The Duchess out of Time

III

Liz was enjoying spending her time with Charlotte and catching up over the last six years. A lot had happened in both their lives. Liz took every detail Charlotte gave her so she would be able to fit in, in the year of 1760. They spent a whole day locked away in Charlotte's cabin, while Charlotte dressed Liz up and down like a Barbie doll. Charlotte wouldn't let her leave the cabin until she could remember every piece of clothing a Lady wore on a daily basis, the order they went on and their purpose. Liz had initially thrown a fit when Charlotte tried to squeeze her into a corset.

"This is important Lizzie!" She huffed when Lizzie would just roll her eyes in annoyance. When would she need to know how to dress when she had Charlotte to help her? She decided she wouldn't argue with Charlotte, she was lucky and blessed to have a friend to help her adjust to a new time period. When Charlotte had to go through this whole process she had no one to help her. How she managed on her own, Liz would never know.

The current King was King George II, an important piece of information to know as a member of nobility. The King's son Frederick had suddenly died back in 1727 from a lung injury, which meant the King's grandson George would be his successor. It was no secret among the nobility that Frederick and the King had an estranged relationship. In April 1746, the Battle of Culloden ended the Jacobite Rebellion and any significant backing for the Stuart cause. Liz nodded as she remembered binge watching the series Outlander and re-reading the books. Some of that history would hopefully be enough to fill in some of those details.

Liz felt like she was back at school with all the information Charlotte was giving her. She had forgotten how much of a history nerd her best friend was, this was probably a dream come true to be living in the past and watching it all unfold. Charlotte was kind enough to give Liz a break from learning as she spent all her time with her nephew and getting to know Henry. She still couldn't believe that she had a nephew. He was a cheeky little gentleman. He was keen to pull playful pranks on his mother and aunt but always made sure he had perfect manners and charm to avoid getting into trouble.

Each night Liz would tuck him into bed and tell him a bedside story. She didn't think Walt Disney would mind as she retold the Disney classics. She threw in the songs; voices and occasionally a little dance number, just because Disney hadn't been invented yet didn't mean her nephew had to miss out did it? His favourite was Tarzan and The Sword In The Stone. She tried to introduce more the classics to him but he soon became eager to rehear the stories she had already told.

It had been almost two weeks since she had first arrived back in time; Liz was slowly getting the hang of things. It did help that she was stuck on a boat, which meant her challenges were limited. Luckily she was also the daughter of a Duke, her etiquette was polished to perfection, and she knew how to strike up small talk and talk politics and fake it till she made it. Who knew those annoying tricks of the trade would come in handy.

Brushing out the knots in her hair, Liz was enjoying the peaceful morning as she pulled her into a tight braid. She used a simple piece of ribbon to tie it together at the bottom before she curled it up into a knot. Glancing in the mirror at every angle she could she was rather proud of herself. Her skin had tanned nicely over the last couple of weeks as she slipped on a pair of sturdy leather boots. The Captain had kindly found a spare pare that was a couple sizes too small for the crew. He had almost had a heart attack when she had requested a pair of breeches and shirts. He dared not argue with a determined Duchess, handing over the clothing she requested and was quick to speak with Charlotte privately.

Charlotte gave Liz a stern lecture about how it was not proper for a woman to be parading around on a ship full of men in trousers! Liz was quick to remind her best friend who it was she was trying to fool. Charlotte's shoulder just sagged in defeat as she realised she was right. Instead of fighting with her on a hopeless battle she instead helped her stitch in the breeches and take them in at the waist so they would fit Liz's slim figure even without a belt.

Liz didn't dare wear the pants without the belt to keep them tightly in place. She trusted Charlotte's sewing but she felt more comfortable having it around her waist. Tucking in her fresh shirt into the waistband she paused at the knock on the door.

"Enter?" She answered, as Beth was quick to enter the room and locking it behind her. Beth was Henry's nanny but she was also a nurse. It was one of the reasons that Charlotte had hired her. She had a sense of relief knowing that whoever was taking care of Henry wouldn't faint at the sight of blood. Beth was a short plump woman with fiery red hair and a heavy thick Scottish accent. Beth and Liz had grown to be very fond of each other in their short time together. At first Liz had struggled to understand Beth's strong accent, but Beth was patient with her as they slowly began to work past it. Beth realised the Duchess wasn't a prim princess who shied away from a broken nail.

"Guid mornin' yer grace. How urr ye feeling?" She asked giving a short curtsey as Liz pulled her shirt out from her waistband. Rolling her eyes at the nanny she didn't like having people bowed to her, it was something she wouldn't get used to.

"I hardly notice it now" Liz shrugged as Beth narrowed her eyes at the young woman not sure if she truly believed her. Liz wasn't one to drag things along as she raised her shirt, giving Beth a good view of her ribs. When Beth had first seen them two weeks ago they were a nasty black purple across her left side. She was horrified to realise she had broken several ribs and was going about her day without complaint. She knew men who would whine and whinge about every breath they breathed, but she didn't hear a single complaint from Liz's lips. Liz had made Beth swear not to mention a word to anyone on board. Beth had been hesitant at first but eventually agreed to her request.

"Tis healing nicely. Hae th' cauld compresses helped?" Beth as she gently let her fingers press against the healing wound, trying to feel the bone to make sure they were healing straight. Her skin was a sickly yellow but at least Beth knew the bones were healing. She had been keeping a close eye on Liz for any signs of fever and was rather impressed when she didn't develop one.

"Yes they have, thank you" Liz smiled. For the first couple of weeks Beth would get some old rags and soak them in the seawater after the sun went down. It was the easiest way to make an ice pack compress that Liz would apply each morning and night to her ribs. She made sure to keep her physical exercise to a minimum so that she wasn't causing more damage.

"That's guid. Urr ye in ony pain? Dae yi''ll need me tae organise some mair tea?" Beth questioned as she lowered Liz's shirt. It took Liz a second to translate her words in her brain.

"No I am not in any pain so I don't think I will need any more tea" She answered as she went back to tucking her shirt into the waistband of her breeches. Beth's herbal tea had helped soothed Liz when the aching pain grew unbearable. She had no idea what she used in her tea but it did the trick. It was a shame that some medicinal methods get lost in history and replaced by science.

"How aboot ah bring ye a cup afore ye retire fur th' nicht?" Beth compromised with a cheeky grin as Liz let out a small laugh before she nodded in agreement. Beth seemed to know what she needed before she did. Slipping on a dark purple stay over her large white shirt Liz turned to let Beth fasten the strings at the back. Beth didn't do it too tightly to ensure she didn't hurt her ribs, but it was tight enough that it highlighted Liz's petite figure and held her in place. Liz just stubbornly thought of it as having a fully bodied bra, at least she being held in place and wouldn't bounce everywhere. That was just uncomfortable and painful.

"Dae yi''ll need anythin' else yer Grace?" Beth asked happy with the final knot before she excused herself.

"No thank you Beth." Liz nodded as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

"I'm aff tae see mistress charlotte if yi''ll need me?" Beth told her nodding as she turned for the door.

"Charlotte? What's wrong with Charlotte?" Liz questioned slightly worried as she turned to Beth who was paused in the doorway.

"The captain says she haes a headache." Beth answered before giving an awkward curtsy and leaving, shutting the door closed behind her. Liz frowned with concern for her friend but decided it was better to let her rest and make sure her mischievous nephew let his mother rest. Sighing deeply through her nose she left the security of her cabin and went searching for the little rascal.