Things were looking up for Jasper. The additional uniforms came in handy. The babies inevitably vomited on her, no matter how carefully she burped them. By the end of each day her uniform would be stained. Now she could wear clean clothes every day and only needed to wash once per week.
Additionally the return of Betsy and her daughter meant “Jasmine’s” duties were now confined to feeding and caring for the babies. Mind you, that was seemingly a 24 hour a day job. Jasper learned to quickly catch up on missing sleep whenever she managed to get all 3 babies to rest at the same time.
She was presented with the silver locket Patricia had commissioned. It was in the shape of a heart, with a dove engraved on it. Anyone would have thought it was a gift from “Jasmine’s” mythical ex-husband that she always wore in his memory. The amulet fitted inside the locket, which could be removed by detaching two pins.
Patricia also informed her that she had given a sketch of the crest from the amulet to a “colleague” who she was confident could trace its origin. “Jasmine” just needed to be patient. However time was on her side. She couldn’t go anywhere until her debt for the silver locket was paid off. That would take 3 months given the meagre earning of a wet nurse.
An additional boon was the arrival of a baby carriage, courtesy of the Countess. It was evidently the same carriage that the Countess had originally commissioned when her son was an infant. Jasper found that she could fit two infants in the rather ornate carriage and could attach the third via a sling to her body. Thus she was able to get out of the house and take the babies for a stroll. She found this a good way of getting the babies to sleep.
Additionally having three babies with her when she was out of the house made her feel safe. Although the rebel soldiers, who were still very visible in the town, would wolf whistle and make lewd suggestions, the presence of the children seemed to dampen any sinful motives they may have possessed. Gradually Jasper regained her confidence. Went for longer strolls and ran the occasional errand for Patricia.
The silver locket itself presented a problem though. Besides its cost, Jasper worried that with the amulet’s powers shielded, it may no longer protect her. She worried that the 10 seconds it took to take the locket off and free the amulet could be the difference between life and death, the difference between been raped or not. She practiced removing the locket over and over until she could perform the task without looking. She also reduced the time to about 5 seconds.
Also the news of the kingdom was not good. According to Simon the rebels had essentially taken control of the country. Only the Eastern Hill’s remained a Royalist enclave. Worse news was to follow, Jasper’s mother the Queen had apparently thrown herself off the ramparts when the palace was taken. Jasper’s two Prince half-brothers had been caught and hung. The same fate had befallen many of Jasper’s other half-brothers, irrespective of their age, that fell into the hands of the rebels. As for his sisters those captured were evidently shared as concubines by the rebel leaders.
At least his father had escaped, with his loyal guard. News was that Princess Charlotte, Jasper’s younger full sister was known to be with the King along with an unknown number of other siblings and palace residents. Simon informed her that Prince Jasper, the crown Prince was missing, as was Princess Elaine, neither’s body had been found. It was assumed they were in hiding and the rebels had offered a reward for their capture. Jasper noticed Patricia give her a knowing look.