A long awaited happy bit. Sorry for the depressing-ness of the last two
chapters, but it couldn't be any other way.
***
A Hard Man To Predict
Elizabeth stands in front of the doors to her father's study, holding the tiny child in her arms. She is asleep now, her startling brown eyes closed. She knows it's unusual for a child to have brown eyes, she hopes for the child's sake that it's lucky.
'Come in!' her father intones from inside.
She takes a deep breath, and carefully pushes the door open with her elbow. Her father, the Governor, looks up. When he sees the child his eyebrows go up.
'What are you doing with that baby?'
Elizabeth tries to remember the carefully crafted story that she has put together to account for the child's presence. She hasn't told Susie because Susie has been almost a hollow shell of a person since the day of Maggie's small, unceremonious, funeral.
'While you were away, someone left her on the doorstep. I want to keep her.'
'Keep it?' he laughs. 'Don't be ridiculous Elizabeth. I'm sure we can find a good family to take her in.'
He stops as he sees Elizabeth's lower lip beginning to tremble. Elizabeth hangs her head, and tries frantically to call up the essential tears.
'But.but.' she sobs.
The Governor's face softens slightly. 'But who would look after it?'
Elizabeth scents victory. 'Susie and I have been caring for her since she was left, why can't we just carry on?'
'I don't want the child interfering with any of Susie's duties, or any of your studies.'
'Oh she won't, she's very good, and mostly she just sleeps. Look.'
Elizabeth carries the precious bundle over to her father so he can see. She reasons that no one could fail to be touched by the sight of a sleeping child, and she is right. The Governor smiles.
'Well, I suppose it wouldn't do any harm.does she have a name?'
Elizabeth thinks. How could they have forgotten to give the girl a name? She shifts her gaze down to the sleeping face, and remembers the stories about fairies she used to read as a little girl. The pictures looked just like the child she now is now holding.
'Faye' she tells her father.
'It's a beautiful name,' he says.
'Father, can we have her christened, do you think?'
'Well naturally. Anything you like. I have some important business to attend to, so run along now.'
Elizabeth smiles, and gracefully walks out, trying not to wake the newly- named Faye. She stops a maid who is passing, and asks where Susie might be now.
'In the kitchen miss, shall I get her for you?'
'Yes, please. I shall wait here.'
Elizabeth sits on one of the chairs in the hall, with Faye on her lap. Susie is not long in coming, despite her slow walk.
'You asked for me, Miss Elizabeth?'
'Oh Susie, it's wonderful! Father says we can keep Faye!'
'Who's Faye?' Susie is confused, and feels muddle-headed as if she is looking at the world through a fog.
Elizabeth indicates the sleeping mass she is gently embracing.
'I named her.'
Susie goes over to Elizabeth, and gently picks Faye up. As she watches, Faye stirs and opens her eyes. Susie looks down at her, and Faye looks back.
'Such dark eyes.' Susie whispers, almost to herself.
'She doesn't look like Maggie, does she?' Elizabeth says, appearing at Susie's shoulder.
'No, she must take after her father.'
'Susie, who is her father?'
'I.I don't know.'
'Oh.' Elizabeth falls silent. 'Well, it doesn't matter now, does it? She's ours, no one else's.'
As she looks into the eyes of her niece, Susie is woken out of her grief. She knows that she holds in her arms something infinitely valuable and precious, something to be treasured and adored.
'Do we have any toys for her?' Elizabeth asks, breaking into Susie's reverie.
'I don't know. I have to go back to the kitchen soon, why don't you see what you can find.'
'Alright.'
Elizabeth takes Faye from Susie, and begins the long journey up to the servants' quarters and Maggie's room, which will become Faye's room. When she gets there, slightly out of breath, she sets Faye down in her cradle ever so gently, and casts her eye about the room.
She sees nothing that would interest a child, what she really needs is something distinctive, something that she can cherish as a memory of the mother she will never know. Her eyes light on the ornament on Maggie's bedside table. She is curious, so she goes to examine it. It is a bird of some kind, of dark wood, with one of its elaborate tail feathers broken off. Hardly suitable as a toy for a baby, but as a token, a memory made solid...
Elizabeth puts it on the window sill where Faye will be able to see it if she wakes up, but where it won't fall or be damaged. She decides to take some of her hard saved silver and go to the market with Susie to get Faye some real toys. She won't be long, and she will get one of the maids to keep an eye on the child.
As she leaves, and closes the door behind her, Faye wakes up. She doesn't cry, she barely even moves, but her dark dark eyes light on the phoenix on the window sill. Those eyes, that did not come from her mother.
***
Faye.pretty name. Anyway, I hope everyone feels a little cheered after the sadness before. Next chapter coming soon, and maybe even more Jack!
***
A Hard Man To Predict
Elizabeth stands in front of the doors to her father's study, holding the tiny child in her arms. She is asleep now, her startling brown eyes closed. She knows it's unusual for a child to have brown eyes, she hopes for the child's sake that it's lucky.
'Come in!' her father intones from inside.
She takes a deep breath, and carefully pushes the door open with her elbow. Her father, the Governor, looks up. When he sees the child his eyebrows go up.
'What are you doing with that baby?'
Elizabeth tries to remember the carefully crafted story that she has put together to account for the child's presence. She hasn't told Susie because Susie has been almost a hollow shell of a person since the day of Maggie's small, unceremonious, funeral.
'While you were away, someone left her on the doorstep. I want to keep her.'
'Keep it?' he laughs. 'Don't be ridiculous Elizabeth. I'm sure we can find a good family to take her in.'
He stops as he sees Elizabeth's lower lip beginning to tremble. Elizabeth hangs her head, and tries frantically to call up the essential tears.
'But.but.' she sobs.
The Governor's face softens slightly. 'But who would look after it?'
Elizabeth scents victory. 'Susie and I have been caring for her since she was left, why can't we just carry on?'
'I don't want the child interfering with any of Susie's duties, or any of your studies.'
'Oh she won't, she's very good, and mostly she just sleeps. Look.'
Elizabeth carries the precious bundle over to her father so he can see. She reasons that no one could fail to be touched by the sight of a sleeping child, and she is right. The Governor smiles.
'Well, I suppose it wouldn't do any harm.does she have a name?'
Elizabeth thinks. How could they have forgotten to give the girl a name? She shifts her gaze down to the sleeping face, and remembers the stories about fairies she used to read as a little girl. The pictures looked just like the child she now is now holding.
'Faye' she tells her father.
'It's a beautiful name,' he says.
'Father, can we have her christened, do you think?'
'Well naturally. Anything you like. I have some important business to attend to, so run along now.'
Elizabeth smiles, and gracefully walks out, trying not to wake the newly- named Faye. She stops a maid who is passing, and asks where Susie might be now.
'In the kitchen miss, shall I get her for you?'
'Yes, please. I shall wait here.'
Elizabeth sits on one of the chairs in the hall, with Faye on her lap. Susie is not long in coming, despite her slow walk.
'You asked for me, Miss Elizabeth?'
'Oh Susie, it's wonderful! Father says we can keep Faye!'
'Who's Faye?' Susie is confused, and feels muddle-headed as if she is looking at the world through a fog.
Elizabeth indicates the sleeping mass she is gently embracing.
'I named her.'
Susie goes over to Elizabeth, and gently picks Faye up. As she watches, Faye stirs and opens her eyes. Susie looks down at her, and Faye looks back.
'Such dark eyes.' Susie whispers, almost to herself.
'She doesn't look like Maggie, does she?' Elizabeth says, appearing at Susie's shoulder.
'No, she must take after her father.'
'Susie, who is her father?'
'I.I don't know.'
'Oh.' Elizabeth falls silent. 'Well, it doesn't matter now, does it? She's ours, no one else's.'
As she looks into the eyes of her niece, Susie is woken out of her grief. She knows that she holds in her arms something infinitely valuable and precious, something to be treasured and adored.
'Do we have any toys for her?' Elizabeth asks, breaking into Susie's reverie.
'I don't know. I have to go back to the kitchen soon, why don't you see what you can find.'
'Alright.'
Elizabeth takes Faye from Susie, and begins the long journey up to the servants' quarters and Maggie's room, which will become Faye's room. When she gets there, slightly out of breath, she sets Faye down in her cradle ever so gently, and casts her eye about the room.
She sees nothing that would interest a child, what she really needs is something distinctive, something that she can cherish as a memory of the mother she will never know. Her eyes light on the ornament on Maggie's bedside table. She is curious, so she goes to examine it. It is a bird of some kind, of dark wood, with one of its elaborate tail feathers broken off. Hardly suitable as a toy for a baby, but as a token, a memory made solid...
Elizabeth puts it on the window sill where Faye will be able to see it if she wakes up, but where it won't fall or be damaged. She decides to take some of her hard saved silver and go to the market with Susie to get Faye some real toys. She won't be long, and she will get one of the maids to keep an eye on the child.
As she leaves, and closes the door behind her, Faye wakes up. She doesn't cry, she barely even moves, but her dark dark eyes light on the phoenix on the window sill. Those eyes, that did not come from her mother.
***
Faye.pretty name. Anyway, I hope everyone feels a little cheered after the sadness before. Next chapter coming soon, and maybe even more Jack!
