Читать книгу The Billionaire's Christmas Cinderella - Carol Marinelli - Страница 11

CHAPTER ONE

‘A NEW YORK CHRISTMAS...’

Naomi smiled as her very chatty fellow passenger told her what a magical time she would soon be having.

‘There’s nothing better.’

‘I’m sure there isn’t,’ Naomi agreed.

It was easier to.

Privately she cared little for the festive season. Well, she made sure it all went smoothly for whatever family she was with but it was just another day for Naomi.

Actually, no. It was a very lonely day for Naomi—it always had been and no doubt always would be.

But she wasn’t going to bore the woman in the next seat with that.

They had got on well.

Naomi was a little on the large side and had tucked her elbows in and tried to make herself very small on take-off. But by the time they came into land, neither had slept and they were chatting away like old friends. Still, there were things even old friends didn’t need to know.

Born on Christmas Eve, from the little Naomi knew her first weeks of life had been spent on a maternity ward before the first of many foster-care placements.

Now a maternity nanny, she looked after newborns and ensured better for her tiny charges. Her job was to look after the mother and infant during this very precious, tumultuous time before the permanent nanny took over.

She wasn’t a part of the family, though.

On a day such as Christmas, her role was to make it as seamless and as stress-free for the new mother as possible. And Naomi usually ate in her room alone.

This year, though, would be different as it was her best friend whose baby she would be taking care of.

Merida, an actress, had come to New York City with Broadway on her mind and, sure enough, had landed a part in a new production called Night Forest.

She had never made it to opening night, though.

Pregnant by Ethan Devereux, she had said goodbye to her acting career and entered into a marriage of convenience.

Although, inconveniently for Merida, she was head over heels in love with her husband.

Naomi had had reservations about accepting the job.

Ethan and Merida had insisted that she be paid, and though they were probably just trying to be nice, it would have been easier on Naomi to have been asked to stay as a friend.

But she was concerned for Merida and that was why she had agreed to take the post.

As the cabin lights were dimmed for landing, Naomi looked out of the small, moisture-streaked window. There wasn’t much to see, just snow-laden clouds, but then her breath caught as jutting up in the distance she saw the iconic skyline rising out from gunmetal-grey water and it sent a frisson of excitement through Naomi. She was here—actually here. And for someone who had never been out of the United Kingdom it was an exciting moment indeed.

The plane banked for its final approach but that first glimpse of the city left a smile on Naomi’s face.

Naomi had freshened up as best she could after breakfast had been served but she took out her compact and checked her reflection. She was excited to see Merida but her reflection showed tiredness. Her dark chocolate curls were limp and beneath her deep blue eyes were dark smudges. Her very pale complexion had turned to pure white.

A sleep would fix that, she told herself.

Naomi was determined to beat jet lag at its own game and stay awake for the entire day.

It was beyond exciting to be here and she wore her smile through baggage collection, though she felt it wane a touch at customs.

All the paperwork had been arranged but still she felt very nervous when she told them that, yes, she was here to work.

‘A nanny?’ the border security official checked, and took the folder containing all of Naomi’s paperwork and had a through read through of it. ‘For the Devereuxes?’

‘Yes, there’s a letter from Mr Ethan Devereux and if there are any problems...’

‘There’s no problem.’

Her passport was stamped and she was on her way.

The ground staff were lively and funny, blowing into their hands and telling her it was bitterly cold as she awaited her baggage.

‘You’ll need a coat, Miss,’ one said as she passed.

‘I’m getting one!’ Naomi called back. ‘I’m headed straight to the shops.’

She had, a few days previously, left her good coat on a train and had been about to buy one for her trip when it had dawned on her she was heading to the shopping capital of the world. Naomi had decided her first stop would be the city’s most famous department store.

For now she had to make do with a rather flimsy jacket and a thick scarf that she would put over her long dark hair before heading outside.

Naomi had a lot of luggage.

Well, two cases and her hand luggage.

It was, though, her entire world that she carried in those bags.

She lived wherever work took her. In between jobs she aimed to take a brief holiday, but Naomi didn’t have a home as such. She had shared a flat with Merida for a couple of years, which had been brilliant, but since then she had lived with the families she’d cared for. Generally, she arrived two weeks before the baby’s due date and stayed between six and eight weeks after the baby was born.

And she was tired of it.

Not so much her work, as exhausting as it was.

Naomi was just tired of living out of suitcases.

As she stepped into the arrivals lounge Naomi scanned the crowd for a glimpse of Merida, who was generally unmissable with her shock of red hair, although, given how cold it was, she may well be wearing a hat. Or, given that the baby was due on December the fourteenth, she may well have not made it to the airport. As she wheeled her trolley Merida saw a sign with her name on it held by an older man in a black suit.

‘I’m Naomi Hamilton,’ she said.

‘Guest of?’ the gentleman asked.

Clearly security was tight around the family, Naomi thought as her status was double checked. ‘Merida Devereux.’

‘Then come this way.’ He smiled. ‘Here, let me help you with that...’ He took over the trolley. ‘Where’s your coat?’

Naomi told him her plan to get one as they walked and it really was freezing outside.

‘Jump in,’ he told her when they reached the car. Naomi didn’t need to be asked twice and sat in the back, watching the world go by as her cases were loaded.

‘Are we headed to the house?’ Naomi asked as they drove off.

‘No.’ He gave her a smile in the rear-view mirror. ‘I’m to take you to the hospital. More than that, I don’t know.’

How exciting!

Naomi was very aware, though, that the next few weeks were not going to be plain sailing. Merida was completely in love with Ethan, who had only married her to give the child his name, and the plan was they would divorce after a year. Naomi was worried for Merida. Also, the patriarch of the family, Jobe Devereux, was seriously ill.

Even if Merida hadn’t been her friend, Naomi would have been aware of that fact. The Devereuxes were a hugely powerful family and Jobe’s health woes had reached the press in England.

Naomi just wanted to make these precious first weeks as peaceful and as calm as she could for the new mother and baby, and would do whatever she could to ensure that.

The car was warm and despite the stop-start traffic it was lulling, and as they drove through a long tunnel Naomi resisted the urge to rest her head on the window and close her eyes. But, given she’d had to be at Heathrow so early, she hadn’t slept last night, neither had she slept on the plane, and as the traffic backed up Naomi found that her eyelids grew heavy and finally she gave in.

‘Miss...’

Naomi startled and opened her eyes, taking a second to gather where she was. In fact, the driver had to orientate her.

‘We’re at the hospital.’

So they were.

The private wing was incredibly warm and as she passed a couple of rooms and saw empty beds Naomi thought about how she would love to claim one and stretch out and sleep; but as she stepped into Merida’s room jet lag was completely forgotten.

‘Naomi!’ Merida was sitting up in bed, looking a mixture of exhausted and happy and clearly delighted by the arrival of her friend.

‘Merida! How are you?’

‘So happy. We had a girl.’

Ethan was holding the precious bundle. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t get there to meet you,’ he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek, and was rather more friendly than Naomi had expected.

‘Well, you were rather busy...’ Naomi smiled.

‘Is Abe with you?’ he asked.

‘Abe?’ Naomi frowned for a second then remembered that was Abe was the elder Devereux brother. ‘No, the driver brought me. Bernard, I think...’ She was distracted then as the blanket fell back and she caught a proper glimpse of the baby. ‘Oh, my, she is gorgeous.’

Naomi, in her line of work, saw a lot of new babies, and they were all very precious, though for Naomi there had never been one more precious than this little girl. With no relatives of her own, Merida and her very new daughter were the closest thing to family that Naomi had known.

When Ethan handed her to Naomi she found that her eyes filled up with tears as she held the new life.

‘Does she have a name?’

‘Ava,’ Merida said. ‘We just decided.’

‘Oh, but it suits her. She’s completely stunning.’ Little Ava really was, with a shock of dark hair like her father, and huge dark blue eyes and a sweet little rosebud mouth. ‘How was the birth?’

‘It was actually wonderful.’

When Ethan headed off to make some calls, Merida elaborated a touch. ‘Ethan was right there the whole time. Naomi, we’re okay now,’ Merida said, her eyes shining. ‘Ethan told me he loves me and that we’re going to make this marriage work.’

Naomi rather thought it might be the emotion of the birth that had Ethan showing devotion, but of course she didn’t say that to her friend as she popped the now sleeping baby into her little crib.

‘How long do you think you’ll be in for?’ Naomi asked.

‘A couple of days. I feel terrible that you’ll have to find your own way around.’

‘I’m quite sure I can manage. I’ll head off soon and get in some sleep and tomorrow I might do a bit of sightseeing and buy a decent coat.’

‘I can’t believe you’re actually here.’ Merida beamed. ‘Naomi, I’ve got so much to tell you.’

But it would all have to wait.

Ethan returned at that moment and a short while later Jobe, the grandfather of little Ava, came down in a wheelchair, escorted by a nurse. And then came the photos, though not just the family kind—a professional photographer had been brought in for the occasion.

It was clear that Jobe was very ill indeed, yet he had refused to have the baby brought up to visit him and had made a supreme effort to be a part of such an important day.

As the photographer snapped away, even though Jobe had a nurse with him, Naomi helped too, positioning little Ava in his arms and making sure that as soon as he tired she took the baby with a smile.

‘Thank you,’ Jobe said, noting how she had hovered discreetly. ‘You’re Merida’s friend?’

‘Yes.’ Naomi nodded. ‘And also little Ava’s nanny for the next few weeks.’

‘Well, any friend of Merida’s is a friend of the family. It’s good to have you here, Naomi.’

It was such a little thing. She had expected to be daunted by this powerful man, but instead they clicked on sight and he made Naomi feel very welcome and a part of it all. She was used to being the nanny and hovering in the background, but today, on her first day in New York, she’d had her picture taken while holding a tiny little baby who was new to all of this too!

‘Has Abe been in?’ Jobe asked, as Naomi held little Ava, who was close to falling asleep in her arms.

Naomi might look as if she wasn’t listening, but her ears were on elastic. She knew Abe was a force to be reckoned with and wanted to get a feel for things and work out the dynamics so that she could help Merida as best she could in the weeks ahead.

‘Not as yet,’ Ethan said, and Naomi heard the edge to his voice. ‘I specifically asked him to pick up Naomi, but instead he sent a car.’

‘Well, he must have got caught up,’ Jobe suggested.

With little Ava asleep and Merida looking like she needed the same, Naomi decided it was time to head off. ‘I’m going to go,’ she said, and gave Merida a hug and a kiss. ‘Jet lag is starting to creep in and I want that well behind me by the time you bring your little lady home.’

‘We’re staying at Dad’s place for now,’ Ethan explained, ‘while we have some renovations done.’

‘Merida told me.’ Naomi nodded. ‘It’s fine.’

Famous last words.

* * *

‘Dad’s place’ was a huge, grey stone mansion on Fifth Avenue, overlooking Central Park. Naomi had to pinch herself to believe that she was really here. Oh, thanks to her job she had stayed in some amazing residences, but nowhere had been nearly as grand as this.

One of the heavy double doors was opened by a gentleman who said that they had been expecting her, and as Naomi stepped into the foyer an elderly woman came rushing over.

‘Naomi!’ She gave her a welcoming smile. ‘I’m Barb, Head of Housekeeping.’

‘It’s lovely to meet you, Barb.’

The house was even more stunning inside.

The huge foyer with marble floors and archways was impressive, as was the large curved staircase, but it was all made a little less daunting because the first thing that greeted Naomi was the delicious scent of pine.

There in the corner was a Christmas tree, bigger than any she had ever seen.

An undressed tree.

‘We were waiting to find out what Merida had,’ Barb explained. ‘Have you ever seen a tree decorated pink?’

‘No.’ Naomi laughed.

‘Well, you soon will.’

And even with a soon-to-be-pink tree it was sheer New York elegance and this was only the entrance. Naomi could only imagine what lay behind the high doors.

‘Have you seen the baby?’ Barb asked.

‘Yes, she’s very beautiful. She’s got black hair and a lot of it...’

‘Oh, how precious.’

Naomi didn’t reveal her name, or show the photos she had taken with her phone, as she wasn’t sure it was her place to. Not that Barb asked, she was far too busy chatting. ‘It’s fantastic that you’ve arrived on such a good news day. We were just having a little celebration,’ she added. ‘I’ll show you around.’

‘That can wait.’ Naomi shook her head. ‘A bath and bed is all I need right now. Just show me where I’m sleeping and you can get back to celebrating the baby’s arrival. Though if you can show me the alarm system, that would be great. I don’t want to set it off if I get up in the night.’

Barb did so and as they walked up a huge staircase, lined with family photos Naomi told her about the time she’d had to call an ambulance on her first night at a job for the mother of one of her charges. ‘When I let the paramedics in I set the whole house off. It just added to the chaos.’

‘What a fright you must have had,’ Barb said as she huffed up the stairs. ‘Now, don’t turn left here or you’ll end up in Abe’s wing.’

‘Does he live here?’ Naomi asked, because she hadn’t been expecting that, but Barb shook her head.

‘No, he’s half an hour away, but if he’s been visiting his father late into the night, sometimes he comes home.’ She gave a little laugh. ‘Well, to the family home. Now, this is you.’

She opened a heavy door, and behind it wasn’t the bedroom that Naomi had been expecting to see. Instead, it was more of an apartment, with a lounge, its own bathroom, a small kitchen as well as a bedroom. ‘And the baby has a room, of course...’ Barb said, opening the door onto a small nursery. It wasn’t the main one—this nursery was, Naomi rightly guessed, for the times the nanny had the baby overnight. Not that Merida was intending for that to happen, she had made it clear she wanted the baby with her, but it gave Naomi a glimpse of how things had once worked in the Devereux home.

‘I have to say, I never thought I’d see the day when we had a nanny here again,’ Barb admitted. ‘I got on well with the last one.’

‘How long ago was that?’

‘Let me see, Abe must be nearly thirty-five and Ethan’s thirty. They had nannies till they went off to boarding school, so Ethan’s last one must have been some twenty years ago. They had their work cut out, let me tell you...’ Barb’s flow of words halted.

‘Did the boys run wild?’ Naomi pried, but Barb changed the subject.

‘Now, Merida made it very clear that you’re a guest as well as the baby’s nanny, so you’re to use the main entrance, as well as having access to a driver, and you’ve got full freedom of the house. Still, it might be nice for you to have your own space.’

Naomi nodded.

She guessed that Barb had stopped talking so freely when she’d remembered that Naomi wasn’t just staff but also a guest.

‘I’ll bring you up some dinner, or you’re more than welcome to join us. We’re just having some nibbles...’

‘Don’t worry about dinner for me.’ Naomi shook her head. ‘I ate on the plane. All I want now is a bath and then bed.’

‘Well, you make sure to let me know if you wake up hungry.’

‘If I do, I’ll call out for something,’ Naomi said. She was very used to staying in new places. ‘You go and celebrate and don’t worry about me.’

Once Barb had gone Naomi explored a little. Her bedroom was gorgeous, dressed in lemon and cream with a splash of willow green, and Naomi couldn’t wait to crawl into the plump bed, but first she unpacked and then had a long bath. She had intended it to be a quick one but she dozed off in the middle. She really was very tired so pulled on some pyjamas and crawled into bed. It was delicious to stretch out but sleep wasn’t as forthcoming as she’d hoped it would be, and she lay there with her mind whirring.

A little girl.

Ava.

Oh, she was so thrilled for Merida but, despite her friend’s assurances that everything was fine now, Naomi was very aware that that might just be the high of giving birth and Ethan making promises he might not keep.

Yes, he’d seemed friendly and happy but the Devereuxes were not exactly famous for their devotion to their marriage vows.

Naomi was also worried about the dark times ahead because, having seen Jobe, it was clear to her that he was nearing the end.

It was certainly going to be an emotional time and Naomi was glad that she would be here for her friend.

Ava hadn’t been due for another two weeks. Naomi’s loose plan had been to get over jet lag, as well as the exhaustion of her previous job—usually she would have allowed for more time between jobs but for Merida she had made an exception.

Really, she didn’t consider Merida work, though they had insisted on paying her handsomely.

It still didn’t sit quite right with Naomi, but she tried not to think of that now.

Her plan had been to catch up on her sleep and get her bearings, and to do some sightseeing at the start of her trip. With Ava’s slightly early arrival all her plans had changed.

Tomorrow, she decided, she would go through the nursery and check if there was anything needed and then she’d call the hospital. And then she’d cram in as much sightseeing as possible. Before she could do that, though, she had to buy a coat.

It was on that thought that she fell asleep and then awoke, Naomi had no idea how much time later, to the unsettling feeling she generally had during her first couple of days in a new home.

There was an eerie silence.

Soon she would wake knowing where she was and recognising the shadows on the walls, Naomi told herself as she lay there, but for now it was all unfamiliar.

One feeling she did recognise, though, was the fact that she was starving.

Usually she would have emergency supplies for nights such as this, but there was nothing in her luggage, and anyway a snack wasn’t going to fix this hunger.

Naomi pulled on her robe and drew back the drapes, then understood the odd silence for there was a blanket of snow outside and it was still falling heavily.

Even though the house was warm, the sight made her shiver and she did up the ties on her robe.

It was coming up for midnight and, Naomi decided, there was just one thing she wanted more than anything in the world on her first night in New York.

Pizza.

A big pepperoni pizza, but she wondered if they’d deliver.

No problem!

Naomi ordered online and just fifteen minutes later tracked her pizza working its way along Fifth Avenue!

She padded down the stairs and was just about to sort the alarm when she startled as the front doors opened. A dark-coated man walked through them, bringing with him a blast of cold air and, to Naomi, the warmest of glows.

Perhaps he floated through them, Naomi thought, for he was almost too beautiful to be mortal.

He was more.

It was the only word she could come up with as she stood in the grand entrance, yet it was an apt one.

He was a smidge taller than Ethan and his jet-black hair was worn a touch longer, and was currently flecked with snow. And he was more sullen in appearance than his brother had been, with almost accusing black eyes narrowing as they met hers.

And he was, to Naomi, a whole lot sexier.

Yes, he was more.

He made her heart quicken and she was suddenly terribly aware of her night attire and tangle of hair, because he was just so groomed and glossy and more beautiful than anyone she had ever seen.

‘I thought not,’ Naomi said by way of greeting.

And Abe frowned because not only did he have no idea what she meant, he also had no idea who this voluptuous dark-haired beauty, dressed in her nightwear, was.

Then she walked past him and he watched as she took delivery of a large pizza box and now he better understood her odd greeting.

No, Abe Devereux was definitely not the pizza delivery man!