Page 10 of The Duke and the Enigmatic Governess
“Indeed, it does,” agreed Dr. Carstairs. “Now, I shall examine you all, including the child, just to be safe.”
Before he could say anything further, there was a commotion in the hallway and Nurse Walters entered the room.
It seemed Dr. Carstairs was prepared and knew what to expect. He immediately smiled at Nurse Walters. “Ah, Nurse Walters, I presume,” he said.
“Doctor, I have come from His Grace’s estate at Clairville Hall to take charge of this situation. The child is currently upstairs with Rosie,” Nurse Walters informed him, asserting her authority.
“Well, Nurse Walters, as soon as I have finished here, you can show me upstairs to the child,” Dr. Carstairs said, giving her a little bow.
“You can use the parlor to examine everyone,” suggested Mrs. Driscoll. “It’s just along the corridor.”
Having examined all three of them as well as Barton and Jake, Dr. Carstairs accepted a glass of fine Madeira wine from Mrs. Driscoll before addressing the duke and Nurse Walters.
“At this time, no one is showing any signs of the illness,” he shared. “That is very positive. However, it would be best to stay in quarantine until there is no chance of anyone catching this. The poor child’s mother died of this illness, and I believe it is the putrid sore throat, which is also sometimes called diphtheria.”
A wave of relief went through the room as they learned that the doctor had seen no sign of the illness spreading.
Over the next couple of days, the little group settled into a routine as the sense of relief persisted with no one showing any signs of illness. Barton and Jake spent their time in the stables, and the duke was able to ride in the early morning without any possibility of infecting anyone, as no one came into contact with him.
Nurse Walters set up her systems in the house and, in combination with Mrs. Driscoll, everything ran like clockwork. Nurse Walters chose to eat her meals with Sasha and Rosie in what she had designated as the nursery.
Every day, Mrs. Driscoll arranged for what she called “a proper meal” to be served in the small dining room near her parlor. After the dinner, Mrs. Driscoll would leave Audrey and the duke, while she went to check on the wider household.
After talking with Nurse Walters, Audrey had realized she could spend at least two sessions each day playing and teaching Sasha. Preparing for these had proved difficult as the house seemed devoid of toys.
On the second day, after Mrs. Driscoll had left them, Audrey asked the duke if he knew of any children’s games or activities anywhere in the house. She wanted Sasha to feel relaxed anddistracted from the loss of her mother. To play and laugh, even for a short time, while grieving from the sadness of loss, was an important part of childhood.
“No,” he replied thoughtfully. “My younger sisters, Jane, and Grace are both fifteen now and long past play. Two of my other four sisters have children, and they never visit the townhouse. Though they often come to visit me at Clairville Hall, my country estate.”
“You have six sisters!” Audrey couldn’t help commenting. “Are you the only boy?”
“Indeed, Miss Banks. I’m the only male heir. My father died suddenly when I was fourteen, or I suspect they would have kept trying for another boy.”
“And your sisters? How old are they?”
“Now that’s a difficult question,” he laughed, “there being so many of them. Now, let me see. The two youngest, Jane and Grace are twins and keep Mama busy. They are fifteen as I mentioned. Then there is Elspeth, who is seventeen, and Beatrice, who is twenty. Beatrice has had one season in town and this year Elspeth will join her. They are both endowed with independent wealth and do not need to find rich husbands, so they can enjoy that merry whirl of balls and recitals without pressure to make a match.”
“That is always an advantage in life,” whispered Audrey. “To have a choice in who one marries is so important.”
“Well, neither Elspeth nor Beatrice shows any signs of marrying. However, my two older sisters, Alice, and Mary, are married and both with children. Alice is twenty-five, and is now Lady Taunton with two children, both boys this time, and Mary, who married last spring, has just had a little baby girl. I have a new niece, and were it not for this business here, I would have been making her acquaintance today.”
“That’s quite a family,” said Audrey. “You sound very close to your sisters.”
“I am now I’m old enough to be the duke and they have to take notice of me,” he joked. Suddenly, he jumped up. “Aha, I have a thought, possibly in the boot room,” he said as he left the room.
Audrey looked around in confusion, unsure what he was referring to. However, in a few minutes, he returned carrying a wooden box of toys which his sisters had left many years ago. He took out a ball, some wooden peg dolls, and a set of spinning tops.
“I knew we must have some toys somewhere. Here you are,” he said triumphantly, handing the worn wooden box to Audrey.
Audrey put the box down on the table, and the duke took a spinning top and placed it in her hand, taking one himself and setting it going across the smooth table.
“I always wanted to do this,” he said, “but Mama would never let us use the tops on the table. I guess that now I’m the duke, it is my choice if I dent or scratch the furniture.” The duke started another top spinning across the polished surface.
“I think I always won this game when playing with my sisters, Alice and Mary,” he said, spinning the top again. “It really is just a case of remembering the technique.”
“I’ve played this game since I was a child,” countered Audrey. “Watch out.”
They started to compete to see whose top could spin for the longest time. Audrey couldn’t help it, the tension of the last two days drained away and she began to giggle, unable to stop herself.
