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“You’re telling me that if I am with child, then all shall be well, but if I am not, then we shall be cast adrift because Epiphany’s son will inherit?”
The footman shrugged.
“That’s about the sum of it.”
Fear swirled in Jane’s head. Her husband was dead, if she were not with child now, there was no chance at all to remedy that. If she was carrying, all would be well - but even in that case, it only bought them the time until she delivered the child. If it were a girl, the Jardine boy would inherit the Barony and her best outcome would see her moved into a Dower House.
If. If. If.
If the Jardines didn’t find out seemed to be the most pressing matter.
“This is indeed a lot to digest.” Jane admitted.
“Lady Jardine will not make it easy for you, of that I have no doubt,” the footman said.
Jane signed.
“Let’s get Mama. This goes no further than the four of us.” She looked at her dead husband and self-corrected. “The three of us. We shall work out a strategy to deal with the relatives.”
“You think you should tell your mother?”
“I believe we owe her the truth, as my other option is to move back home with her?”
The footman nodded.
“But that does not help the Baron’s staff.”
The footman slumped his shoulders in resignation.
“I will do what I can, this is dreadfully unfair on everyone concerned.”
The smile he produced sent something flurrying inside Jane.
The footman looked upon the face of his former employer.
“At least he died happy?”
Jane pressed her lips together and held the laughter in. It was absolutely not the done thing to make fun at such a time. She would find mirth in this event later, after a suitable period of mourning.
Except that she had to pretend her husband still lived, which rather befuddled the situation all the more.
Chapter Three
Epiphany Burrows, nee Warner, Viscountess Jardine, and her family, and their staff, arrived in a series of carriages. As a wife and Baroness of one day, and not even knowing the Estate’s layout, nor her own complement of staff, Jane was utterly reliant (and grateful) that Mama and the footman were here to provide assistance.
Epiphany and her husband, Viscount Jardine, were first up the stairs and into the vestibule. Epiphany proudly held her swaddling-wrapped baby son in her arms. The trio of daughters alighted from the carriage behind them, along with a governess, a lady’s maid, several footmen ,and other staff, and of course the coachmen.
“I trust the rooms are ready?” Lady Jardine declared as they breezed past their host. “Oh good, you have not made any hideous changes to the property that I can detect.”
One by one the Jardine family entered after the parents. Jane counted a footman or valet for the Lord, and a maid for the Lady, and a maid of all work and the governess, and a few more she could only presume were kitchen staff and a cook. She was sure that Baron E had his own kitchen staff, so there would be sure to be demarcation disputes if she didn’t step in quickly to head that off. One by one, more men wearing Jardine livery instead of Ealing, brought through boxes and trunks of various sizes. An elder retainer in matching Jardine attire directed them to various stairs left and right.
Oh dear, one of them was heading in the direction of the Baron’s rooms!
“The Baron cannot be disturbed,” she blurted. Then she recovered with, “He is resting.”
Lady Jardine slowly turned to Jane.
“Did you say something?”
