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Chapter 4

July 14 1948

Lisbeth woke at 6 am. She lay in her bed going over in her mind the questions she would put to Sir Horace; she knew the answers he gave would determine her decision. Putting on her dressing gown, she headed for the bathroom down the hall. Once dressed and made up she quietly climbed the ornate staircase leading to Lara’s bedroom. Lisbeth waited at the door to determine if Lara was awake, she heard no sound. Deciding to allow the little girl to sleep for a while longer, the nanny descended the stairs and walked to the large kitchen where the cook, Mrs Potter, was preparing breakfast.

‘Good morning Lucy, may I ask you to pour me a cup of tea please?’

‘Good morning Miss Forsyth. Yes, certainly I’ll bring it into the drawing room if you like.’

‘No Lucy, I’ll drink it here.’

‘Yes, ma’am.’

The young cook made the tea and brought it over to Lisbeth, who was seated at the long oak table where the staff ate their meals.

‘Tell me Lucy, are you happy working at Westmoreland?’

‘Oh yes, Miss Forsyth. Although I know things will be different without the Earl and Duchess being here. It’s so sad to lose them. I can’t imagine what it will be like for poor Lara.’

They both heard a noise. It was Lara, standing at the entrance to the kitchen with her teddy bear under her arm.

‘Hello darling. Would you like a glass of warm milk?’ asked Lucy.

‘Yes please.’

‘How did you sleep?’ asked Lisbeth.

‘Not very well. I had a terrible nightmare. I dreamt Mummy and Daddy died.’

‘Lara, come here darling.’

The little six-year-old walked slowly over to her nanny and sat beside her at the table.

‘Lara it wasn’t a nightmare sweetie. Mummy and Daddy have gone to heaven.’

‘Why? I don’t understand. They promised me they’d be back home soon. Daddy promised he’d buy me a pony when he got back.’

‘I’m sorry Lara, but God wanted your mummy and Daddy to be with him. They’re very special, and he needed their help to do his work.’

‘Will they always be looking down on me?’

‘They will be, always, darling.’

‘Who’s going to look after me?’

‘I am, together with all the people in this house. You are a very special girl.’

Lisbeth took the little girl’s hand; they made their way to Lara’s bathroom. The nanny ran a warm bath in which the little girl soaked for a good half an hour. Lisbeth knew it would be some time before Lara could cope with the everyday life of a six-year-old orphaned girl.

The family solicitor was on time. Lisbeth invited him into the study.

‘How is she coping?’

‘She’s having trouble believing her parents won’t be returning, a natural reaction I would have thought.’

‘Yes, I’m sure it will be some time before she comes to grips with it.’

‘The most important thing is she receives support from us all.’

‘I agree, that brings me to the structure of the Trust and most importantly your role in Lara’s upbringing. I have spoken to the other members of the trust regarding fostering young Lara.’

‘You haven’t told me who the Trust members are yet, Sir Horace.’

‘Sorry, I should let you know before we continue. There’s me of course plus Mr Arnold Harmsworth the family accountant and financial advisor. Mrs Elinor Humphries, Headmistress at St Leonards Preparatory School where Lara is enrolled. Finally, we have been able to find Lara’s second cousin Lord Andrew de Neville, the only other surviving member of the family. He also has agreed to become a Trust member.

‘So, we all agree Lara needs to have some stability in her life and bringing in strangers to foster her, we believe, would not help with her development, nor her mental state. It is with this in mind that we ask you to consider being her legal guardian.

‘The courts would have to approve your appointment, and the Trust will still have the ultimate decision-making power, but it places you in a much stronger position to raise little Lara.’

‘Well, I think I’m flattered.

‘The only other issue we need to finalise is your appointment as Lara’s guardian. I believe your current salary is 100 pounds plus full board, and lodging is that correct?’

‘Yes, that’s correct.’

‘The Trust has agreed, because of your increased responsibility, to increase your annual salary to 500 pounds. We would also expect you to sleep on the same level as Lara, taking one of the bedroom suites close to hers. You will, of course, have access to the estate’s motor vehicle and driver and will be the most senior staff member with total access to the manor and its grounds.’

‘That’s a very generous offer Sir Horace. How many weeks holiday should I expect?’

‘Two weeks.’

‘I would like some time to consider it. May I suggest I get back to you tomorrow with my answer?’

‘Yes, of course, take more time if you need it.’

‘I’m sure tomorrow will be all right.’

The meeting concluded, Sir Horace departed, and Lisbeth went to see how Lara was.

Lisbeth peered into her room. Lara was lying on her bed.

‘Hello, Lara, are you feeling sleepy, little darling?’

‘No, I feel sad.’

‘I understand. Why don’t we take a walk in the garden? That might cheer you up.’

‘All right, can I take teddy?’

‘Yes, of course you can.’

Lara, teddy, and Nanny went downstairs and into the garden. The roses were in full bloom as were the camellias; the perfume was magnificent.

‘Can we walk down to the lake, Nanny? I’d love to see the swans.’

‘Yes, I think we can do that. Why don’t we get some bread from the kitchen, and then you can feed them.’

‘Yes, that would be wonderful.’

Lisbeth went back while Lara sat on the grass. It wasn’t too long before her nanny returned with the bread.

‘Right, we’re organised. Let’s go.’

They walked down to the far edge of the garden where there was a one-acre lake with a wooden bridge and a small jetty. There was a rowboat tethered to the jetty.

‘Darling, why don’t we row out to the middle of the lake and feed the swans from there?’

‘Oh, Nanny that would be great.’

Lisbeth untied the rope and once Lara was safely seated she pushed off using one of the oars. It didn’t take long before beautiful white swans surrounded them.

‘They must be hungry! Look how they are fighting to get the bread, Nanny.’

‘It doesn’t matter how full their tummies are, they’ll still fight for every piece of bread.’

Once the bread was all gone, Lisbeth rowed back to the jetty helping the little girl to alight from the dinghy. She secured the boat, and they returned to the manor.

Lisbeth ate her dinner with Lara – the cook had prepared her favourite, shepherd’s pie. This would become the standard routine, Lisbeth and Lara eating the evening meal in the dining room. The mansion had two dining rooms: the smaller family dining room where Lisbeth and Lara ate and the grand dining room that held sixty diners.

After dinner, the nanny read from Lara’s new book, The Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett. The young Countess seemed to be able to relate to Sara the main character. It seemed they had a lot in common.

Lara settled into the new routine well. She seemed to have a happy demeanour although she would often cry when she was alone in her bedroom. Lara missed her mummy and daddy terribly.

The next stage in Lara’s life was about to begin: school.