Mary presented herself in front of the drawing-room doors
at eleven o’clock prompt and knocked. Mrs Carruthers
opened the door.
‘Come in and meet Mr Lisle, Mary.’
Mary did so. Standing by the fireplace was a tall man,
who bore a strong resemblance to his younger brother,
Sebastian. To Mary’s mind, Lawrence Lisle seemed to
have gleaned the best out of their joint gene pool.
‘Good morning. I am Lawrence Lisle. Er . . . Mary,
isn’t it?’
‘Yes, sir,’ she curtsied.
‘Mary, there has arisen in this household a . . . delicate
situation. And, having consulted with Mrs Carruthers, she
thinks you are the one person who may be able to help us
with it.’
‘I’m sure I’ll do my best, sir. When I know what it is,’
Mary replied nervously.
‘Mrs Carruthers says you were brought up in a convent
orphanage.’
‘That’s correct, sir.’
‘And while you were in the convent, you helped take
care of the other children there, especially the younger
ones?’
‘Yes, sir, when the babes were left on the doorstep by
the poor mothers, I’d help the nuns care for them.’
‘So, you like babies?’
‘Oh yes, sir, I love them.’
‘Jolly good, jolly good,’ Lawrence Lisle nodded. ‘Well,
Mary, the situation is this: I have brought home with me
from my travels a baby, whose mother, just like those poor
women who left their children on the convent doorstep,
found herself . . . unable to take care of it. She has asked
me to do so, until further notice.’
‘I see, sir.’
‘Now, I have talked with Mrs Carruthers about employing a nursemaid, but she suggested that you might be the
person to fulfil the role temporarily. At present, your
duties as parlour maid are rarely utilised, and almost certainly won’t be for the next few months to come. So Mrs
Carruthers and I would like you to take over the care of
the baby immediately.’
‘I see, sir. Well now, how old is this baby, sir?’
‘She must be . . . well,’ Lawrence thought for a moment,
‘I should say she is no more than four or five months.’
‘Right, sir, and where is she?’
‘She’s there.’
He pointed to a small bassinet sitting on a chaise longue
at the other end of the drawing room. ‘Go and take a look
if you would like to.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
As Mary walked over to the basket and tentatively
peered inside, Lawrence added, ‘I think she’s quite attractive for a baby, although I wouldn’t have much experience
in these matters. And rather good, too. On the boat-train
from France, the child barely whimpered.’
Mary stared at the shock of dark, downy hair, and the
pale but perfect complexion. The baby’s thumb was in its
mouth and she was fast and contentedly asleep.
‘I fed her just an hour ago,’ commented Mrs Carruthers. ‘She can certainly holler when she wants her grub. I
presume you know how to bottle feed a baby and change
a napkin?’
‘Of course, Mrs C.’ Mary smiled down at the baby.
‘What is her name?’
Lawrence hesitated, before he said, ‘Anna, her name is
Anna.’
‘To be sure,’ Mary whispered, ‘she’s a beautiful little
thing. And yes, sir, I’d love to take care of her for you.’
‘Good, then that’s settled.’ Lawrence looked relieved.
‘The baby will be sleeping on the second floor and the
nursery has already been prepared. You are to move into
it with her today, so you can attend to her feeds in the
night. You will be released from all your household duties
for the present. You and Mrs Carruthers must buy whatever is appropriate for the child; perambulators, clothes,
etcetera.’
‘Did she not come with any clothes, sir?’
‘The mother packed a small bag for travelling. That is
all she has. So,’ he indicated the door, ‘I suggest you take
her upstairs now and settle into your room.’
‘May I ask you what country this baby is from?’ said
Mary.
Lawrence Lisle frowned and paused for a moment.
‘From this moment on, the child is English. If anybody
enquires, including any members of the household staff,
she is the child of a close friend of mine, whose wife fell
sick giving birth to her. Her father was killed in action a
month later. I have taken her in as my ward, until her
mother is strong enough to care for her herself. Do you
understand, Mary?’
‘I understand, sir. And I promise I’ll be taking the best
possible care of Anna for you.’
Mary bobbed a little curtsey, left the room and carried
the bassinet carefully up the stairs to the second floor. She
waited on the landing until Mrs Carruthers joined her.
‘
You’re in here.’ Mrs Carruthers led her down the corridor to a bedroom that overlooked the square gardens.
‘I’ve put you in this room because it’s furthest away from
the master. Whatever he may say, that baby don’t half caterwaul if she’s hungry, and I don’t want him disturbed.’
Mary gazed in awe at the pretty room. It contained a
dressing table and a comfortable wrought-iron bed, with
a counterpane spread atop it.
‘Don’t you be getting any ideas above your station,
young lady,’ Mrs Carruthers added. ‘You’re only in here
because you need to attend to the baby at night.’
‘I won’t,’ agreed Mary quickly, knowing that her sudden
elevation in rank might be threatening to Mrs Carruthers’s
own position.
‘It’s only temporary, mind. I’m sure that, as soon as he
can, the master will want to employ a professional nursemaid. But as I pointed out, with the war on, it’d be like
finding a needle in a haystack. I hope you’re grateful that I
suggested you for this, my girl. Don’t you go letting me
down, will you?’
‘I’ll do my best, Mrs C, I promise you so,’ Mary reassured her. ‘And there’s no need for us to go spending
money on clothes for the baby. I’m handy with my needle
and thread, and I enjoy sewing.’
‘Right then. Remove your belongings from your old
bedroom when you can. There’s a water closet and a bathroom next door. No more pissing in pots for you, my girl.
Ain’t you the lucky one?’
‘Yes. Thank you for the chance, Mrs C.’
‘Even though you’re Irish, you’re a good girl, Mary.’
Mrs Carruthers walked to the door then paused. ‘I dunno,’
she said, ‘there’s sommat funny about all this. After you’d
left with the baby, the master asked me to call Smith to
collect a small suitcase and store it in the attic. He said it
was to be held here for the baby’s mum until she arrived
to collect it. That little’un doesn’t look English to me,’ she
added, peering into the bassinet. ‘Does she to you?’
‘She’s an unusual colour, to be sure,’ agreed Mary carefully. ‘All that dark hair and white skin.’
‘My betting is she’s one of them Russian babies,’ sur-
mised Mrs Carruthers. ‘But we’ll probably never know,
will we?’
‘Well now, all that’s important is the little pet’s safe and
sound with us here,’ said Mary.
‘Yes, you’re right,’ agreed Mrs Carruthers. ‘I’ll see you
downstairs later.’
Finally, Mary was left alone with her new charge. She
sat on the bed with the baby in the bassinet next to her
and stared down into Anna’s tiny face. Eventually, as
though the baby knew she was being observed, she
twitched, stirred and opened her eyes sleepily.
‘Hello, little pet,’ Mary cooed, looking straight down
into the deep, brown eyes. She watched the expression in
them change, and realised that the observing was being
done by the baby.
Mary grasped the baby’s hand with her fingers. ‘Hello,
Anna, I’m here to take care of you.’