Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Miss Jennings, this letter just arrived for you." A maid handed Ophelia a sealed envelope, and Ophelia quickly snatched it, already certain it must have arrived from home.

"Thank you," she said to the maid who walked away while Amy, seated comfortably in Ophelia's lap, tried to grab the letter from her while Ophelia kept it away.

Amy began to giggle, treating it like a game and jumping higher in Ophelia's lap the more she kept it away. Mrs Bailey, sitting right there, started to laugh at the heartfelt scene, and Ophelia could not help laughing alongside, Amy's antics beginning to grow naughtier every day. As the little girl was growing older and beginning to recognize those around her, she was getting more active. Ophelia was almost certain that it was all due to the love she had been receiving from everyone.

After the episode with Edward the week before, Ophelia resolved to ensure that she provided Amy with even more love than before since the child deserved it. Hence, Ophelia celebrated every single milestone Amy achieved and was the happiest in this change of attitude, which turned Amy into a playful little girl who was full of laughter. Her squeals could be heard throughout the day in the manor, but even those were not enough to draw Edward out.

I wish he had more of a heart.

But he clearly did not. In fact, he had stopped appearing in front of everyone once again, and where he once showed up for breakfast, he had stopped doing that as well. Once again, Edward had retreated within himself and was refusing to interact with either Amy or Ophelia and the rest of the household. She failed to understand him.

"Has the letter arrived from home, Miss Jennings?" Mrs Bailey's question brought Ophelia back to the present, and she quickly shook away her thoughts, not wanting to be absorbed in them.

"Yes," Ophelia nodded, continuing to keep it away from Amy, "my mother has written to me."

"If you wish to read it right now, you must go ahead," Mrs Bailey said, "I will hold Amy for you."

"That will be splendid!"

Mrs Bailey scooped the child from Ophelia's arms, who took a deep breath and opened the letter before her. She had not heard from home in quite some time now and missed everyone, but despite that, she certainly did not feel the need to go see her family. Her relationship with Amy was only growing stronger and Ophelia was enjoying her time here. However, as she fetched the parchment from inside the envelope, her mother's familiar scrawl almost made her tear up.

Dearest daughter,

If words could entrap the feelings of sorrow I experience at you being away from me for such a length of time, I would have written extensively. However, words, too, fail me. It is not as if I or anyone else in the house is unhappy but all of us terribly miss your infectious laughter and lively presence. You have always been the sunshine of our household, and nothing or no one else can ever take your place.

Andrew has been asking about you constantly, wondering when you will visit and what you will bring for him. He loves you, considering you are the one who raised him. You are more his mother than I am, and this is shown in his loving nature and kindness of heart. He is exactly like you, affectionate and filled with love. Amelia and Sarah miss you just as much, both of them realizing your absence but taking up every responsibility that was once yours.

They have started to help around the house and are clearly turning into disciplined women from young girls. By the time you visit, you too will sense a change in them. Sarah has already started to study on her own, pursuing her teacher's education, and is even more determined than earlier to get into the school. With the effort she is putting into her studies, I am certain she will. Moreover, Amelia has been seeing a respectable young gentleman for a while now. He is the third son of a baron and is making a good living for himself. Moreover, he seems to be smitten by Amelia and has noble feelings towards her. She seems to like him quite a lot, and I am sure we will be hearing wedding bells in the future.

Despite all of it, I am happy to hear you are doing well and having a delightful time. Young Amy sounds like a loving little girl, and under your warmth and supervision, she will only grow into an excellent young woman. I have faith in your abilities to make sure that the child has ample love and care.

Especially since Amy has already suffered enough for such a young age. Your employer, The Earl of Sommers, is an excellent man, or so I have heard through others in the ton. It is extremely noble of him to take guardianship of his sister's daughter, Amy, after the tragic deaths of his sister and brother-in-law. Those deaths must have really shaken him to the core, especially since their parents have already passed away as well.

Please take good care of Amy. The little girl deserves the world. And take care of yourself because no matter how old you grow up to be, you will always be my little girl.

With love,

Mother

Ophelia sighed, closing the letter, as both confusion and sadness filled her heart. She was joyous upon the news of her family and how well they were doing. She missed her mother as much as her mother missed her, and Ophelia was certain she would meet them all soon enough. Till then, they had letters to communicate.

However, what confused her was the news about the Sommer household. Mrs Bailey had already told Ophelia that both of Amy's parents had passed away, leaving her uncle as her guardian, but Ophelia could not comprehend it. Amy is Edward's niece, the daughter of his sister, so why is he so cruel towards her? The mere remembrance of Edward's attitude towards Amy was enough to sadden Ophelia, and she decided not to think about it.

"Miss Jennings?"

"Yes, Mrs Bailey?" Ophelia asked, letting her thoughts go.

"Is everything alright at home? Your spirits suddenly appear glum."

"Oh yes, everything is perfect," Ophelia replied honestly, "my mother and siblings are good and doing well. They all miss me very much."

"You bring such a light to everyone's life; I am sure they do." Mrs Bailey smiled, "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Of course," Ophelia nodded.

"For the past few days, I have noticed that you have begun to look rather sad. I might simply be misinterpreting or reading too much into it, but is something wrong? Is it because you miss home, or is something else the matter?"

Ophelia sighed, wondering what had given her away. She did not really want anyone to find out about her feelings, but she had clearly not been able to conceal them. Although, Mrs Bailey was an extremely observant woman, and Ophelia was not surprised she had already discerned her mood.

"It is not because I miss home, no." She shook her head. "But you are right. I have been feeling rather down lately."

"Will it be awfully private to ask why? I do not wish to intrude in your personal affairs, but as the housekeeper, it is also my duty to ensure everyone in the house feels their absolute best."

"Mrs Bailey," Ophelia began, unsure how to structure her words, "I do not know how to explain this, but I have been feeling as if Lord Cavendish hates or seriously dislikes Amy. He never comes to see her himself, and just last week, when she laughed in front of him, he asked me to immediately take her away and never bring her to him again. He has been unnecessarily harsh towards the poor child."

To Ophelia's surprise, Mrs Bailey neither looked alarmed nor rushed to dismiss her claims. In fact, her smiled turned slightly sadder as if she had almost been expecting it.

"Truth be told, I knew it was only a matter of time before you noticed it," she replied, her expression one of pure sorrow.

"So it is true, and I have not just been imagining it?"

"I wish it were not true, Miss Jennings, at least for Miss Amy's sake, but you have judged it rather correctly. Lord Cavendish has been distant from Miss Amy since her birth. He has never paid much attention or cared for the child in any way. We tried our best in the beginning, and I breached our boundary and blatantly asked him to be better with her, but he simply refused."

"But why?" Ophelia questioned, her confusion growing.

"Honestly, I wish I had an explanation." Mrs Bailey sighed. "Lady Margaret, Miss Amy's mother and Lord Cavendish's sister, was an extremely kind and sweet young woman, and Lord Cavendish loved her immensely. The two of them, not being much far apart in age, were extremely close growing up, and Lord Cavendish protected her with his life. Although, something happened …" Mrs Bailey stopped speaking.

"What happened?"

"They grew apart once Lady Margaret got married, and the rift grew as the years passed. He only met her again when Miss Amy was soon to be born, but his sister died, and since then, he seems to despise the baby. He never explained or showed any reasons for disliking Miss Amy, but everyone in the household was well aware of his feelings. Hence, we decided to keep Miss Amy away from him since that would be better for both of them."

Ophelia's heart broke.

Her eyes fell on Amy, sitting on the sofa between her and Mrs Bailey, playing with the toy in her hands. She reeked of innocence and everything pure. Tears stung in Ophelia's eyes as she realized how a small angel like her did not deserve such hatred. It was demonic.

"You are right; we should keep Amy away from him. That will be better for both of them," she accepted. "I will take Amy into the gardens for a walk. She has started to enjoy the outdoors and crawling on the grass."

"You must!" Mrs Bailey replied enthusiastically. "Should I ask a maid to set up a picnic blanket for you, so it is a little easier?"

"Oh, that will be delightful!"

Ophelia waited as Mrs Bailey sent a maid running to the gardens with instructions while she took Amy in her arms and lazily walked towards the garden. Amy seemed content and wanted to get down on the floor, having finally learned how to crawl. Now that she was growing, she had also become more curious about things, and Ophelia always needed to be around her to make sure she did not hurt herself walking about. Luckily, no such incident had happened as of now.

"Miss Jennings!" the maid almost crashed into her, returning from the gardens.

"Yes, Susan?"

"I have set up a picnic blanket for you and Miss Amy under a large tree. You will find it quite easily," she replied, and Ophelia smiled at her.

"Thank you so much, Susan," Ophelia said graciously before heading towards the garden again.

Amy already looked excited being in the fresh air once again, even more enthusiastic to jump out of Ophelia's lap and roam around on the grass below. Ophelia sighted the blanket and walked towards it, carefully leaving Amy on the ground, but it only took the little girl a few seconds to crawl away from the blanket and onto the freshly cut grass, her loud squeals of delight making Ophelia's heart warm with love towards her.

She is the sweetest child I have ever seen. I wish she received all the love she deserves.

However, Ophelia knew even hoping for such a thing was impossible. Edward had his mind set on disliking Amy, and it almost felt as if no matter how much anyone tried to hold him accountable, he would never fully give in. Ophelia spread her legs onto the blanket, sadness filling her heart as she stared at Amy crawling about with ease.

"Amy, do not wander off!" Ophelia warned Amy, when she suddenly began to crawl away from the tree, her eyes focused somewhere particular.

Ophelia quickly stood up, taking hasty steps towards Amy, who was lunging in the other direction as if she was reaching for someone or something. Ophelia looked up just then, her eyes falling on Edward who was at some distance, clearly having a moment of fresh air in the garden. He had not seen Ophelia and Amy, but Amy had seen and recognized him, taken over by the urge to be in his arms.

She was already attached to her uncle, but Edward was still distant. Why is he so cruel?

He must have felt eyes boring in on him as he turned in their direction, his gaze falling on them, but to Ophelia's utter horror, rather than making his way towards them or even smiling or waving, he turned backwards wordlessly, making for the manor as if he hadn't even seen the two of them. Ophelia ran towards Amy, whose lips were trembling already, and her big, innocent eyes filled with tears as she watched her uncle retreating. Ophelia scooped her up, her heart broken even more, but she walked back towards the tree, making sure Amy's attention was invested elsewhere so she would not burst into tears at this ignorance.

It was remarkable how even a little girl could feel the pain of not being loved, and it was evident through Amy's tear-filled gaze.

"My darling, it's okay!" Ophelia said to her in her softest voice and threw Amy in the air before catching her again.

She continued to do this until Amy was distracted and dissolved in childish giggles, but Ophelia knew she could not witness Amy suffer every single day in this same manner. How long could Ophelia continue to distract her from her uncle's cruel behaviour? Sooner or later, she was bound to notice, especially as she grew older, and the distance would continually haunt her.

Ophelia needed to have a word with Edward, and she was resolved to do so even if it cost her this position. She could not stay quiet when such cruelty unfolded before her eyes. She was not going to.