‘Oh Mam, I’m only goin’ till the New Year,’ Amber pointed out with a grin, and hoisting her bag up she gave her mother one more kiss and set off.
In one way she was glad to be leaving the area, if only for a short while, because she’d found every time she saw a woman with a baby she’d wonder if it was hers. She hadn’t wanted to know where Barnaby was going to place her daughter when she was born, but now she bitterly regretted not finding out. It was odd to think that she wouldn’t even know her if she did see her because she had refused to even have a glimpse of her after she had given birth. But it was too late for regrets now, she told herself, and perhaps far better for the baby never to know that its own mother hadn’t wanted it. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders and moved on. It was time for the next chapter in her life to begin and surely it couldn’t fail to be better than the last?
Chapter Sixteen
‘When Helen Temple called to see me yesterday, she mentioned that you had recommended the girl who used to work here as our laundry maid to be her temporary nanny,’ Louisa said to Barnaby as he sat beside her bed on his daily visit to her room. He had resigned himself to the fact that he would never share her bed again and had mixed feelings about it, but he kept them to himself.
She raised her eyebrow. ‘Why would you do that?’ she questioned. ‘And why did she leave here?’
Barnaby swallowed his surprise. He hadn’t expected news of Amber’s new job to reach Louisa so quickly but he supposed he should have realised that gossip spread like wildfire. He was painfully aware that Mrs Ruffin was watching him intently and although he was quaking inside his voice was calm when he answered.
‘I believe she left to go to Scarborough to care for her sick uncle for some time and she probably didn’t think we would keep her job open for her because I saw her working with the herring girls in the harbour when I visited one of our trawlers one day. Anyway, Philip Temple had mentioned that they were looking for someone to go to London with them to look after the boys for a couple of months, and so I mentioned it to Miss Ainsley. I believe their last nanny walked out again.’ He gave a wry grin. ‘As you know, those little terrors never manage to keep a nanny for long. Philip is hoping that a boarding school will calm them both down. Helen is dead set against it, of course, but I think Philip put his foot down this time.’
‘Yes, I did get the impression that Helen isn’t happy about them going,’ Louisa agreed. ‘But I still find it rather strange that you would suggest a former laundry maid should go to London with them. I’m sure the girl will be totally out of her depth.’
Barnaby shrugged, keen to change the subject. ‘Oh, she’ll cope, no doubt. Most of their nannies have been much older and the boys have run rings around them. It could be that someone younger will keep them in check. But anyway, enough about that. I’ve received a reply to my letter from Dr Franklin in Harley Street in London today. He’s agreed to come and see you, so let’s hope there’s something he can do to get you up and about again.’
Louisa pouted. ‘Such as what? Dr Lewis has tried everything but nothing has helped so far. I think I shall have to resign myself to the fact that I am an invalid now.’ In fairness, Louisa hadn’t recovered at all well from the birth and she looked pale and wan, nothing like the beauty he had fallen in love with. Her once lustrous hair was thin and wispy and she seemed to have no energy, despite the delicacies that cook prepared to try and tempt her to eat. Occasionally she would get out of bed to sit in a chair by the window for a short time but most days now she rarely rose.
‘Well, it won’t hurt for him to come and have a look at you,’ Barnaby said with a smile. ‘And have you seen the babies today?’
She shook her head, avoiding his eyes. She really couldn’t understand why he was so besotted with them.
‘No?.?.?. I don’t feel strong enough,’ she said petulantly and Barnaby frowned.
‘But, darling, if you don’t start to spend a little more time with them soon you won’t bond with them,’ he pointed out.
‘So? It wasyouthat wanted them,’ she responded resentfully. ‘And now it has cost me my health.’
Seeing that she was building up to a tantrum, Barnaby stood up quickly and asked, ‘Is there anything I can get for you before I go to the shipyard?’
She sniffed and turned her face away, and with a sigh he quietly left the room. He hadn’t been lying when he said he had to go to the shipyard, but first his steps led him towards the stairs that led to the nursery and when he entered, he found the nanny just changing the little girl’s binding.
‘Ah, here you are, sir, I’ve been meaning to speak to you,’ she said pleasantly as she glanced up. ‘Only, well, the thing is it’s quite hard to address the babies when they don’t have names. Have you and the mistress decided on any yet?’
He hesitated. He’d raised the matter many times with Louisa but each time she had told him she was too tired to make a decision so now he decided that he would do it.
‘Yes, we have as it happens, Nanny.’ He smiled as he stroked the little girl’s plump cheek. ‘This little one will be called Charlotte and Louisa for her middle name after her mother, and that little chap there will be called David and Barnaby after me.’
The nanny beamed as she crossed to the crib that contained David where the smile slid away.
‘Beautiful names,’ she said approvingly. ‘But I have to say I have concerns about this little one. He doesn’t seem to be thriving like Charlotte is. He sleeps for most of the time and even when I wake him for a feed he has to be encouraged. His wet nurse is concerned too, although Dr Lewis can find nothing obvious wrong with him as yet.’
‘I’m sure he’ll catch up eventually,’ Barnaby muttered as he stroked the little boy’s tiny hand. He really was very small compared to his sister. She had been over eight pounds at birth, whereas David was just below five pounds, so he reasoned that it was bound to take a little time for him to catch up with her. Even so, as he left the room, he found himself getting concerned so he turned his mind to work and tried not to worry. He had enough to fret about with Louisa without worrying about the baby too.
*
At the Temples’ house all was hustle and bustle as the servants loaded the mountains of luggage onto the two waiting carriages. Part of the journey would be by train and the rest by carriage so Amber was aware that there was a long journey ahead and judging by the state of high excitement the boys were in it wasn’t going to be an easy one. Amber, the two boys and Mr Temple’s valet were to travel in one carriage, whilst Mr and Mrs Temple and her lady’s maid travelled in another.
‘Are you sure that we need to take quite so much luggage, my love?’ Philip Temple asked as the boys ran amok around him. ‘I think you’ve got Betty to pack everything but the kitchen sink.’
His wife, who was looking beautiful in a pale-green velvet travelling costume with a matching hat giggled. ‘It isn’t all luggage, darling. A lot of it is presents. We can hardly make the boys wait for them until we get back, can we? They must have some to open on Christmas Day. And there are some for Mamma and Papa too, so don’t be so grumpy.’
He grinned – he could never begrudge her anything and worshipped the very ground she walked on so he was aware that even if she’d decided to take the whole house brick by brick, he would have allowed it somehow.
‘Oh, very well. Come along then, into the carriages or we’ll never get there.’
Amber took a seat next to Mr Wadsworth, the master’s valet, and the boys clambered in to join them, hanging out of the window to wave to the staff who had collected on the steps to see them off. And then they were off and at last the boys sat down and stared at Amber curiously.
