New Hampshire, September 1921.
"Come on Eliza-come and play dolls with me!" Ten year old Jane pleaded, her big blue eyes focussing on Eliza.
"Okay, we'll play." Eliza couldn't refuse the girl anything, especially when she looked at her with those eyes!
As she allowed herself to be lead over to the dolls she reflected that this position was a world away from her last one. The governess was only a young woman of twenty-two who had no objection to letting Eliza learn from her. "It'll be nice to have another female around the place!" She'd confided to Eliza when she'd arrived. The children were spoilt, but at the same time they knew what "no" meant, and respected the word. At the end of the first day Eliza and the governess, whose name was Melissa, had spent ages speaking about their past. Eliza admitted her parents had drowned on the Titanic and then Cal had taken her in, but told no more than that about how she came to be the ward of Caledon Hockley! Melissa had seemed interested. "I worked for a family a few years ago-the Browns-and the mistress had actually been on the Titanic too, and survived. Did you know her?" She'd asked. Eliza had grinned for a moment, thinking how strange it would have been for a steerage passenger to know a first-class passenger! She had just shook her head. "She only ever spoke to me once about it." Melissa reflected. "She told me that she believed that they could have saved more people if they'd gone back for them earlier. I think she really regretted that." Eliza had nodded politely, but she didn't really want to talk about the ship, and Melissa sensed that, and spoke no more about it!
"Jack took Molly dolly this morning." Jane said. "He hid her from me."
"Did he?" Eliza said, shaking her head. "He's a mean boy isn't he?"
"Yes!" Jane said definitively. "But I got her back, and I broke his toy truck!"
"Jane you didn't?" Eliza asked horrified.
"I did!" Jane assured her, a glint in her eyes.
"You know you shouldn't do that." Eliza said.
"But he took Molly dolly." Jane protested.
"Be that as it may, Jack was only playing a trick on you. You'll have to apologise for breaking his truck." Eliza said.
Jane pouted, but didn't disagree.
*****
"Eliza want to come for a walk? It's such a nice summers night, I can't stand the idea of being cooped up in here." Melissa stuck her head into Eliza's room later that evening after the children were safely in bed.
Eliza didn't hesitate. "Sure, just let me get my hat."
The two walked around the well-manicured gardens for awhile in silence. Then Melissa asked casually, "Have you met Tom?"
"Tom?" Eliza frowned trying to place the name.
"The gardener." Melissa said.
"Oh." Eliza said, recalling the stocky man who was tanned from spending so much time outside in the sun. "Briefly, why?"
"Well we're going to get married." Melissa admitted, and Eliza looked shocked.
"I didn't even know you were-well that you knew him." She said. This was true! Melissa had never even mentioned this before!
"We've known each other a long time." Melissa replied. "He wants to take me away from here-to somewhere in California. He's always wanted to live over there. He promises me the weather is a million times nicer over there!"
"When are you getting married?" Eliza asked, still in shock from this news.
"Not for a few months yet." Melissa replied. "I want you to be able to take over here when I leave."
"Take over?" Eliza asked, shocked.
"Sure." Melissa looked at her strangely. "Why? Don't you want to?"
"Of course. I love the house, the children, the mistress and the master..I'm just surprised, that's all." Eliza replied.
"That's why I was so happy to agree when they asked me about you coming here. I had a feeling that one day Tom might propose, and they've been so good to me here I didn't want to leave them in the lurch."
Eliza nodded, still a little in shock from the whole news.
"Tom doesn't want me to work when we're married." Melissa continued. "He wants me to be a proper wife, and he said no wife of his has to work, that he can support us just fine. We're going to have children of course-two I think!"
"I always wanted two children also." Eliza said. "I was an only child you see and so I used to vow when I had children I wouldn't have just one so they would be lonely."
"Were you lonely when you were little?" Melissa asked. "I had a brother and two sisters, so there was never a quiet moment in our place."
"I wasn't really lonely. My Mama was there with me most of the time, and of course we came out here when I was nearly eight.." She trailed off.
"Do you miss your parents?" Melissa asked.
"Sometimes." Eliza admitted. "But because they died when I was so young I don't really remember them very well. I think about them sometimes, but I don't think about them too often."
"I suppose Mr. Hockley looked after you well?" Melissa asked.
"Very much so. He has been wonderful." Eliza replied.
"Although you have to admit it is very strange that he would do so much for you? I mean, I am not trying to be rude here, but people who have that much money rarely think of anyone but themselves. Especially not a young orphaned girl!" Melissa said. "I'm sure people talk."
"I'm sure they do too." Eliza admitted. "And you're right-Cal has done more for me than many people suspected. I think it's got something to do with Rose-his fiancée who was meant to have died on the Titanic."
"Meant to have died?" Melissa repeated, picking up on the comment.
"I meant died on the Titanic." Eliza replied. She didn't think Cal would want anyone to know that Rose was still alive-especially after she had chosen not to be with him.
"Well Eliza," Melissa said. "You're one very lucky person. And I'm sure you're going to love being the only governess here once Tom and I leave. Oh, and one more thing-can you not let the mistress know about Tom and I? I don't think she'd approve of two of her staff being..well, she wouldn't approve."
"Your secret is safe with me!" Eliza assured her.
"Thank you. Now it's beginning to get a bit chilly-shall we go back inside?" Melissa asked.
Eliza nodded, and they walked slowly back into the house.
"Come on Eliza-come and play dolls with me!" Ten year old Jane pleaded, her big blue eyes focussing on Eliza.
"Okay, we'll play." Eliza couldn't refuse the girl anything, especially when she looked at her with those eyes!
As she allowed herself to be lead over to the dolls she reflected that this position was a world away from her last one. The governess was only a young woman of twenty-two who had no objection to letting Eliza learn from her. "It'll be nice to have another female around the place!" She'd confided to Eliza when she'd arrived. The children were spoilt, but at the same time they knew what "no" meant, and respected the word. At the end of the first day Eliza and the governess, whose name was Melissa, had spent ages speaking about their past. Eliza admitted her parents had drowned on the Titanic and then Cal had taken her in, but told no more than that about how she came to be the ward of Caledon Hockley! Melissa had seemed interested. "I worked for a family a few years ago-the Browns-and the mistress had actually been on the Titanic too, and survived. Did you know her?" She'd asked. Eliza had grinned for a moment, thinking how strange it would have been for a steerage passenger to know a first-class passenger! She had just shook her head. "She only ever spoke to me once about it." Melissa reflected. "She told me that she believed that they could have saved more people if they'd gone back for them earlier. I think she really regretted that." Eliza had nodded politely, but she didn't really want to talk about the ship, and Melissa sensed that, and spoke no more about it!
"Jack took Molly dolly this morning." Jane said. "He hid her from me."
"Did he?" Eliza said, shaking her head. "He's a mean boy isn't he?"
"Yes!" Jane said definitively. "But I got her back, and I broke his toy truck!"
"Jane you didn't?" Eliza asked horrified.
"I did!" Jane assured her, a glint in her eyes.
"You know you shouldn't do that." Eliza said.
"But he took Molly dolly." Jane protested.
"Be that as it may, Jack was only playing a trick on you. You'll have to apologise for breaking his truck." Eliza said.
Jane pouted, but didn't disagree.
*****
"Eliza want to come for a walk? It's such a nice summers night, I can't stand the idea of being cooped up in here." Melissa stuck her head into Eliza's room later that evening after the children were safely in bed.
Eliza didn't hesitate. "Sure, just let me get my hat."
The two walked around the well-manicured gardens for awhile in silence. Then Melissa asked casually, "Have you met Tom?"
"Tom?" Eliza frowned trying to place the name.
"The gardener." Melissa said.
"Oh." Eliza said, recalling the stocky man who was tanned from spending so much time outside in the sun. "Briefly, why?"
"Well we're going to get married." Melissa admitted, and Eliza looked shocked.
"I didn't even know you were-well that you knew him." She said. This was true! Melissa had never even mentioned this before!
"We've known each other a long time." Melissa replied. "He wants to take me away from here-to somewhere in California. He's always wanted to live over there. He promises me the weather is a million times nicer over there!"
"When are you getting married?" Eliza asked, still in shock from this news.
"Not for a few months yet." Melissa replied. "I want you to be able to take over here when I leave."
"Take over?" Eliza asked, shocked.
"Sure." Melissa looked at her strangely. "Why? Don't you want to?"
"Of course. I love the house, the children, the mistress and the master..I'm just surprised, that's all." Eliza replied.
"That's why I was so happy to agree when they asked me about you coming here. I had a feeling that one day Tom might propose, and they've been so good to me here I didn't want to leave them in the lurch."
Eliza nodded, still a little in shock from the whole news.
"Tom doesn't want me to work when we're married." Melissa continued. "He wants me to be a proper wife, and he said no wife of his has to work, that he can support us just fine. We're going to have children of course-two I think!"
"I always wanted two children also." Eliza said. "I was an only child you see and so I used to vow when I had children I wouldn't have just one so they would be lonely."
"Were you lonely when you were little?" Melissa asked. "I had a brother and two sisters, so there was never a quiet moment in our place."
"I wasn't really lonely. My Mama was there with me most of the time, and of course we came out here when I was nearly eight.." She trailed off.
"Do you miss your parents?" Melissa asked.
"Sometimes." Eliza admitted. "But because they died when I was so young I don't really remember them very well. I think about them sometimes, but I don't think about them too often."
"I suppose Mr. Hockley looked after you well?" Melissa asked.
"Very much so. He has been wonderful." Eliza replied.
"Although you have to admit it is very strange that he would do so much for you? I mean, I am not trying to be rude here, but people who have that much money rarely think of anyone but themselves. Especially not a young orphaned girl!" Melissa said. "I'm sure people talk."
"I'm sure they do too." Eliza admitted. "And you're right-Cal has done more for me than many people suspected. I think it's got something to do with Rose-his fiancée who was meant to have died on the Titanic."
"Meant to have died?" Melissa repeated, picking up on the comment.
"I meant died on the Titanic." Eliza replied. She didn't think Cal would want anyone to know that Rose was still alive-especially after she had chosen not to be with him.
"Well Eliza," Melissa said. "You're one very lucky person. And I'm sure you're going to love being the only governess here once Tom and I leave. Oh, and one more thing-can you not let the mistress know about Tom and I? I don't think she'd approve of two of her staff being..well, she wouldn't approve."
"Your secret is safe with me!" Eliza assured her.
"Thank you. Now it's beginning to get a bit chilly-shall we go back inside?" Melissa asked.
Eliza nodded, and they walked slowly back into the house.