A LADY NAMED ROSE
Chapter Twenty-Two
August, 1913
The sun was dazzling. Rose stepped out of the
front door of the Scott mansion and raised a parasol to shield her eyes. She
was poised and serene; if it weren't for the dreary uniform, passerby may have
mistaken her for the lady of the house. For a moment she stood on the porch,
silently absorbing the warmth and admiring the reflection of the rays in the
calm waters of the Hudson. The view of the river didn't disturb her nearly as
much now--as long as it was from a safe distance.
Then the children came outside, and the
moment of tranquility was over.
"Give it to me!" Josephine
shrieked. Then Skipper rushed past Rose in a blur, nearly knocking her over.
She glimpsed an object in his mouth just before Richard came crashing out of
the house behind him.
"Skip! Skip, come 'ere, boy!" The
two tore off across the expansive front lawn, the collie cleverly dodging his
master.
"Ros-ie, Richard took the head off my
dooooolll," Josie whined, tugging at Rose's sleeve.
"Is that what Skipper has in his
mouth?" Rose squinted, but couldn't tell.
"No," the six-year-old said, and
giggled. "That's one of Papa's slippers."
The door behind them opened again and Belinda
came out wheeling a baby carriage. Josephine rushed over and peered down at the
sleeping infant inside. Belinda slapped her hand and she jerked away, letting
out a cry of surprise and pain.
"Be careful, young lady. Your sister is
not a toy," the nurse admonished. She maneuvered the carriage down the
porch steps, and Rose came to her assistance. "You are not to bring her
anywhere near the water, do you understand? She can catch cold from the dampness
in the air."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Don't let the boy touch her unless he
scrubs his hands first." As she spoke, Belinda frowned at Richard and
Skipper, frolicking in the grass.
"Yes, ma'am."
"And, whatever you do, please don't lose
track of the time. Cecilia must be back by noon for a feeding."
"Yes, ma'am."
Rose wanted to add that she had to be back by
noon anyway to feed the other children, but with Belinda it was wise not to say
more than was absolutely necessary.
She stepped behind the carriage and gently
began to wheel it along the sloping drive. Josephine trailed behind her,
rubbing the hand Belinda slapped.
"I don't like her," she grumbled.
You and I both, Rose thought.
As they turned off the driveway onto a
cobblestone path leading past the foundation for what would next summer become
an outdoor swimming pool, Richard ran to catch up, Skipper at his side. The dog
still gripped Mr. Scott's slipper in his teeth.
"Here's your doll," Richard said
and threw the head at his sister.
"Richard, pick that up and hand it to
her nicely," Rose snapped.
She was in no mood to have them tag along,
but no one else was available to watch them. Their father was at work; their
mother--who suffered from frequent headaches these days--was napping; Bill had
wandered off early that morning; Lucy wasn't feeling well and had declared her
room off limits; and Bridie was cleaning the downstairs rooms. Belinda never
helped out with any household chores that were unrelated to Cecilia's care, and
since the Scotts had appointed Rose the new governess, it appeared that she
would always be stuck with the cumbersome responsibility of looking after
Richard and Josephine.
Tomorrow, however, she would be returning to
Vassar, and her spirits would definitely be lifted in the morning. She had even
volunteered to take Cecilia on this morning walk, after hearing Victoria
complain to Belinda that the child wasn't getting enough fresh air. As far as
she knew, the nurse never took Cecilia beyond the front porch of the house. Her
parents hadn't even celebrated her birthday, because Belinda didn't want other
children bringing their germs around her. Rose had no idea why she was being
allowed to take the baby on an outing now.
They came to a small grove on a hill, which
overlooked the river. Rose had stumbled upon it some time ago and thought she'd
discovered a secret hiding place, but she was mistaken.
Bill sat on a boulder facing the water,
scribbling away on a notepad, sheets of paper scattered carelessly at his feet.
He sensed their presence momentarily, and stared back at them, startled.
Skipper broke the silence, barking and running over to him, crushing some of
the papers as he jumped and placed his front paws in Bill's lap. Instead of
yelling at the dog, Bill patiently laughed and ran a hand through his silky
fur.
Rose was both pleasantly surprised and
embarrassed to find Bill here. "I'm sorry," she mumbled shyly.
"I didn't realize--I mean, I've been here before and never--"
"It's all right." Bill stood, and
Rose suddenly realized that he'd grown a couple of inches that summer. Funny
that she hadn't noticed before. "Would you like to sit?"
"Oh, yes, thank you." She lowered
the parasol and settled awkwardly onto the boulder. Bill reached out to steady
her.
"Look, Bill, it's Cecilia!"
Josephine cried.
"I see." He leaned over the
carriage, and all at once, the baby began to wail. Rose wearily stood again and
grasped an edge of the carriage, rocking it gently.
"Why don't you pick her up?" Bill
asked.
Rose grimaced. "Belinda would have my
head if I took her out of this carriage."
"Belinda needs to have her head
examined. Look how many blankets she's wrapped her in! She's being
smothered."
To Rose's utter amazement, Bill reached in,
lifted the squalling infant, and handed her to Rose. She held her awkwardly
against her chest and began to hum a melody she'd heard Bridie croon to little
Joseph. Cecilia still cried, but gradually her cries diminished to hiccoughs.
Rose finally sat again, holding the infant in her lap.
Richard had lost interest in Cecilia and was
chasing Skipper through the trees. Josephine had also wandered off to pick
wildflowers at the edge of the clearing.
"So how did you get permission to free
my sister from the dungeon?" Bill inquired.
Rose laughed. "I don't know, exactly. Your
mother has been pleading with Belinda to let Cecilia out of the nursery
sometime. I guess she finally wore her down."
"Well, it's about time." He paused.
"You're very good with her. And Josie and Richard, too."
Rose blushed. "I'm just doing my
job."
"You're doing it better than any other
nannies we've had. Even Lucy likes you, though she'll never admit it."
There was another silence, which Bill sought
to fill quickly. "Where'd you learn the lullaby?"
"From hearing Bridie sing it to her
baby."
Bill nodded. "I feel sorry for her
sometimes, having to come all the way here to take care of our house while she
has to leave her son with her aunt."
"She has to work. Her husband's income
isn't enough."
Another heavy pause. This time it was Rose
who changed the subject. "I thought I was the only one who knew about this
spot."
"Are you kidding? I've been coming up
here for years. They're so...peaceful and mysterious, these woods. Did you know
Washington Irving lived near here? The Legend of Sleepy Hollow takes
place here. I can be most creative when I'm sitting on this rock."
"What is it that you're writing?"
"Oh, just some music." Suddenly,
there was a gust of wind, and loose sheets of paper began floating on the
breeze. Bill chased after them, a sheepish look on his face.
Rose looked beyond the clearing, beyond where
Josephine gathered flowers and Richard rolled in the dirt with his dog, all the
way to the sailboats bobbing in the water, and once again thought of Jack, and
how he'd love to capture this scene on a sketch pad. She closed her eyes, this
time imagining him nestled beside her on this boulder, her head leaning against
his shoulder...
Cecilia gurgled, and Rose looked down,
expecting to find spittle running down her gaunt cheeks. But the baby was only
laughing--a most wonderful, musical sound coming from a child whose nurse
thought she was too sickly to go on a walk in the woods.
Rose looked into Cecilia's sparkling green
eyes and laughed with her.