Page 56 of The Secret Word
Chris was home!Clem felt she could take her first deep breath in three days. Her father had been uncharacteristically pleasant when he was staying with them, after his defeat over the doctor. She had been afraid he would find some way to reassert himself that might harm her husband.
But Chris returned safely, swearing to Clem that the children had grown visibly in the few days he had been absent.
Father would be back again in a couple of weeks, for the children’s christening, and so would the other godparents. Others of the Satterthwaites and Thurgoods too, coming to pay their respects once Clem was churched and therefore officially back in Society.
And Billy O’Hara, who would—Chris said—be traveling as William Harrington. Clem had received a polite note from Mr. Harrington thanking her for her offer of hospitality and saying he would be taking accommodation in the area, which was a relief. Clem was by no means certain that she was up to being Ramping Billy’s hostess.
Not, at least, at the same time as she was providing hospitality to her father, the Earl and Countess of Crosby, the Earl and Countess of Halton, and Lady Fernvale. Not to mention various cousins.
Father arrived two days before the service, and immediately protested that he had not been asked to be Will’s godfather.“But Wright,” Chris said, “I thought you were convinced you would not live to see him reach adulthood. Of course, as his grandfather, we hope you will be here to see him grow up, but I am sure you agree with the importance of choosing younger people for the role of godparent.”
Chris always seemed to know how to draw Father’s fangs, and Lord and Lady Crosby arrived at that moment, so they had an excuse to leave him so they could greet the new guests.
Having them all in the house was as difficult as Clem had expected. Not that the other guests were a problem, but Father made everything more difficult than it needed to be, and Chris and Lady Fernvale were hard-pressed to keep him soothed and as content as was ever likely to happen.
It didn’t help that Will had a snuffly nose and was angry about it. Clem found herself counting down hours and days. How many hours until Father would go to bed again. How many days until he left?
Thank goodness she was feeding her own children! It gave her an excellent excuse to leave the company at regular intervals and for up to half an hour at a time—longer, if they refused to feed at the same time.
How grateful she was to the other ladies of the company, who took her disappearances in their stride, and to Chris, who kept thinking of new ways to keep the gentlemen busy.
She was relieved when the Christening Day arrived. She would be churched first, followed by the baptism. Will’s sniffle appeared to have disappeared overnight, and she fed them both just before it was time to leave for church, in the hopes that they’d sleep until it was time to pour water on them.
The churching service was called in theBook of Common Prayer, “The Service of Thanksgiving for Women After Childbirth, commonly called The Churching of Women.” It, and the baptism to follow, were celebrated as part of the usualSunday morning service, so the house party arrived at the church in several carriages and were met by a crowd of villagers, countryfolk, local gentry, and the crowd from the school, who had walked to church through the woods.
Clem had met many of the locals before she went into confinement, and the gentry wives had visited while she was lying-in, so their way through the crowd was slow, as she and Chris introduced their guests to the local notables and everyone admired what they could see of the twins, who were bundled up in shawls against the chill spring wind.
The churching was done first. Clem left the twins with their nursemaids and knelt to say the prayers and receive the blessing. Next came the ordinary prayers of the service. When it was time for the homily, the vicar spoke on the significance of infant baptism, and the important role of godparents in bringing children up to believe in God and to be good Christians.
Then it was time for the baptism. Clem, who was by now holding Bel while Chris had Will in his arms, passed her daughter to Lady Fernvale. Chris, as he left the pew with his darling burden, was met by a man who was a stranger to Clem—a gentleman by his dress, which was neat, but unobtrusive.
There was nothing about the man himself to draw the eye, either. He was of medium size and build, his hair mid-brown in color, his features even and pleasant, with no distinguishing characteristics.
Chris passed Will to the man, who held him with accustomed ease. Then he looked at Clem with familiar hazel eyes and bowed slightly. It was only then that she recognized him as Ramping Billy O’Hara!
Lady Fernvale nudged Clem and she continued on to the baptismal font, where she found herself standing next to one of the most feared denizens of the stews of London while he promised solemnly on Will’s behalf to renounce the deviland all his works, and to keep obediently God’s holy will and commandments.
Will slept through the prayers, readings, exhortations, and vows, but when he had the holy water poured on him, he woke yelling.
Mr. O’Hara did not flinch, but held him steadily until the vicar was finished and moved on to repeat that part of the ceremony for Bel. Clem was itching to rescue her son, or was it Mr. O’Hara? But he held the little man with one deft hand while tucking the shawl back into place with the other, then lifted Will against his shoulder and rocked the baby gently, patting him with one hand while murmuring a song in his ear.
It was too quiet for Clem to make out the words, but it worked. Will settled, hiccupped, and went back to sleep.
Aunt Fern was equally capable with Bel, but then Clem had expected that. Nor was she surprised that Aunt Fern refused Bel’s nursemaid’s offer to take the baby. Clem would have taken her, too, but Aunt Fern was absorbed in her newest godchild, and Clem let her be.
More surprising was that Mr. O’Hara did the same with Will, watching the vicar with those calm hazel eyes, while continuing to murmur to the sleeping baby for the remainder of the service.
She noted, however, that he was the only member of the christening party not to go up to communion.
After the service, Chris introduced “Mr. Harrington” to his distinguished relatives, to Father, to the vicar, to the neighbors, and all without anyone showing the least recognition. Father, at least, had met O’Hara before, and so—she was certain—had several of the other men.
“My friend, Mr. Harrington, a gentleman from London,” Chris said, and “Harrington” nodded, smiled, and made polite conversation, all without disturbing Will, who slumbered peacefully on the man’s shoulder.
*
Billy came backto the house, where their kitchen and the school kitchen had combined forces to put on a celebratory feast. He stayed only long enough to give Clem the gifts he had brought for the children—silver mugs engraved with their names and the date of the christening—and a bone teething ring each, one carved with flowers and one with dogs and balls.
“Something as a keepsake, and something that might be useful,” he said, almost apologetically, as Clem opened the boxes in which the gifts were presented. After that, he made his farewells.
