Maple Lawn
By Charissa Fleenor
Chapter 1 – A new life
Emma Lee glanced over her new room and her eye was caught by a stunning vase of flowers. The housekeeper said as she showed her into the room that the footman, Fredrick Potter, had put them there. Emma had expected that a governess for a wealthy family with a good name would have gotten a room on the same level as the family, but here she was in a plain and bare room adjacent to the cook's and housekeeper’s rooms. It didn’t really matter as long as she was out of the convent that she had been trapped in ever since she was seven when her parents died. As soon as her twenty-first birthday came she applied to be a governess and within the same week she got a job at Maple Lawn, her new home. In the letter she learned that Sir Worthington was a widower with a little girl of three, whose previous governess had left to get married.
After glancing around the room she changed her clothes and went to the servants' dining quarters to eat her dinner. It was Sunday evening and she was told by Sir Worthington that she was to go to the drawing room after she finished her dinner to meet Catherine, or Kitty as Sir Worthington called her.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, Miss Lee,” said Sir Worthington, “I had to spend quite some time persuading Kitty to climb out of the attic.”
“That’s quite all right, Sir, and where is Catherine now?” Emma replied.
“Er, she’s hiding behind the curtains in the hall. Maybe we should have our meeting in there; there are some chairs by the fire in there. Let’s go sit and talk until she comes out.”
Soon seated by the fire, Sir Worthington called for some tea and asked Emma how her journey from France
“It was long, but everything went well, thank you sir.”
“I understand you grew up in a convent? How did that come about?”
“Though I was only seven, I was mostly grown up already; I did most of my growing up in London Paris
“Most shocking, and did they leave you any money? Your parents, I mean?”
“Not enough to live on anyway,” Emma said with a smile. Her parents had left her £500 in their will for her education and the rest she could have when she turned twenty-one.
Emma looked over to the curtains and saw a little brown girl in a blue frock staring at her with big brown eyes.
“My name is Miss Lee, Catherine,” said Emma. “Will you please come and say ‘How do you do?’ like a good girl?”
Catherine walked over slowly, curtseyed and said, “How do you do Miss Lee?”
“Very fine, thank you, Catherine”
Sir Worthington broke in, “Alright, enough of that. Off to bed Kitty. It’s past your bedtime. I’ll be in to tuck you in after we finish drinking our tea.”
“Yes, papa,” said Catherine as she scurried down the hall to the staircase.
“Now I’m still very curious as to your previous life. Have you any brothers and sisters?”
“Yes, Sir, I have an older brother who did not go on the vacation to France England
“Oh, how sad for you. I hope I can help you find him.”
“Thank you, Sir, I can be fairly certain that he is in London
“Why, my lawyer from London
Emma looked up quickly and said: “What’s his first name?”
“Charles, and now that I think about it, he looks like you; I thought you looked somewhat familiar at first.”
“And is he about thirty years old? He would be twenty nine now.”
“Why, yes, he is. Goodness, what an amazing discovery!”
“Indeed it is! I never could have imagined. When will I be able to meet him Sir Worthington?”
“Well, there was some business that I wanted to go to town to discuss, but I shall see if he will come here. Shall I tell him that you are here?”
Emma thought to herself and realized that her brother might not even know that she was alive.
“Yes, tell him. He should be prepared.”
“Prepared? Whatever do you mean?”
“Why, he doesn’t even know I’m alive. For all he knows I died with my parents. I don’t trust those friends of my parents to tell him that they abandoned me at a convent; he would have come back for me.”
“Right, I’ll write him tonight to come as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“You’re welcome, Miss Lee, and now I think it’s your bedtime as well.”
“Yes, Sir. Thank you for everything, goodnight.”
“And remember, eight am sharp in the southeast upstairs room.”
“Ye,s Sir, good evening.” Emma got up and started to walk back to her room. She heard noises in the kitchen and she went there instead.
“Aw, look who we have here,” said the housekeeper “Everybody, this is Kitty’s new governess.”
There were five people sitting at the table and Emma wondered if the young handsome one was the footman who left her the flowers. The only other man was older and Emma assumed that he was Sir Worthington’s valet.
Everybody looked up and said how do you do.
“This is Miss Lee,” said Mrs. Hunter the housekeeper, “This is Mrs. Smith, the cook. This is Betsy and Ethel, the maids. This is Mr. Cooper, Sir Worthington’s valet, and this is Fredrick Potter, the footman. He was the one who welcomed you with those flowers.”
“And I greatly appreciated them. Thank you Mr. Potter.”
“Call me Fred please, and it was my pleasure.”
“Do sit down Miss Lee and have some refreshment,” said Mrs. Hunter.
“Thank you, I will,” replied Emma as she sat down.
“There are two more that will be coming in, Mr. Clippings, the gardener, and Mr. Johnson, the groom. We all usually spend our evenings in this way, and you are very welcome, of course, Miss Lee.”
“Thank you Mrs. Hunter,” Emma replied as she ate some biscuits.
After some small talk, Mr. Clippings and Mr. Johnson arrived and Mrs. Hunter introduced them to Emma. Being tired, Emma soon retired to her room to think over her day. It had been a tiring day for Emma and she needed to relax. She was very excited about seeing her brother after fourteen years of estrangement. She was also pleased to see that her things were unpacked and soon she fell asleep.
The next morning Emma woke up with the sun shining through her window onto her face. She got up, dressed and went to the kitchen to eat her breakfast.
“Sir Worthington said you are to have your breakfast in the southeast upstairs room with Kitty as it is to be your classroom.”
“Oh, but that’s not for another hour and I’m hungry. Please give me some tea and toast now.”
“As you wish Miss Lee,” replied Mrs. Hunter.
Emma smiled at her and sat down at the table with everybody else who was already sitting there. Fredrick poured her some tea and kindly offered her some cream and sugar.
“I don’t understand why you are being so kind to me,” said Emma under her breath to Fredrick, “I mean, you don’t even know me.”
“I heard your story and thought it rather interesting and wanted to be friends,” Fredrick smiled at Emma. She noted again how handsome he was.
“Very well, we can be friends,” Emma smiled back at him.
Emma turned to Mrs. Hunter and said, “I was surprised to find that Sir Worthington knows my brother, Charles Lee, who is his lawyer. Do you know him?”
“Aye, he’s a fine fellow. When was the last time you saw him Miss Lee?”
“When I was seven in London
“Well, you’ll find him much changed since then; he’s just as handsome as you.”
“You flatter me, Mrs. Hunter.”
“I’ve met Mr. Lee in London
“I’m glad to hear this. Sir Worthington said he would write last night and ask him to come and visit.”
Everybody responded with pleasure, especially Ethel who actually gasped. All eyes turned to her as she blushed. Emma looked questionably at Fredrick while he simply raised his eyebrows.
"Is Miss Ethel acquainted with my brother?" Emma asked.
"Yes, I've met him in London
"Well, you'll have to tell me what to expect as I haven't seen him in years," Emma said.
"Yes of course, this evening, if you please, Miss Lee," Ethel replied.
Soon after the others rose, Emma left to take a look around the house until it was time to start with Catherine. Maple Lawn house was very large and old. She wandered about until she came to the drawing room where she was surprised to see an elderly lady sitting by the fireplace sipping tea.
"Good morning," Emma said with a surprised voice.
"Aw, you must be the new governess and much too pretty for one I must say," the lady replied, "I am Lady Matilda Griffin, Sir Worthington's aunt."
"Pleased to meet you, my lady."
"And what are you doing here now?"
"Only showing myself around the house before I meet Catherine for our studies."
"Well, be sure to teach her well; she's a wild heart if I ever saw one."
"Yes, ma'am," replied Emma.
"Her father spoils her all too much ever since his wife died. He does everything for her, he dresses her and everything."
"Well, at least he's got me for teaching her though."
"Yes, yes, of course, he does," Lady Matilda said, "I must grant him that."
"Well, good day, I think I must be off now."
Emma was pleased to see that there were large windows in the classroom and that there was a fire already. She examined the books laid out on the table and made her self comfortable with some tea at the table. Suddenly the door burst open and Catherine ran in, sat at the table and started to stuff food in her mouth. Sir Worthington quickly followed and pulled her hands out of the food.
"Don't trouble yourself Sir. I'll handle it from here."
"Oh, thank you," replied Sir Worthington.
"Will you be taking breakfast with us today?" asked Emma as she wiped Catherine's hands on her napkin.
"Yes, I think I will."
Sir Worthington seated himself at the table and helped himself. Emma then proceeded to make Catherine hold her fork properly.
"And will you stay as we start our lessons?"
"Oh, no, of course not," Sir Worthington replied, "I'll leave as soon as we are done eating."
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