Charles stayed with Charlotte, not mentioning other unhappy things, but only talking about future developments, what she should learn, where she should go to school, and planning a beautiful future, so that Charlotte would not fall into sorrow.
It wasn't until dinner time that he let the servants attend to Charlotte again, and he went downstairs to dine with Greenspan, Jonathan, and others, and discussed Charlotte's future arrangements.
"Charlotte needs good rest. Although the conditions here at the White House are very good, it's too lively. Scarlet Town is no longer the quiet countryside it once was. Too many people and horses pass by every day, which is not suitable for Charlotte's recuperation!" Greenspan offered his opinion to Charles.
"Hmm! I think so too, so I'm preparing to build a villa by Lake Erie as a sanatorium. Although it may not be very warm there, the air by the lake is humid and fresh, and the surroundings are relatively quiet, suitable for people with weak constitutions like Charlotte to recuperate. Now, the artificial canal from Scarlet Town to Lake Erie has been completed, and it doesn't take a full day to travel by steamboat, which is quite convenient. What do you all think?" Charles suggested at the dinner table.
"Lake Erie is not far from here, and it's very convenient to go back and forth. It's a good choice. However, the recuperation villa should be built more exquisitely, and speed should also be considered so that Charlotte can move in as soon as possible," Greenspan nodded in agreement.
Jonathan did not comment on this, but only nodded in agreement. He was concerned about another issue and suggested to Charles:
"Madam Charlotte going there should be fine, but whether the young lady should go with her still needs careful consideration, her arrangements..."
In the eyes of the old butler Jonathan, although he wasn't saying he only cared about the child, he did indeed prioritize the child's matters between the two. However, he hadn't finished speaking before he was interrupted by Greenspan.
"What is there to consider? Of course the child will go with Charlotte to Lake Erie!" Greenspan said unequivocally. "Jonathan, I hope you don't have any plans to take the child away from Charlotte. We've all heard too many stories of mothers going mad or even dying because their daughters were taken away. I will not allow the same tragedy to happen to my daughter."
He and Jonathan had worked together for many years, and their ranks were now similar. Naturally, there was no need for excessive false politeness.
There are many Western descriptions of the tragic experiences of mistresses in this era, often featuring illegitimate children being taken away from their mothers. These stories often end with the mother losing her lover's affection, suffering from longing for her children, and facing difficult circumstances, ultimately leading to a tragic death. In reality, such things did indeed happen frequently. This can be well proven from historical archives of various legal cases.
Greenspan possessed immense wealth and held a significant position within the Godfrey Family. The capital and power he actually commanded externally even subtly surpassed that of Jonathan, the head butler. He naturally would not allow Jonathan, who traditionally played the role of the "bad butler," to truly extend his dark hand to his own daughter.
"Haha! Greenspan, I have no intention of taking the young lady away from Madam Charlotte. Please don't think that way," Jonathan said with a helpless bitter smile.
Even if he wanted to do so, his own master, sir Charles, probably wouldn't agree.
"Then what are your intentions?" Greenspan pressed on.
His daughter's current state kept Greenspan, a former old slave, in a bad mood. Now that he had found an outlet for his frustration, he naturally questioned without reservation.
Charles wanted to say a few good words for the kind old butler, but seeing his huffing prospective father-in-law, he could only shake his head helplessly and keep quiet. Anyway, their private relationship was good, so it was better to let the two old men resolve it themselves.
Jonathan understood Greenspan's situation very well and was not angry. Instead, he immediately stated his reasons.
"Greenspan, Pittsburgh and Scarlet Town already lack high-level doctors. Even if the earl builds a sanatorium villa by Lake Erie, it's impossible to truly have a doctor permanently stationed there. Children's minor illnesses and pains are much more frequent than adults'! I'm already a bit worried about letting the young lady live in Scarlet Town, so I absolutely wouldn't agree to let her go to Lake Erie, where there won't be a dedicated children's doctor!"
"This..." Greenspan was speechless.
Since it was for the child's good, he couldn't object.
He looked at Charles, wanting him to say something, but Charles also spread his hands, indicating that he had no solution.
Charlotte was an adult, after all. Even if she was physically weak and needed recuperation, simply hiring a few specialized service staff, plus someone with medical knowledge to care for her, would suffice. If there was a serious illness, sending her directly to Pittsburgh wouldn't be an issue. However, treating childhood illnesses required professional knowledge, which was difficult to do well, and children were precisely the most prone to illness. By then, traveling back and forth to Pittsburgh would be too late, and it would also cause Charlotte constant worry, preventing effective rest. As for inviting a doctor to the sanatorium villa, even if Charles had money now, he still couldn't get a doctor specializing in pediatric diseases to abandon his career to specifically care for his daughter. This involved social responsibility. America already lacked doctors, and doctors in any location were precious. Charles couldn't make a doctor abandon treating other children in Pittsburgh and move to Lake Erie just for his own daughter.
"Can't we hire a dedicated doctor to go to Lake Erie?" Greenspan asked Charles.
"Pittsburgh already lacks doctors, and no doctor would be willing to give up their work here to be permanently stationed by Lake Erie. Moreover, doing so would also have a bad impact," Charles shook his head directly.
"Then what about picking up and dropping off a doctor from Pittsburgh when something happens? It's only a day's travel!"
"Alas! Even a day is too long, and it's hard to say whether a doctor will be available or willing to leave urgent cases here to go to Lake Erie!" Charles still disagreed.
"So, my opinion is that it's best for the young lady to go to Philadelphia with the earl. Anyway, I've already mentioned this to Madam Charlotte, and she has always agreed to the young lady living in Philadelphia with the earl," Jonathan said with a bit more confidence now.
Although Charlotte's agreement was before the child's birth.
Hearing that his daughter also agreed, Greenspan opened his mouth, truly not knowing what to say.
He naturally understood his daughter's thoughts. However, the proud Greenspan felt there was no need to necessarily send his granddaughter to Charles. If she stayed in Pittsburgh with him and his daughter, they could enjoy more family happiness. However, this matter was of great importance, and he had to try his best to respect his daughter's choice. According to traditional Western Concept, a mother is certainly closer than a grandfather, and Charlotte's right to decide her daughter's fate was far greater than Greenspan's.
Charles also nodded in agreement, but inwardly, he felt a little troubled about how to deal with the situation next. Charlotte had originally wanted him to take the child back to Philadelphia to become a formal member of the family. Now, if he really took the child, he naturally couldn't let his child be cared for by outsiders. He would definitely take her to the earl's castle, but then, passing the test of Diana would be difficult. Moreover, with Charlotte's condition, if she didn't have family companionship and recuperated alone by Lake Erie, it would really be hard to say it was a good way to recover.
"earl! What do you think?" Jonathan pressed Charles.
"Hmm! I'll go discuss the specifics with Charlotte later. For now, I'm going to see my little angel!" Charles put down his knife and fork, not even bothering to finish dinner. He went directly to see his daughter, who was being breastfed by the wet nurse.
A child's diet naturally consists of many small meals; she mainly eats and sleeps, sleeps and eats, and cries when uncomfortable. Seeing the great earl Charles approach, the plump wet nurse felt a little embarrassed. As soon as the child moved slightly, she immediately stopped feeding and handed her over to the maid specifically serving the "young lady."
The maid also understood Charles' feelings very well. After briefly tidying the swaddling clothes, she handed the child to Charles, who was looking on with anticipation.
Charles was already a father of two children, so he was not unfamiliar with holding a baby. He carefully took the child, which did not displease her.
This girl was actually quite healthy. She was less than a week old, her eyes were already fully open, and she seemed to be able to clearly see the surrounding objects. When she saw her father, Charles, she didn't cry. Instead, she immediately cooperated by blowing bubbles with her small mouth, which made Charles' face instantly break into a smile. The worries of the past few days for this mother and daughter were also greatly reduced.
"What a mischievous child!" Charles said with a doting smile.
Holding the child with one hand, he took the cotton handkerchief offered by the maid next to him and carefully wiped the milk foam from his daughter's mouth.
However, his daughter clearly didn't appreciate it. At first, she opened her mouth, not knowing if she wanted to bite the handkerchief, and then her mouth curled into a cry, and she wailed loudly.
Charles really wanted to serve this little ancestor well and tease her to stop her crying, but the maid next to him had already reached out her hand:
"earl, I need to check the young lady's diaper!"
"Oh!" Charles could only hand the child over to her.
Although he was not unfamiliar with playing with children, he certainly didn't know how to change diapers.
Not wanting to watch the tragic scene of the child wailing and being publicly inspected for her diaper, Charles decided to go see the child's mother, Charlotte.
After instructing the servants to carefully look after his daughter and to report any problems to him or the old butler in time, he returned upstairs.
Charlotte, being unwell, ate very little. She had already finished dinner, and the servants were tidying up. Seeing Charles enter, they quickly finished organizing and immediately excused themselves.
"Charlotte, I'm planning to build a special villa by Lake Erie and send you there for recuperation. How do you feel about that?" Charles asked about the recuperation with a smile.
"By Lake Erie? Good!" Charlotte nodded in agreement with a smile. "It's too lively here, and I also like to go somewhere quieter."
Ever since Charles came to accompany her, her complexion had improved greatly, and her face was much rosier. If she could maintain this mood and state regularly, coupled with a good environment, she could actually recover her health in just a few months.
"Hmm! It's good that you agree, but how do you think the child should be arranged?"
"Of course the child will go with me..." Charlotte originally wanted to say with her, but then she immediately realized that this seemed a bit difficult, and the smile had already left her face.
Charles immediately understood and followed up:
"There won't be the best doctors available by Lake Erie, and young children are very prone to illness. Sending her back and forth to Pittsburgh for treatment would probably be very inconvenient."
"Then what do you think should be arranged?" Charlotte asked Charles helplessly.
It was certainly not easy for a mother to voluntarily say goodbye to her daughter. Charlotte had actively asked Charles to take the child to Philadelphia before giving birth because she hadn't seen her child with her own eyes or cared for her with her own hands. Now, with a lively, bouncing little angel right in front of her, she couldn't bring herself to ask the man to take her away, preventing her from seeing her for a long time.
"Jonathan said you also agreed to let our daughter go with me to Philadelphia..."
"No!" Charlotte suddenly denied Charles' words.
Then, a soft, "No!" seemed to deny her previous "No."
"Alas!" Charles could only sigh softly.
He knew that Charlotte at this moment must be very conflicted. In fact, he also didn't want Charlotte to consider such a cruel question at this time, but it was better to be cruel early than late. If they decided now to take the child away, it could reduce some of the torment of longing later.
However, Charlotte's words thwarted Charles' plan.
"The recuperation villa at Lake Erie will definitely take several months to build. How about I stay here for these few months, spend more time with our daughter, and then decide whether to let her go with you!"