Page 45 of The Favourite

Mistress Lingard turned a waxy color and looked frozen to the spot. Stiffly, she inclined her head and turned on her heel, exiting the room. Jane was reeling; she plucked at his sleeve. “Who will take care of the child?” she whispered aghast.

“Someone less objectionable, I would hope.” He glanced at her worried face. “Fear not, we could scarcely hit on anyone worse.”

“Yes, but—” She heard the sound of hastily exiting footsteps from the room next door. “Alisander! The wet nurse!” She started forward, but he caught her arm, preventing her from giving chase.

“We will employ a new one,” he told her calmly.

“The need is pressing! The baby’s health will fail without nourishment!”.

“I am aware of how it works,” he replied calmly. “Fret not, they will most likely have filled her belly before placing her in her crib. I will send Wat into the village to find a new one. Some local woman, who either lacks a husband or despises him, so she will be grateful to escape this hole and give us her undivided loyalty.”

“No husband?” Jane sounded startled. “But …”

“You think only nobly born women bear bastards, Jane?”

She colored hotly. “No, of course not,” she said in a stifled voice, “but …”

“But, what?” He gazed at her conflicted expression. “Perhaps, you are of the belief that virtues and vices can flow from a mother’s milk, as well as sustenance?”

“I—I barely know anything about such things!” she burst out. “But should we be subjecting Celestia to—to questionable influences at such a tender age?”

Alisander paused and watched while the hypocrisy of Jane’s words dawned on her. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

She swallowed and shook her head. “No,” she muttered, glancing away.

“We will do much better without the staff your late sister hired. They have strange ideas and likely a fair few of them are in your uncle’s pocket too,” he added with a sly look, likely guessing that would get her on board with his plans if nothing else.

Jane considered this a while. “How will we know which are in his employ?” she asked slowly.

“We can take an educated guess. I have been doing so all morning. Hence the fact the spit turner remains and the stable lad.” He extended an arm to her, in order to escort her from the sleeping baby’s room.

“I don’t like to leave her unattended.”

He tutted. “What an anxious mother you are! She is asleep. We have the final details of our departure to discuss.”

“Final details!” Jane burst out a little wildly. Her eye fell back on Celestia. “Any one of the disgruntled staff could come in and snatch her!”

He rolled his eyes, then leaned over the side and lifted the sleeping child out. Not by even a bat of his eyelid did he acknowledge Jane’s alarmed step back. He simply held the baby against his chest and then turned back to Jane. “Come on then.”

She fell hastily into step beside him, staring at the odd picture he made cradling a child as he walked along. “My suggestion is this,” he continued smoothly, “that we dismiss everyone that was not already here in situ when your sister took possession of the place. That way, we keep a skeleton staff who are familiar with the running of the estate, while we, the family, are away.”

Jane regarded him helplessly. “Oh really? It’s as simple as all that, is it?”

“Why not? There is hardly any point in us keeping on a full staff here. We are not in exile.”

“Maybe not,” Jane conceded after a moment. “Not yet anyway.”

He tipped his head to one side. “You take a bleak view in life, Lady Bardulf, though I will admit, it is true that your good standing with the Queen has been rocked. You have some ground to make up. If you are not careful, you will be slipping down the ranks.”

Jane flushed and he smirked. “You do not like that I am frank with you?” Jane pressed her lips together and he laughed. “You know as well as I, that the Queen will usually present a favorite of good standing with some piece of bridal finery, but you, she did not gift even so much as a button.”

“Yes, yes,” Jane said testily, thinking of Lucy Melvin’s words. Perhaps she hopes the Queen will gift her another, as ‘tis her wedding day. “Let us not dwell on such things.”

“Alas, Jane,” he murmured. “It is just as well that you have a husband now to supply that need.”

“What need?” she grumbled as they rounded the corner to come face to face with another frosty-faced servant. “Ayleth!” The old servant glared at them.

“And who is this?” Alisander asked gently, turning toward Jane.