A/N: Thank you all for your well wishes, it is truly appreciated! Enjoy the next chapter, I hope to update again in the next few weeks.
Chapter Five
For her first day on her new job, Elizabeth surprisingly didn't feel nervous as she knocked on the door to the Darcy's house. She rapped her closed fist gently on the front door, returning the welcoming smile that greeted her as it opened. Mia was already dressed in her school uniform, a grey pinafore over a white polo and a navy blue cardigan matched by navy knee high socks.
"Morning Elizabeth." Mia greeted happily.
"Good morning Mia. Are you ready for school?" Elizabeth asked, stepping inside the house and closing the door behind her.
"Almost. Can you plait my hair for me please?" Mia asked.
"Of course."
The two walked into the living room and 8sat on the sofa, with Mia passing Elizabeth the hair brush and facing away from her.
"Would you like a normal plait or I can French plait if you like?" Elizabeth asked.
"Just a normal please." Mia replied happily.
Elizabeth began to brush through the eight-year-old's hair, trying to brush so delicately through the curls in fear of brushing it too hard that it hurt. Mia sat completely still, as if she were a statue.
"You can brush a little harder, it won't hurt." Mia said reassuringly.
"Okay."
She brushed through the curly hair a little harder, holding the curls in her spare hand as she brushed the knots out of it. She admired the soft texture to Mia's hair, like something silky and delicate.
"You've got lovely hair." Elizabeth complimented softly.
"Thanks," Mia replied brightly, "I get it from my dad."
"You look a lot like him." Elizabeth agreed.
"Who do you look most like?" Mia asked.
"Well I take after my dad just like you. But my older sister looks like my mum and my younger sister got my mums eyes but my dad's wavy hair." Elizabeth replied.
"You have two sisters? You're lucky."
"I suppose I am."
"I don't have any brothers or sisters, what's it like?" Mia asked.
Elizabeth chuckled slightly as she finished plaiting the little girl's hair and tied it off at the end with a hairband.
"There is a bit of an age gap between the three of us. There is four years between me and Jane, my older sister and my younger sister Lydia is four years younger than me. So, we didn't always get along but now we're grown up, we look out for each other. And help each other." Elizabeth explained.
"Did you ever fight?" Mia asked curiously, turning around to face her.
Elizabeth nodded and laughed.
"All the time. We used to hide each other's things and borrow without asking. We called each other names and teased each other. But we always made up after each silly little fight." She replied.
"My dad has a sister, my auntie Georgie. She's ten years younger than my dad." Mia stated proudly.
"You have a lot of people that love you, I think you're lucky too." Elizabeth smiled.
Mia nodded in agreement and returned Elizabeth's smile. As Elizabeth checked her watch for the time, she instructed Mia to get her lunchbox and her bookbag before making a quick goodbye hug for Alice and headed out the front door. They walked up the road side-by-side, with the two discussing the days routine.
"What are we doing after school?" Mia asked.
"What would you like to do?"
Mia chewed on her lip for a moment before replying.
"Well I don't have ballet class until tomorrow...maybe we could go to the park by the community centre?"
Elizabeth smiled, "So that's what we'll do and then we have to get you home for homework and dinner." She said.
"I don't get homework on Mondays." Mia informed her.
"Okay...do you have chores to do?" Elizabeth asked.
Mia nodded and pulled a face which made Elizabeth laugh a little. It reminded her of a time when she used to hate doing her chores as a child.
"Not a fan eh?" Elizabeth chuckled.
"No. But my dad says I have to do them if I want my pocket money." Mia sighed.
"What chores do you have to do?" Elizabeth asked.
"Dad doesn't pay for me to make my bed, put my dirty clothes in the wash basket, tidy my room and put my plate and cups in the sink. Anything extra like putting the recycling in the green bin or helping Alice with the laundry when she pulls it out of the dryer he says I earn pocket money. He tells me I also earn it for good behaviour and doing my homework." Mia replied.
"It's a good thing that you help out round the house, it teaches you responsibility."
"I know. Dad says he wants me to learn these things, it's what my mum wanted too."
Elizabeth looked down both ways of the street before the two of them crossed the road to continue their journey to Mia's school.
"Is there anything that you wanted to learn as an after school hobby?"
Mia looked deep in thought for a few minutes as they continued walking up the road until she looked up at Elizabeth and smiled.
"Maybe we could have a look at the notices in the community centre?"
"That's what we'll do." Elizabeth agreed, smiling in return.
Finally, they reached the school and headed into the reception to sign Mia in. Once Elizabeth scrawled her signature into the book, she turned to Mia.
"I'll see you at three o'clock then. Have a good day Mia."
"Have a good day Elizabeth." Mia said.
Watching her charge walk down the colourful corridors of the school, Elizabeth left the school feeling like this couldn't have been a more successful start to her first day as a childminder to Mia Darcy.
ooOoo
"We need a night out."
Jane finished drying the plate and placed it in the cupboard before turning to face her youngest sister with an eyebrow raised.
"Lydi, you're a student. The whole point of being a student is letting your hair down and having fun. Besides, haven't you just gone out with Kit and Mary?" she questioned.
She ignored the roll of her sister's eyes and pulled herself up to sit on the kitchen side. Lydia copied her actions, pulling herself up on to the opposite counter on the other side of the kitchen.
"I do get out a lot, that's true. But I haven't had a night out with you and Lizzy since she was last visiting with David. It'll be good, the three of us out having a few drinks and letting our hair down." Lydia answered.
As if a night out was as easy as Lydia implied it was.
"Lydi, I would love to-"
"I've already asked Dad to babysit for a few hours. He said he'd love to." Lydia interrupted.
"And I appreciate it but-"
"Jane, you're twenty-nine, you're not exactly a pensioner who's getting a hip replaced. You need to take care of yourself now and again. Having a few drinks for a few hours with your sisters is hardly going out on an all-nighter and venturing to the nearest greasy spoon for a fry-up as a hangover cure the next morning." Lydia reminded.
Jane let out a heavy sigh and rubbed her temple with her fingers. She hadn't had a night out or a few hours to enjoy herself in a very long time. Between her responsibilities at the bakery and looking after the twins, alongside Lucy's additional needs, she hardly had any time to read or shop for herself.
"I'll think about it, okay?" Jane offered.
Lydia smiled and shook her head.
"No. This is happening. On Saturday. Dad will be here at seven to look after the twins."
"Lydia!"
"We all agree, you need a night off. You're not just a mum-"
"You can hardly say that! I am a mum. My children come first! Everything that I do is for Peter and Lucy. And sometimes that doesn't even feel like it's enough!" Jane exclaimed.
Lydia jumped a little at the unexpectedness of Jane's outburst and smiled sadly.
"You're a brilliant mum, Jane. You know that we all think that. There is nothing that you wouldn't do for your kids. And everything you do is more than enough." Her sister said reassuringly.
"Doesn't feel like it. I already feel guilty enough because their dad fucked off, I'm struggling to make sure that Lucy gets into a school that can meet her needs, I'm struggling to get the extra help she needs. And then there's the community paediatrician giving me a prescription for melatonin to help Lucy sleep better and the leaflets to a local charity which can offer her respite care occasionally. How do you think that makes me feel as a mother? That I have to drug my child because she doesn't sleep like a child her age should and looking into dumping her so I can have a break from my own child?!" Jane ranted, tears falling down her cheeks.
Lydia jumped off the kitchen counter and walked over to her, wiping away the tears.
"You aren't a failure because the community paediatrician decided to try Lucy on a treatment to try and help you all sleep better. It's not your fault that she's had her epilepsy medication upped to help reduce her seizures and it's not your fault that George walked out on them. Let's face it, he wasn't much of a father to them in the beginning anyway. As for the leaflet on respite care, the paediatrician suggested it as a way for you and Peter to live somewhat normal lives because caring for Lucy is a twenty-four hour, seven days a week job. And nobody could do it better than you."
"I just don't know if what I'm doing is enough, Lydia. I feel horrible for even looking at having someone else care for her." Jane whispered in fright, sniffing deeply.
"You are doing enough. More than enough. You do what you can and more for them. I think respite would be great for all of you. Go and meet with them if you're unsure, see for yourself what they offer and how they would look after Lucy and then you can make a decision. She'll be able to have experiences targeted at children who are at her ability level and you and Peter can have weekends away or day trips somewhere. As for the extra help you need, you have us to come with you and fight your corner if someone denies you the help that Lucy needs." Lydia reassured her.
Jane sniffed again and smiled gratefully at her sister. It was times like this when she needed someone to boost her confidence when she felt that she wasn't doing enough. And she knew that not everyone in her life could give her that, but the ones who could reminded her that she had to be strong for her children.
"So…a few drinks for a few hours on Saturday? I think it would really do you some good." Lydia said gently.
Jane nodded in agreement.
"Just a few hours." She muttered.
"Just a few hours." Lydia agreed.
Checking her watch, Jane jumped off the kitchen side.
"Time to get the twins from preschool, you coming?" she asked.
Lydia smiled.
"I wouldn't miss an afternoon with my niece and nephew." Her sister replied.
Grabbing their belongings, Jane locked up the house and they left to collect the twins from preschool, talking more about their upcoming first night out as sisters in a long time.
ooOoo
Between the hours of nine in the morning and three in the afternoon, Elizabeth had surely kept herself busy. The first thing she had done after dropping Mia to school was return to the Darcy residence where Alice made her a cup of tea and reassured her that she would do a grand job looking after Mia. Once the tea was finished, she familiarised herself with the medication Mia took for epilepsy and made her way into the town to put a prescription request in at the Darcy's doctor's surgery. After that she walked to the pharmacy that Alice had told her to go to and collected Mia's ready prescription and placed it in her bag. By the time her medication errands were completed it was already nearing lunchtime. She returned once more to the house where Alice made her some lunch despite having bought herself a pasta pot from Tesco Express on her way to work that morning.
In the afternoon she made up a weekly calendar on both her phone and one she could keep in her bag just so she could keep track of what she and Mia would do together outside of school hours and her tasks whilst Mia was in school. An hour before she was due to collect Mia from school she took a quick walk to get to know the local area surrounding where Mia lived so she knew what they could access locally until she could save up and afford a car to take Mia to the other side of town to do activities. She found that there was a local library on a ten minute walk from the Darcy residence to which she made the mental note of taking Mia along there sometime. The library offered not only reading hour for children twice a week but did school holiday activities for free such as Lego building workshops, arts and crafts workshops and poetry and creative writing clubs for children of certain ages. Elizabeth felt herself looking forward to spending more time with Mia with the summer holidays only a matter of weeks away.
At three o'clock Elizabeth waited outside the reception area and watched as class-by-class, teachers were seeing the children out safely to their parents. Eventually, Mia came running over to her and surprised Elizabeth by giving her a tight hug. It only made Elizabeth ever the more determined to make this opportunity work.
"How was your day?" Elizabeth asked brightly.
The two began to walk in the direction of the community centre.
"It was good. We're doing The Tudors as our history topic at the moment. Is it a bad thing that Henry VIII had six wives?" Mia asked curiously.
Elizabeth laughed.
"I suppose it depends on what you personally think on the topic." She replied with a smile.
"I don't get it. He really wanted a boy and he got one. Why did he need to marry so many times? My Uncle Charlie has a sister who says marriage and divorce is for failures. So…was Henry VIII a failure?"
Ah. Uncle Charlie's sister sounded really delightful!
Elizabeth paused for a few moments, thinking about her own situation. For five years she had been married. Giving up her own wants, dreams and desires to support David through his dreams and desires. She had loved him once. And now she was on the verge of being divorced. The more time she spent apart from her estranged husband she was gaining some clarity. Over five years, David had changed from the person she had fallen in love with to someone she now no longer recognised. She missed the person who he had been. Or maybe he was just hiding who he really was all along? Those were questions she supposed would be answered when she had fully moved on from her husband.
"Elizabeth?"
Coming out of her line of thought, she blinked.
"Sorry Mia. Just because people get married and sometimes get divorced doesn't mean that they're a failure. As to Henry VIII, we can only guess. Neither of us were there when it happened and we can only assume. I think he wanted to be love and be loved. And as for wanting a boy, yes he had one. But back in those times children were lucky to live a long time." Elizabeth explained.
"I guess. My teacher said people back in olden times had lots of children to pass on kingdoms because they died young." Mia said.
Without saying anymore on the subject, they reached the park and the community centre.
ooOoo
Later that evening when their trip to the park and community centre had finished, Elizabeth and Mia returned to the house where Mia ate her dinner and Elizabeth went through Mia's bookbag to look through the paperwork the school had sent home. There was a letter about an upcoming school trip for Mia's class to a local Tudor museum which detailed the cost of the trip and the requirements of the trip and a letter notifying parents about headlice and a change to the hot school meals menu for Friday. Elizabeth pinned the letters on the fridge for William to see when he got in from work that evening. Once Mia had finished her dinner, Elizabeth helped her tidy her bedroom, read a book to Mia before running a bath for her. Alice had informed her that Mia preferred privacy when taking a bath but needed someone to sit in the doorway just in case of a seizure. Whilst William had installed an alarm and cord for Mia to pull if she felt unwell in the bath, the poor girl still needed someone who could get to her quickly should she have a seizure whilst bathing.
After the bath, Mia dried and dressed herself ready for bed. It was as Elizabeth was putting Mia to bed for the night that William had returned home.
"Hello you two, how was your day?" William asked.
"It was good dad! Elizabeth took me to the park and the community centre. We picked up some leaflets about some classes I might try out!" Mia replied excitedly.
"What classes?"
"Well…maybe tap or modern dance and continue ballet. I quite like the sound of karate…and maybe trampolining or gymnastics."
"It sounds like you'll both be kept busy." William mused.
Mia nodded and yawned loudly. Elizabeth watched as William kissed his daughter tenderly on the forehead before the two of them got up from where they sat on Mia's bed.
"Goodnight dad, I love you millions." Mia said sleepily.
"And I love you a million times more." Will whispered.
With that, the two adults left the bedroom and closed the door quietly behind them and walked downstairs together.
"How was your first day?" William asked.
"I really enjoyed it. Mia is a delight." Elizabeth replied honestly.
"Good. I'm glad you've both got off to a good start."
"Thank you again, this is just the opportunity that I needed."
William smiled at her genuinely.
"All I ask is that you care for my daughter like you would your own child. Mia is my world." He said softly.
"I will take the very best care of her," Elizabeth said reassuringly, "If one thing is apparent from my short time with Mia, you both have an unbreakable bond."
William nodded his thanks as Elizabeth collected her belongings.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Elizabeth. Do you need me to call you a taxi?" he offered.
"My dad is picking me up, he should be here soon." Elizabeth replied.
"Stay safe and have a good evening."
Returning the sentiments, Elizabeth said her goodbyes to William and Alice and left the Darcy residence, already looking forward to her next day of work.