“Here she is, Your Grace. The nursemaid,” Eliza confirmed.
Harriet nodded, still in a state of disbelief. The nursemaid was younger than she had expected — perhaps only a few years older than Harriet herself.
How will she know anything about children?
She had a youthfulness to her, still. A kind face, framed by soft brown curls, and her demeanor was calm and self-assured.
“Your Grace, ” the nursemaid said with a polite curtsy, her voice gentle but confident. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Miss Agnes Bart.”
Harriet straightened her back, and cleared her throat.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice, Miss Bart, ” Harriet managed to offer a small smile. “I appreciate your willingness to assist us. ”
Agnes straightened, her eyes meeting Harriet’s with a sense of quiet understanding.
“It is my honor, Your Grace. When I heard about your situation, I made it my first priority to travel to you, even though your residence is quite a distance from mine.”
Harriet pressed her lips together, and the nursemaid continued.
“I understand that caring for a child can be overwhelming for anyone, and I am here to help in any way I can.”
The woman had a… reassuring presence. That much was clear, even though they had not spoken at length yet. That was a promising early sign, Harriet thought to herself.
“Thank you. I must admit, I was unsure about bringing someone new into the household, but my sister spoke highly of you. ”
Agnes’s smile was warm, and Harriet couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of trust toward her.
“Ah, yes. Duchess Esther. Your sister is very kind. I assure you that you are in safe hands with me. Little Catherine will be shown the best care possible.”
The mention of Cathy’s name brought a subtle shift in the conversation, and Harriet hesitated, her thoughts racing.
“You already know her name?”
“You must forgive me, of course, if this has been an intrusion, Your Grace. I came to know of her name through your older sister, who wrote to me as well.”
Harriet had not known that Esther hadalsowritten on her behalf. What surprised her more though was the fact that it did not irk her, despite having told Esther to keep the news to herself.
Clearly, Esther must have found the woman to be trustworthy enough if she wrote to her.
“What did my sister tell you, exactly?”
Agnes quickly straightened up. “Well, she did not reveal much. Only that you are her youngest sister, and it has been a year to your marriage. And that you need assistance to take care of baby Catherine.”
“Oh,” Harriet admitted.So she does not know anything that she ought not to.
Yet.
“How old is the baby, Your Grace? I assume that she should be no more than a few weeks, given your recent marriage.”
Harriet felt her cheeks heat up. “She is around a year old.”
Agnes’s eyes widened for a second, but she quickly composed herself. “I see. She is older than I was expecting her to be.”
Harriet knew that saying this out loud could subject her to the worst possible form of scandal.
A child out of wedlock? What sort of respectable woman does that?
In most cases, the nursemaid would have declined to work with such a person. Perhaps that was why Harriet said it, as well.
