‘Let me,’ she said, deftly stepping into the boat and scooping Abigail into her arms. ‘That was very dangerous,’ Thea heard her say as she caught up. ‘We have to be careful around water as it can be very deep.’ They swayed a little on the rocking boat as Abigail threw her arms around Martha’s neck.
‘Aunty Martha, are you a pirate?’ asked Edward seriously, still on the shore.
Martha sat down in the little boat, still cradling Abigail. ‘Maybe a little bit,’ she said to Edward, now on his level. ‘And so, if you are going to come on my boat, I am the Captain and you must do as I say, agreed?’ Edward nodded enthusiastically and Thea and Annie helped him and Samantha into the boat, before Martha got them organised where she could see them and still row.
‘Ahoy!’ she shouted, pushing them off from the bank.
‘Ahoy!’ the children all shouted together and bounced up and down in their seats making the boat wobble, before they got a stern look.
‘Don’t they love her, Your Grace?’ asked Annie to Thea, staring after them fondly.
‘I’m glad,’ said Thea. ‘They are going to need good role models in their lives.’
‘You are the best one they could have, Your Grace,’ said Annie.
Thea glanced briefly at her and smiled. Nobody mentioned George. ‘And you will be the best for yours, on the way,’ said Thea. ‘I am so sorry for the circumstances, but we can at least build the baby a good life.’ Annie went quiet. ‘Annie?’ asked Thea, suddenly worried. ‘Is everything ok?’
‘As far as I know,’ said Annie, ‘and thank you for having Doctor Speckle to look in on me, Your Grace, it was very reassuring, but I had been wanting to speak to you about what I should do.’
‘About what you should do?’ asked Thea, confused.
‘I will work up to the birth of course,’ said Annie, ‘And I understand that I can be back within the week if all goes well.’
‘You will stay at Hawkdean, of course,’ said Thea.
Annie nodded. ‘If that is alright, Your Grace, I shouldn’t wish to be an imposition.’
Thea knew that Annie didn’t have family or any other lodgings apart from the rooms she provided, so nothing else was an option. ‘You are very welcome, Annie, you are an excellent governess, and we will ensure you are done for well.’ She wondered how she could repay Annie’s dedication for five years, especially now she knew that George wouldn’t tolerate a boy in the house. But no necessity to worry Annie with that now. She had time. ‘I will ensure you have all you need and a girl to help you, and you will have two weeks without work following the birth,’ she said.
Annie seemed delighted. ‘Thank you, Your Grace.’ she bobbed a little. ‘It will be much appreciated. But what about His Grace? I heard when this happens in noble families the babies are usually sent away.’
Thea hadn’t considered that was an option. ‘Sent away to where?’
‘To a woman who takes in children for a fee,’ said Annie, ‘usually up in town, but goodness knows what happens to them. Or to the Foundling Hospital.’
‘No,’ said Thea quickly. She remembered Frankie’s stories of her time there. ‘Neither of those.’ But for the life of her she couldn’t think of a solution. ‘I will work on the duke,’ she said, but even she knew she had little hope.
Annie obviously knew it too. ‘I’ve been talking to Frankie,’ she said. ‘She said she knows someone she trusts who wants a baby and can’t have one. I thought, if it came to it…’
Thea watched her own children on the boat and considered how she might feel if anyone had tried to take them away, because the father thought they were inconvenient, or because she couldn’t afford to keep them. ‘You will keep it with you,’ said Thea, ‘I will see to it.’ She turned to Annie. ‘Even if that means me paying you a retainer until it is old enough for you to come back to work.’
She saw Annie’s relief, even if she tried not to show it. ‘Thank you, Your Grace,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’
‘And how is Emma Fairclough,’ asked Mrs Morell at dinner that night. ‘Such a fine lady I have rarely seen when we were in town last year and she was kind enough to invite us to tea. Even prawns in bread would you believe! What did they call them Ursula?’
‘Sandwiches,’ said Ursula.
‘That’s it!’ said Mrs Morell. ‘Sandwiches.’
‘And you were ill the whole night,’ Mr Morell said. ‘So Wade told me.’
‘It was all the excitement,’ said Mrs Morell crossly. ‘I am sure. It could not have been the prawns from such a fine lady’s plate.’ She fixed her gaze back on Thea. ‘I am sure you are in regular contact as some of the richest ladies in town?’
‘Not really,’ said Thea, ‘I haven’t had word since we were in London.’ She considered that even that contact was enough with Emma and her retinue. ‘I have heard from Harriet though, she is visiting the north of England and I believe is having an excellent time on the coast. I recommended Scarborough and Whitby most highly.’
‘Oh yes,’ said Mrs Morell cooly. ‘Mrs Henry. I am glad she is recovered from her… ordeal.’
Whilst the rumours of impropriety had been applied equally to Emma and Harriet, it was surprising how greater wealth made people forget so much faster.
