Taking the babe from Nurse, Nate handed him to her. “Have we decided on a name?”
They had both thought the baby would be a girl. “Henry after my father, Robert after yours, and Edward for your mother’s father?”
“That makes three Henrys when we’re with your family, and when your brother marries and has a son he is likely to be Henry as well. What about Edward Henry Robert?”
She scrunched her face. “I know you were not close to your father, but Robert Edward Henry sounds better.”
“Perhaps it will remind me not to treat my sons differently because of their birth order.” He leaned over and kissed her before stroking the baby’s head. “Very well, Robert Edward Henry Meadows it is.” He got to his feet. “I’d better go tell your father, our mothers, and your grandmother.”
“He’s still sleepy.” She handed him little Robert. “Show them the baby, but bring him back right away. He’ll want to nurse.”
“I’ll give them just a quick look.” Nate grinned. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
AUTHOR’S NOTES
Formal adoption did not exist until much later. But people did talk about adopting children or minors, bringing them into their homes and changing their names. It happened to one of Jane Austen’s brothers. If an estate was not encumbered and could pass to anyone the testator wished, the adoptee could inherit. Naturally they could not inherit titles or any encumbered property.
Géricault was a real French painter whose major work was of a shipwreck and was indeed shown at the Paris Salon.
Slavery became illegal in England in 1807 and any slave who landed on the island was automatically free. Yet it was not until 1833, with the Slave Abolition Act that slavery was abolished in all of Britain’s colonies. Under the act, the government agreed to pay slave owners the sum of twenty thousand pounds. That’s the equivalent to approximately sixteen billion pounds today. At the time it was fully 40 percent of the treasury’s annual income. The last payment was made in 2019.
It is true that it was rare to find a medical-school-trained physician in the country. When someone was ill or injured most people called on a surgeon, who also acted as the local barber or apothecary. Many households had handwritten journals of remedies for different maladies.
Richmond Park was a day trip for Londoners. Even though it was not that far from Town, it was too far for a nice ride there. Additionally, one had to take a main road, and it was not proper for ladies to ride horses on main roads.
The baby carriage as we know it was an American invention that dates to 1825. The first mention of one in England was in 1887. By 1903 the baby carriage was jokingly referred to as a perambulator, or pram.
Porter was an English drink much like stout. It was considered a health drink for pregnant women.
I hope you enjoyed Henrietta and Nate’s story! The next three books will be about Alice, Eleanor, and Madeline.
If you haven’t already, please meet up with me on The Worthingtons Facebook group, on Instagram @ellaquinnauthor, on my Facebook page EllaQuinnAuthor, and sign up for my newsletter at www.ellaquinnauthor.com.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Ella