Not my puppets.
Chapter 8
A more relaxed Isabella trailed after Mrs. Cullen anxious to see the babies. Isabella loved babies. Everything about babies. Their faces, their sounds, even their smell. Babies were a blank page just waiting to be written on, waiting for someone to guide them, to care for them. Babies gave as much love as they received. Isabella had a lot of love to give.
At the end of a long hallway, on the second floor of the mansion the door to the nursery stood ajar. Gentle splashing could be heard. Mrs. Cullen turned, smiled at Isabella and reached for her hand. Isabella was startled at the touch but did not flinch.
"Are you ready?" Mrs. Cullen asked Isabella. Isabella nodded enthusiastically.
The nursery was a large room, obviously converted from a guest room. Two cradles stood at the end of the four post bed. A small fireplace held a warm fire.
One of the pink, slippery girls was cooing her way through her bath as the other lay drying on a large flannel. A maid dressed in dark green was cooing back and softly cleaning a rust coloured head. Neither baby had much hair, just an overall impression that the hair would be auburn.
Another young lady sat in a rocking chair by the fire with one of Mrs. Cope's well piled tea carts. She had dark hair, almost black, with dark eyes trained on the clean babies. There was a touch of sadness in her smile but a general contentedness about her.
Mrs. Cullen walked further into the room with Isabella following. Turning to the lady in the rocking chair she started to speak.
"Angela, this is Isabella, she is to be the nanny I spoke to you about. I wanted you to meet before the girls went to sleep. Forgive me for interrupting your tea. Bella, this is Angela, the children's nurse. Angela came to us after a carriage accident and is still recovering so she is to remain seated as much as possible"
Mrs. Cullen did not want Isabella to think Angela rude for not standing to greet her. She also did not want to upset Angela by giving Bella too much of her history. If the young ladies became friends perhaps they could share stories and help each other.
Isabella bobbed a curtsey.
Angela smiled warmly at Isabella. She was a few years older than Isabella but still very young.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Bella." Angela knew her time with the babies was coming to a close and was happy to have someone to take over their care.
"And this is Maggie," Mrs. Cullen turned to the maid who was doing the bathing.
Isabella turned to the other girl and bobbed a curtsey again.
"Maggie has been looking after the girls for us, until your arrival. She is the oldest in a large family and has the most experience of all of us for looking after twins."
Maggie grinned from her position on the floor beside the bathtub. She was a sunny, happy looking girl although rather damp from bath-time.
"Me mum had twins, twice. When the second set came around I almost ran away from home. But these two are easy, fat and happy. As much as I love to care for them, I miss my job in the kitchen, so I'm happy you're here, Miss Bella."
The new name was sticking. Isabella liked it, it made her feel welcomed and included.
With the bath finally finished and both babies dried and dressed, Isabella got to hold one of them. They looked alike, of course, but Isabella was curious as to the differences in them. She did not want to mix up the twins and called them by the wrong name. The girl she held had generic baby blue eyes so Isabella wondered what colour they would turn out to be. The rusty fuzz that covered the baby's head was sparse, but soft.
As she slyly winked at the two other girls, Esme turned to Bella, the other baby in her arms.
"Bella, may I introduce you to my grandchildren? This is Hortense and you are holding Honoria."
AN: I had a big apology written for anyone who may have been offended by my choice of names for the babies but I realized that, as someone who has had to live with an unusual name, by this age, very little offends any more. My given name made a come-back and now seems to be everywhere. Honoria, as a name I kind of like but I pity the poor girl saddled with Hortense.