Taming Jane

Chapter 1 - Photo of Jane

She heard a rumbled from upstairs as suddenly one by one her two little nieces and her nephew bounded down the stairs.

“Aunt Jane!” James grinned and wrapped his arms around Jane’s waist. He was the image of Sebastian, if her were two and thirty like Sebastian was then they would be identical twins.

“James, look how big you are!” Jane exclaimed, taking in her nephew’s height. “Why, you’re almost a man!”

James smiled proudly. “I know! I’m going to be five soon!” he informed her.

Jane knelt down before Little J and Annie. Annie wasn’t walking the last time Jane had seen her and now she was waddling like and adorable toddler. She wished she saw them more, it pained her to miss so much, she felt like they were her own children. Then there was Little J, the baby that Sebastian and Emilia had named after her. She couldn’t have felt more honoured. At first she was called ‘Little Jane’ and Jane was called ‘Big Jane’ but it didn’t work. Jane was back to being ‘Aunt Jane’ and Little J was ‘Little J’, it worked for both of them.

“Aunt Jane! Mama says you can have the room next to mine if you want!” Little J smiled at her with her big brown eyes wide with wonder.

“I can’t wait,” she smiled at Little J. “Where are your mama and papa anyway?”

“Right here,” she heard Emilia’s voice coming out of the drawing room with an infant on her hip.

Emilia looked stunning; one could not tell she’d had five children. Her hair was impeccable and her face was immaculate. Her gown was a cream colour that had a white ribbon tied under the bust and some simple white lace as sleeves.

“It’s good to see you, Em,” Jane smiled.

Emilia gave Jane a one armed hug and a kiss on the cheek. “This is Henry, Henry this is your Aunt Jane,” Emilia cooed and bounced the baby boy on her hip.

Henry stared at Jane with his chocolate eyes. He looked like he was concentrating hard on taking her in. “Hi, Henry,” Jane said softly and stroked his cheek. “Aren’t you a handsome boy?”

Emilia smiled and kissed Henry’s forehead. “Kitty, go and fetch papa, he’s in his study, tell him Aunt Jane’s here,” she instructed her daughter and the brunette girl in braids bounded up the stairs to fetch Sebastian. Emilia looked back to Jane. “It has been far too long, Janey!” she scolded comically. “The children have been so excited all week since we received your letter. Getting them to listen to Miss Church is practically impossible.”

“Miss Church?”

“Their governess,” Emilia explained. “I tried teaching them but I’m not very good at being strict. Which now that I think about it is probably why they don’t like her very much, well all except Little J, she loves learning.”

Jane giggled. She knew Emilia would give into to anything that her children wanted, and she knew Little J was very bright.

“Jane!” Sebastian’s voice boomed as he jogged down the stairs, an act very uncouth for an Earl.    

Jane beamed and jumped into her brother’s arms as they reunited. Sebastian kissed his sister’s cheek and spun her around. “I’ve missed you all!” she exclaimed once Sebastian had put her down.

“Papa, can Aunt Jane live here with us all the time?” James asked, tugging on his father’s navy coat.

“I can’t, I’m afraid, for grandmamma needs me in Yorkshire,” Jane told James. The little boy pouted and folded his arms across his chest.