do remember it."
"I had fun. I remember I had the flowers Adele's hair was really curly almost like mine." She said.
"Yes, you were the flower girl." Liz clarified.
"Yeah, the flower girl."
"And Prince carried the ring on the pillow." She said getting into it. Adele and Emily both called Christopher, Prince.
"Yes, the ring bearer."
"I want a wedding like that." She said dreamily.
"You can. But first you need to grow up and find a man to marry." She said.
"I already know whom I'm going to marry." She said with confidence.
"And who would that be?" Liz asked.
"Prince."
"No, you can't marry Prince."
"Why not?"
"Because he's your cousin." Liz explained.
"You married Cousin."
"But he's not my cousin." She told her holding back her smile.
"Oh." She rested. "I'll find someone."
"Yes, Cousin and I will find someone for you." Emily relaxed into her arms.
"Yes." She said quietly as in thought. "Cousin."
Max watched silently from across the room.
****
"Max, what's on your mind?" Liz stroked his cheek from where she was cuddled in his arms in bed.
"Emily." He stated.
"Why?" She blinked.
"What does she think of me?" He asked quietly, like a little boy in need of reassurance.
"Why, she loves you." Liz said. "Why do you ask?"
"I don't know. It's nothing really." He said shrugging it off.
"No, Max, it means something to you, what's wrong?" Liz said scooting up.
"I, it's just, I don't want to be just cousin anymore." He said quietly.
"Well, you are her cousin." She said simply.
"I know, but I feel like so much more than that." He stroked her hair.
"Like a papa?" She whispered.
He nodded.
Liz sighed. "Max, she loves you so much right now. You have to let her come to her own conclusion that she wants to call you that. Although I have a feeling it will be soon. Max, she calls me Mama only because she's known me as her second mama most of her life."
"I know, Liz, and I don't want to push her, yet it's some little nagging feeling, every time she calls me Cousin it just hurts." He said.
"Don't worry, I'm sure by the time your children are born she will call you Papa." She scooted up to kiss him.
He nodded and pulled her closer to him. "I know."
****
"Mama." Liz woke up to hear a tiny whispering.
There was a tiny knock. "Mama!" Came through the door with more volume.
"Who's there?" Max sat up in bed.
"Max, who else calls me Mama, Max?" She looked at him annoyed. "Put your robe on and go back to your room." Liz instructed.
"Fine." He placed a kiss on her forehead as she went to open the door. "Mama, I'm scared, can I stay with you."
"Why are you scared, you're almost six years old." Liz took the girl back her bed and lie down beside her.
"Why does it smell like Cousin?" She asked.
"Because, I like the way Cousin smells." Liz answered smoothly.
"My other mama liked the way my other papa smelled." She told her.
"I know, wives tend to do that."
"Mama?"
"Yeah?"
"How come Ellie and Prince have Mama and Papa, and I have Mama and Cousin?"
"Because that's what you call Max." Liz said carefully.
"I have Mama but no Papa."
"Max is sort of like your papa."
"Yes, but I don't call him papa." Emily clarified.
"I'm sure you could and he wouldn't mind." Liz told her.
"Could I?" Emily said with awe in her voice.
"You should ask him." Liz said.
"I want to see him now."
"He's sleeping."
"I want to sleep by him." Emily said.
"Alright." Liz slipped on her slippers and helped Emily with hers. "You have to be quiet." Liz led her to the adjoining door.
"How come your room is so close to his and mine's down the hall?"
"Because, husbands are always close to their wives." Liz said slipping through the door.
Liz lifted Emily onto the higher bed and she scrambled over to Max.
Liz crawled in beside him.
Emily settled on Max's chest while Liz took her place in the crook of his arms. Both arms came across the girls keeping them close to him, even in sleep.
****
Clara was in a frenzy. The young lady Emily had vanished. The house was in an uproar.
"We have to wake the duke and duchess." A maid said.
"No!" Clara said frantically. They were for sure going to fire her. Emily was always slipping away from her.
"Yes, the faster they're up the faster she'll be found. Her Grace has that child wrapped around her finger." The same maid said.
"I know." Clara walked slowly upstairs to the family quarters.
"Your Graces, I-" She paused there was all three duke, duchess, and little lady, asleep on his bed.
With a sigh of relief she slid out of the room and shut the door.
Max smiled at the maid's expression. He stared back down at the girl in his arms. Liz was awake as well. Emily, for once was still asleep.
She started to stir.
Liz shifted to make room for her to move onto the bed but she stayed firmly on Max's bare chest. Her eyes blinked open.
"Morning, Mama." She said sleepily.
She moved her head so she could see Max. He smiled down at her as he stroked her hair.
"Morning, Papa."
The End
Epilogue coming soon!