The Duke and The Governess (35 page)

Jessica stood abruptly, picked up the lisle cover and went around the bed. She spread the sheet out and carefully lifted the sleeping baby and gently, but firmly, wrapped him in the swaddling, making sure his arms were strapped across his chest.

‘I can’t understand why he must be tortured so.’ John murmured and she looked at him with a smile. He was lying propped on his elbow, his head resting on his palm, like some mythical god bestowing his attention on the mere mortals.

‘There are two reasons.’ Jessica said firmly. ‘One is to give him the security he had inside me and the other is to stop his ears from sticking out later in life.’ She uttered these midwives tales so seriously that John laughed. He reached over and unstrapped the swaddling, opening it right out until his son was laid almost bare. Immediately Andrew flexed his arms and gave a little sigh, as if in relief.

‘I forbade Elizabeth’s nurse to subject my daughter to such torture,’ he said and looked up his wife. ‘And I would like to forbid you to do that to my son.’ His expression was almost pleading with her. ‘Elizabeth has never suffered any insecurities and her ears are perfect. It’s a lot of old wives tales.’ John picked his son up in his large hands, rolled on his back and laid him gently on his chest again, gently tuning his face to the side. ‘Let him be free, Jess?’ he asked in such a way that Jessica felt her heart strings pulled.

‘But it’s not right. All babies are dressed as severely for the first month.’ She said forcefully, as if trying to convince herself.

‘But they don’t need to be.’ John said with a sigh and held his son firmly to his chest. Andrew nestled against John’s pectoral muscle and sighed. ‘That’s what they need, to hear the heart beating.’ He looked up at his wife and reached out, stroking two fingers down her cheek. ‘He’s heard your heart beat in his ear from the day he was conceived at Little Malvern.’ He looked down again ‘It’s all the security he needs.’

‘Very well, but if he strangles himself in the night I shall blame you!’ she snapped at him.

‘He won’t, so long as Mrs. Beaton remembers not to dress him in loose fitting gowns.’ He smiled at Jessica. ‘Do you know, Elizabeth slept on her face until she was almost a year old?’ Jessica shook her head.

There was a tap on the door. ‘Your Graces?’ Masters called. ‘Their lordships have started to arrive.’

‘Very well, Masters.’ The Duke replied, smiled wickedly at his wife and passed over his son. Jessica laid him down and although it went against her better judgement, she had to admit that John had more experience than she did, she gently enfolded Andrew in the lisle. She lifted him in her arms as John threw himself out of bed and rushed behind the screen to use the commode. ‘Damn me! If you don’t test my restraint in the mornings!’ he muttered and she smiled as she opened the door.

‘Good morning, Masters.’ She said brightly. ‘The Marquis and I were just saying hello to the Duke. You can go in now.’ She smiled coyly and went back to the nursery.

Over the next hour the whole household became filled as more and more guests arrived for the christening of the Duke and Duchess of Warwick’s son, the Marquis of Stoneleigh. Jessica spent most of her time in the nursery getting Andrew into the family christening gown. Verity had spent a month replacing all the lace and reinforcing the seams at the same time as she added a soft brushed cotton lining. Elizabeth had made a brand new bonnet in the same white silk. Jessica had found the material in a trunk in the attics at Charlecote and Verity was amazed it was so well preserved. A square was cut for the pattern and Elizabeth helped pin on the pattern pieces for Jessica to cut the pattern and then with careful guidance, she had actually stitched it together, chose the lace to decorate it and the ribbons to tie it in place.

All through her confinement, Jessica had sat and crocheted a huge shawl in fine cashmere. It had cost the Duke an arm and a leg to get the raw wool, but now it was finished and it was the softest blanket that he’d ever seen. He had sat and watched it take shape as his wife’s belly swelled to a mountain. She had finished the shawl the week Andrew was born.

Jessica only spent half an hour getting herself ready. It didn’t take long to slip on her under garments and finish with a pretty day dress and coat. Her bonnet matched her ensemble and she carried a large reticule with a big handkerchief in it.

Everyone noticed that the Duke had finally discontinued with the dark sombre clothes. This day he sported a very fine, claret coloured jacket in superfine wool and a fine pair of long trousers, making him even taller and
more elegant than
usual. He put on a long gabardine coat and a top hat, pulling his kid gloves carefully onto his large hands as he waited in the hall for his wife and daughter.

The beautiful Duchess carried the Marquis herself, instead of letting the nanny do the work and some guests were horrified t
o see her walk down the steps like
a common servant carrying the child. The Duke and Duchess of Norfolk were close by and the Duchess smiled indulgently at Jessica.

Jessica stopped beside the Norfolks. ‘I feel quite scandalous.’ She murmured. ‘I feel half the people here are whispering behind their hands because I chose to carry my own son!’ she finished indignantly.

‘Take no bloody notice of them.’ Clarissa said firmly. ‘I carried my son to his christening. If we’re lucky we could start a new trend of caring parents.’ She smiled beautifully and carefully lifted the Marquis from Jessica’s arms as the two Dukes shook hands. ‘Now that would be a miracle!’ she finished and then cooed over Andrew Farrington. ‘Who’s a handsome boy, then.’

‘Clarissa, give her back the baby.’ Norfolk said kindly. ‘You’ll have another one to nurse in a few months time.’ John and Jessica sniggered at the often repeated entreaty.

John lifted Elizabeth in his arms, and took his place at the front of the procession with Jessica and his son beside him. Slowly they walked to the chapel at the other side of the manor at Charlecote.