Page 73 of The Colonel's Ungovernable Governess
As Martin, Louisa, and Edward’s mother exited, Jocelyn asked, “What did Martin say to you, Rowan?”
The boy was twelve and was the one who most resembled his father. “Martin says I am a spare,” the child admitted as he dug the toe of his shoe into the rug. “I do not want to be a spare. I want to be a soldier, like Papa.”
“Your father was the ‘spare’ for these fifty years of his life,” Jocelyn explained to their newly-minted twelve-year-old before her husband could respond, “and you are proud of him, are you not? You just said you wanted to be a soldier. Was that just to impress your father?”
“No, ma’am. I want to be exactly like Papa,” he said obediently.
“Then being a spare is a grand thing. For, from the first day he was born, your father was the spare in the Fitzwilliam family. That was not a demeaning position to have. As the spare, Mr. Edward Fitzwilliam has stood head and shoulders above ordinary men. First, your father rose to the rank of Major General in the King’s army, serving this great country for more than a dozen years and on his own terms. He made men out of boys and protected us all. The eventual heir to an earldom would not have been permitted to respond to England’s need, as did your father. Later, as an honored viscount, he stood in the House of Commons and wrote, as well as supported laws to protect all British citizens. Now, he will be an earl and sit in the House of Lords. He has done all that as a ‘spare.’ Should you not also like to have such influence on every thing you touched and every person you encountered? One can do things as a ‘spare’ that is not permitted to a person who is of the peerage. Do not misunderstand me. I hope, when it is time, Martin proves to be a great leader of the landed aristocrats, but I would wish you to be an equally superior leader for the common man. Without each of you, this country will falter. You must work together for the good of United Kingdom. Your father has done all this very much by himself, for your Uncle Roland was often ill. Your father and I would have you share the responsibilities with your brother. You, most assuredly, do not think your father unworthy of such accolades, do you?”
“No, ma’am. Papa is the very best,” the boy declared.
“He truly is the best of men, my son,” Jocelyn declared. She turned to where her husband looked on. He had a bit of gray at his temples and there were a few more lines upon his cheeks, but she still considered him the most compelling man of her acquaintance.
“We do not wish to be late,” Edward said when he realized they all looked to him to lead.
Yet, Jocelyn held back as Rowan and their ten-year-old Rueben scampered into the waiting carriage. “Thank you for the kind words,” her husband said softly as they crossed to the earl’s coach.
“Nonsense,” she declared. “You are necessary to me and the children, not just for our happiness and our peace, but for offering a hand to guide us through our ever-changing life. We would be lost if you did not take the lead, and I must say in all honesty, it has been a wonderful life, my love. I have never regretted one day with you. So, I do not wish you ever to think of yourself as a ‘spare,’ nor should Rowan, for your family has ceased to have any desires or wishes or hopes that are not bound up with you. You were never the spare or the son in waiting, but, rather, you are the life through which the Fitzwilliam family flows. Through which it continues to flow and prosper. We would be nothing without you, Edward. I would be nothing if you had not saved me from myself. I would have no other choice of husband—no other man in my life. Not for even a day. Nor for one moment. Now, let us turn the page and begin the next chapter of our lives. I pity those in the Lords when you arrive. If they thought your father was a tough nut to break, they will learn how powerful the Matlock earldom is when they begin to count your friends in the Commons and more than a few thousand former soldiers who still call you ‘Colonel’ and who will do your bidding in building an even stronger nation. I am glad to claim a privileged seat for the performance of a lifetime.”
~ Finis ~
