The carriage screeched to a halt as we pulled in front of the London townhouse that belonged to the Irving's. The door opened to reveal a couple of footmen who were quick to help me out and unload the carriage of my baggage. I was led to the front door as snow fell from the heavens. I was glad of my pastel blue Spencer jacket or else I would have been freezing and unfashionable.
As I was led inside, the warmth of a home immediately surrounded me. I was glad to be inside as the wind howled beyond the walls of the townhouse. I couldn't stand the cold at all so I was glad to be away from the harsh weather conditions.
"Magdelline!" a familiar voice called out. "Is that you?"
I looked to where the voice was coming from and saw Marjorie, my dear sister, at the top of the steps. She was wrapped in many shawls and layers which made me chuckle. She was always rather cold like I was except ten-fold on her part. I met Marjorie at the bottom of the steps, enveloping her in a hug. It was nice to be near my sister after so long. It had to have been almost a year.
"How good it is to see you, Marjorie," I said, my voice muffled into her shoulder.
"It is a blessing to see you as well!" she whispered back as I heard a thundering noise from the steps. I looked up to see a stampede of children running down the steps to gaze at me.
"Hello, dears," I said, stepping away from Marjorie. "You've all grown so much!"I looked over my nieces and nephews in awe at how much they had changed. Little John was getting so tall and lean, his blond shoulder-length hair was a shaggy mess, though the top seemed brushed back to an extent. He looked like his father in coloring, features, and demeanor. Eight-year-old Anne, was as golden-haired as ever, her long hair curled down her back. Though she had Marjorie's features, her demeanor was also similar to her father's had he been a girl, accomplished and proper. Daniel, the only dark-haired child, had his head down, his blue-grey eyes peeking out above his thick head of curls. For a six-year-old, he was short and a bit chubby, but he was extremely adorable. Lastly, little Lucy Hannah rushed down the steps to engulf me in a hug, her blond curls bouncing about her face.
"Aunt Magden!" my four-year-old niece practically shouted as she gave me a squeeze.
"Magdelline," her mother corrected with a laugh. "And children, you know better than to run
down the stairs."
There were a few different variating apologies before Lucy Hannah took my hand to lead me to their toy room to give me a showcase of her favorite toys. The toy room was small with three large windows facing the streets of London, the toy chests leaned against the opposite wall. The room was a bit drafty and bare besides the assortment of the toys across the rug. It hit me then that my sister and her husband probably were not on the same terms of wealth as Papa. I knew that Marjorie married down a bit, though her husband had a good bloodline. Though John Irving came from a wealthy family, he was the third in line and ended up having to make his own way in the world, which he seemed to be doing rather well for a lawyer. It seemed that both his parents were striving to outlive their children so the inheritance that John was waiting for was yet to be given to him.
"That's very nice, Lucy," I smiled, examining the glowing cheeks of my young niece. She was a precious creature and seemed much brighter and livelier than I was at her age.
"I thought I told you to clean up before your aunt arrived—" Marjorie said, heaving a sigh. "You know Miss Kline is taking the next few days off."
"Sorry, Mama," Anne and Little John said before turning to pick up the room, Daniel silently following.
"You, too, Lucy," Anne said quietly in her sister's ear before the younger one pouted, turning on her heel dejectedly.
"Would you like to see Cynthia?" Marjorie asked in a whisper. I nodded, wondering how the newest Irving child would look. I followed Marjorie into her bedroom to the bassinet in the corner as she picked up her newest daughter. I froze as she placed the precious bundle into my arms. I had not expected to hold my youngest niece, for I had little to no experience in holding babies. I quickly adjusted to holding Cynthia as I looked at the child in my arms. She had a round, plump face as she soundly slept in my arms. I looked up at my sister, eyes widening.
"She is so tiny," I stated, looking at the dark-haired baby in my arms. "She has dark hair."
"Daniel and I are no longer alone in being the dark-haired ones," Marjorie laughed slightly which caused Cynthia to stir in my arms. I froze, staring at the baby's face unsure of what to do. The baby smacked her lips, opening her eyes. She had green eyes just like her mother.
"She looks just like you," I said, smiling as the baby cooed in my arms.
"Thank you," Marjorie smiled before taking the baby to put her back into her crib. "Now, let me show you to your room."
My room was small, quaint, yet nice. The walls had grey wallpaper with tiny maroon and mustard yellow flowers on them. There was one window that faced the street with what seemed to be hand-sewn curtains. The bed was in the corner, a desk in front of the window, and a chair and side table near the fireplace. There was even a cream-colored washbowl and pitcher with tiny flowers painted on it. The room had all the essentials including a dressing screen and wardrobe. Though the room was small, the light pouring in made it seem bigger than it was.
"It is so quaint," I said, placing my reticule on my bed. "Thank you, sister."
"It is my pleasure, Delly," Marjorie smiled, placing a hand on mine. "I'm just so glad you accepted my request and are here. It's been so hard with John at work more than usual, and so many..."Marjorie seemed to pause for a moment before smiling again. I guessed she was about to say, "so many mouths to feed" but didn't want to alarm me. I figured that with John working more hours, no governess, a maid taking time off, it meant that they were short on money. My heart went out to my sister before I held her hand in my own.
"It is my pleasure, Marjorie," I said, giving her a small smile. "I needed a break from the social life and would love to spend time with my sister's dear children."
"Thank you, Delly, thank you," Marjorie said as if her throat was catching. "This means so much to John and me."
--
My brother-in-law, John, returned from his office an hour or so after I had arrived. I couldn't help but notice the difference in him from even just a year ago. He had more grey hairs lining his face, and his eyes seemed worn and tired. But he was still steady old John.
It was time for supper and the table seemed unusually quiet. I looked over at John who seemed to be lost in his thoughts, then at my sister who seemed to be trying to read John's thoughts. And then as I looked over at the children, Little John was busy eating, and I could tell Anne was trying to remember proper etiquette by how particular she was holding her fork. Daniel was always quiet, so there was nothing out of the ordinary there, but it was dear Lucy Hannah who was strangely against her character. She was sadly looking down at her plate of food, seemingly eyeing the peas with distaste.
"What's wrong, Lucy?" I whispered to the girl who sat beside me.
"The peas are a weird color," she whispered looking up at me with wide eyes. "Nothing you eat should be a strange green color."
"I used to think the exact same thing," I said, nodding my head to her. "At least, until I tried to eat the peas and I found that they were very good for me. Can you take my word for it?"
"I guess," Lucy shrugged, piling some peas onto a fork before sniffing it.
"Try a little salt and pepper," I said, helping her get some for her peas. She took a bite and didn't wince. "Better?"
"Yeah," she said taking another bite.
"Magdelline, was your journey good?" John asked, taking my attention away from Lucy.
"Yes, sir," I nodded, taking a sip of my drink. "It was a beautiful drive through the countryside."
"How are you liking London so far?" Marjorie asked, taking a bite of her peas.
"I haven't been in it much, but from what I've seen it is quite grand," I smiled. "Are there any good book stores?"
"Oh, yes! There is one across the street from the dress shop Marjorie likes to visit," John remarked with a jovial smile. "I often visited when Marjorie went for a new wardrobe for our girls."
"I'll have to go some time. I am quite fond of bookstores," I stated, before setting my fork down. "I also want to thank you both for inviting me out here. Also, the meal was excellent."
"Of course," Marjorie smiled. "And the thanks is ours! You are truly a saving grace since the governess left."
"I'm excited to be here, but I am afraid, I have no experience being a governess."
"You'll do fine, dear," Marjorie replied. "All of them besides Lucy Hannah can read, so it's just really assigning them things to do, walking them, and giving them basic instructions."
"That seems doable," I smiled. "And do you mind if I take the children out for a walk tomorrow? I saw a beautiful park down the road when I was on my way."
"That sounds like a marvelous idea," Marjorie smiled. "Of course you may."