“I think I can guess,” Ophelia chuckled and curled her nose. “She has soiled herself.”
“She had not when I was with her,” the wet nurse said hurriedly. “Her tears came long before that, I promise you.”
“Well, she has now,” Ophelia said, still holding the smelly baby to her chest. “Fix her a bath, let us change her, and see if that helps.”
The wet nurse did so immediately. She rushed from the room, calling for a bath to be made. Ophelia crossed the room slowly, still rocking Harriet in her arms. And Adrian, despite his reservations, followed.
“You do not have to come,” Ophelia told him. “As you can see, Harriet is well enough. I am sure once she is cleaned up, she will go to sleep without issue.”
“No…” He clenched his jaw as he fought with what he wanted to do and what he knew was right. “I want to come. I want to…” He grimaced. “I want to help.”
She eyed him curiously, the sense that she did not believe him. “If you say so.”
Adrian followed Ophelia down the hallway and into the washroom. Always, he kept his distance, as if even the baby knew that he was an impostor.
Once in the room, Ophelia set Harriet down on the changing table and removed her clothes. The smell punched Adrian in the face like a curled fist; he gagged, he stumbled back, but he did not leave.
“Easy now…” Ophelia lowered Harriet into the tub. The baby stopped crying and even giggled as the warm water washed her clean. “There, isn’t that better? Certainly, better than being so smelly.”
Adrian edged closer to the tub, his heart racing as if he ought to be nervous. The baby smiled at him, giggled again, and Adrian found himself smiling also. It was reserved and hesitant, but it was there.
“Might you watch her for a moment?” Ophelia asked him.
“Wh – what?” he stammered.
She looked at him flatly. “I left her clothes in the nursery, and I need to fetch them.”
“I will go....” He half-turned to leave.
“Do you know what to collect?” she laughed. “Do you have any idea?” She raised an eyebrow at him and he winced. “All you need do is watch and make sure that she keeps her head above the water. I will be less than a minute.”
Adrian certainly did not want to watch Harriet. He had no idea what to do. He knew nothing about babies. And the thought of being alone with her was frightening in ways that he could not describe.
“I…” He swallowed. “I will watch her.”
Ophelia frowned at the way he acted, but there was a soft smile on her lips too, as if she knew how he struggled, and as if she found it amusing. She then checked on Harriet once more and hurried from the room.
With no choice, Adrian went to the side of the tub and stood over Harriet. Harriet sat up, looked at him with her big eyes, and smiled because she had no reason not to. She knew nothing about Adrian, so why be afraid, as most were? In her eyes, he was not someone to be feared, but a protector…
It felt better than Adrian could admit.
“So…” Adrian rested his hand on Harriet’s back. “You, ah… You like the bath?” Harriet looked at him blankly and Adrian sighed. He had no idea how to talk to babies. Why would he? “Ophelia is nice, isn’t she? She seems to like you.” Again, Harriet just looked at him. “I take it you like her too. No need to think the same of me…” He chuckled awkwardly. “Feel free to cry again. I won’t hold it against you.”
“Did she say anything interesting?” Ophelia’s voice came from behind Adrian.
He stepped away from the tub quickly. “Just… typical small talk. About the weather and whatnot.”
Ophelia laughed as she crossed the room and made for the tub. “Thank you for doing that…” She lapped some more water onto Harrie,t then lifted her from the tub. “I know how awkward some men can be around babies.”
“Was it that obvious?”
She shook her head at him but smiled knowingly. Then she set Harriet down on the changing table as she began to dress her.
Adrian stayed back, watching her work. Still awkward, it was not as bad as before. While there was no good reason for him to remain, he found that he wanted to stay. Oddly enough, he wanted to see what she did, as if there might come a time when it would be needed of him.
The silence grew. Adrian worried that Ophelia might wonder about what he was doing. About to excuse himself, just so he could force the belief that he did not care, he remembered why he had followed her in the first place. Or why he told himself he had…
“You did not answer my question before, by the way,” he said as he stepped closer. “Do not think I didn’t notice.”
