Читать книгу Truly, Madly, Deeply - Elizabeth August, Elizabeth August - Страница 10

Chapter Three

Dinner, like breakfast and lunch, was eaten at the table in the huge kitchen. And, like the other meals, it was a lively affair. John’s manners were quite good, but the young triplets required attention. In spite of Judd Graham’s presence, Minerva enjoyed being there in the midst of the activity. It was a great deal more interesting than the silent meals spent with her father.

About halfway through the meal, she was reminded of something she had noticed during the morning. Henry babbled a mouthful of unrecognizable sounds and the two girls laughed. Continuing to politely ignore Judd, she said to Lucy, “I would swear that the girls understood what Henry was saying. It’s as if the three of them have a language all their own.”

Lucy smiled. “I believe they do. They’ve babbled back and forth like that since they were babies.”

Maybe Minerva Brodwick would work out just fine, Judd mused silently. Aloud he said, “You are the first one of all the people Mrs. Johnston has sent who realized that the triplets have their own private system of communication.”

The note of approval in his voice caused a surprising rush of elation and she found herself actually smiling at him. When he smiled back, a curl of warmth wove through her. She was merely feeling triumphant that she’d proved to him she was observant and had given his children the attention he wanted, she reasoned.

As the wiping up of the triplets began, Judd said, “I’ll play with the children while you finish unpacking.”

She noticed that this time, although his words still carried the feel of an order, they were not delivered as crisply as before.

Her gaze shifted to the housekeeper. The woman looked tired. “I’ll help Lucy with the dishes first.”

“That really isn’t necessary,” Lucy assured her.

“I want to,” Minerva insisted, and began gathering the plates.

Herding the children out of the kitchen, Judd glanced back at Minerva. There had been kindness in her voice when she’d spoken to Lucy. And her helpfulness was a refreshing change. The other applicants had strictly limited their activities to caring for the children. When offered a break, they had disappeared until summoned.

Or maybe Miss Brodwick was simply trying to make a good impression, his skeptical side suggested. Judging a woman’s true character took a sharp eye and a cynical mind. He’d learned that the hard way.

After helping Lucy with the dishes, Minerva stopped at the door of the playroom on her way to her room. Watching Judd with his children was like watching a totally different man than the one who was constantly confronting her. He was playful, gentle and loving. Suddenly aware that he was looking at her, she asked, “Who shall I start with for the first bath?”

“Henry,” Judd replied, handing his son to her. He was tempted to do the bathing himself, but forced himself to refrain. He needed to be assured that she could handle the job on her own when he wasn’t there.

Entering the large bathroom off the hall across from the children’s rooms, she turned to close the door only to find John there. “We always keep the door open. Henry can be a little rambunctious,” he said, with adult authority that reminded her of his father. “I’ll be here in the hall in case you need help.”

She saw the worried look on his face and smiled reassuringly. “I’ll be happy to leave the door open.”

As she proceeded with the bath, she was aware of John watching her every move. Judd also stopped for a moment to look in. He claimed he was on his way to get a toy from the girls’ room to keep Joan appeased. But she was certain he was checking on her.

“Finished,” she later said, letting out the water. Drying Henry, she then wrapped him in the towel and carried him to his room. John, she noticed, followed close behind. She playfully tickled Henry as she dressed him. But even his happy giggling did not cause John to relax his vigil.

Leaving Henry to play with his toys, she closed the security gate to his room and went to get the girls. “I’ll bathe them both at the same time,” she said, her back muscles beginning to tighten from John’s constant scrutiny.

Judd usually did them both together but he knew they could be a handful. Despite his decision to let her do the bathing on her own, he heard himself asking, “Do you want some help?”

“No. I can handle them.” She was tired and under other circumstances might have accepted assistance. But she was determined to prove to him that she was capable of doing her job. As she took each girl by the hand, she glanced at John who continued to tag along behind her. “I’ll run your bathwater when I’m done with Joan and Judy.”

He flushed and his shoulders straightened with dignity. “I can bathe myself.”

“I’ll just run the water,” she replied diplomatically.

“And I can dry and dress myself,” he added. His manner became very much like his father’s when Judd Graham was laying down his rules. “Then it’s reading time.” He looked to his father. “Will you be reading to us or should Minerva do that?”

“I’ll read tonight and tuck all of you in,” Judd replied.

Minerva saw the relief on the boy’s face and knew he was happy to have his self-appointed sentry duty ending with the bathing.

And she’d be happy to have a break from his watchful eye, she admitted, her back muscle twitching slightly as she bent to run the bath for the girls. Deciding that they should have privacy from their brother, she started to close the bathroom door before undressing them.

“Like I told you when you bathed Henry,” John said, stepping in the doorway to stop her. “We always keep the door open in case you need to yell for help.”

“I thought they should have some privacy,” she returned.

“I won’t watch. But I need the door open so I can hear if you need help,” he insisted.

Seeing the determined, protective expression on his face, she relented. “All right, I’ll leave the door open.”

As she bathed the girls, getting herself nearly as wet as them, Judd Graham paused by the bathroom door to check on her progress.

“I’d hate to be the boys who come around when you two start dating,” she told the girls in confidential tones and they giggled.

She was letting the water drain out and beginning to dry Judy when Judd returned. Retrieving the second towel, he began to dry Joan. Minerva found his closeness unsettling. When their shoulders accidently touched, currents of heat raced through her. Wrapping Judy in the towel, she quickly exited the bathroom.

I’m just overly tense from being constantly watched, she told herself, determined to ignore the disquieting effect the man had on her.

Finally the bathing was over and the children were excitedly choosing the books they wanted read to them. Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, Minerva headed to the kitchen, hoping there was still coffee in the pot. To her relief there was and she poured herself a cup.

“Would you like to join me for a piece of pie?” Lucy asked, coming out of her two-room apartment just off the kitchen.

“Sure,” Minerva agreed, glad to have some friendly adult company. As they sat down at the table with their pie and coffee, she again stretched her back.

“I suppose John watched you constantly,” Lucy said sympathetically. “He did the others. I suppose he could have been at least part of the reason they left so quickly.”

“He is very protective of his brother and sisters,” Minerva commented.

Lucy nodded. “With his mother gone, he’s appointed himself guardian over them. In all my life, I’ve never seen a more mature child.”

“Their mother’s leaving must have come as a shock.” Minerva knew she was prying but she reasoned that the more she knew about her charges, the better she could care for them.

Lucy sighed. “Ingrid Graham was one of those women who should never have had children. She just wasn’t cut out for motherhood. When Judd realized she couldn’t cope, he hired a nanny...even when there was only John. That seemed to help a bit, then she got pregnant with the triplets. She was always so concerned about her looks. I suppose I can’t blame her. She was beautiful and, for her, being beautiful was a lot of who she was. When she got huge with the triplets, she became depressed and she never really got over it. I thought when those tiny cute babies were born, she’d bond with them, but she never did.”

Minerva found herself thinking of her own situation. She’d felt close to her mother but not to her father. As hard as she’d tried to please him, she’d always felt as if she never truly had his approval. “It’s tough growing up with a parent you aren’t certain really likes you.”

Lucy nodded. “It was for the best that Ingrid left. Not that I don’t think those little ones need a mother but they need someone who’s not so selfish or self-centered, someone who loves them.” Lucy glanced toward the kitchen door. “We’d better drop this subject. Judd doesn’t like me talking about her.”

Minerva nodded and let her curiosity turn in another direction. “Have you worked for Mr. Graham a long time?”

“A long time,” Lucy confirmed. “Ten years. Ever since he moved into this house. He was twenty-six and already one of the busiest architects and contractors in the Atlanta area. He’s a self-made man. His parents died in a car crash the year he earned his architect’s degree. His dad had a small construction company. Judd took it over and worked his tail off making it into what it is today.”

“He must be a tough boss,” Minerva said, recalling her encounters with the man.

“Tough but fair,” Lucy confirmed. “My husband, Bill, worked for his daddy and then for him.”

Minerva glanced at Lucy’s hand, for the first time noticing the simple gold band on her finger. “I didn’t arealize you were married.”

“Widowed,” Lucy corrected. “Three years ago. It was an accident at one of the sites. Until then I only came in days to clean and cook. But after Bill died, Judd suggested I move into the housekeeper’s quarters he’d had built onto the kitchen. Bill and I’d had our kids early and they were all grown and away from home. I didn’t much relish the idea of living alone, so I moved in.”

“John must have been around three at the time,” Minerva speculated.

Lucy nodded. “He hung around my kitchen constantly. Sweetest little boy, next to my own, that I’ve ever known. Having him underfoot helped ease the pain of my loss. When he broke his little arm, it just tore me to pieces. Between me and his nanny, Claudia, we babied him unmercifully.”

“He broke his arm?”

“Took a tumble out of bed when he was supposed to be napping.”

Maybe he wasn’t worried about having a nanny who would mistreat his brother and sisters, Minerva thought. Maybe he was just worried about one who wasn’t vigilant enough. Breaking his arm at such a young age coupled with his mother’s desertion had to have left him feeling uncertain about the world. She breathed a mental sigh of relief. She hadn’t liked suspecting that the children had been mistreated.

Exhausted from her day, Minerva said good-night to Lucy and retired to her room while Judd was still reading to the children. After a long, hot shower, she climbed into bed. Before lying down, she made certain both intercoms from the children’s rooms were turned on so she would hear if they woke in the night. Then she turned off her light, lay back and listened to the giggles as Judd tucked in the children, telling each one that he loved them.

Recalling the parting between her and her father, a bitter smile curled her lips. She had not told him until this morning of her plans to leave. She had begun looking for a full-time job a couple of days before his marriage to Julianna and had packed while they were away on their honeymoon. Yesterday, before they returned, she’d loaded her things into her car. As she put the last item in, she’d wondered if he would even notice and guessed he wouldn’t. During the past couple of weeks she’d spent a lot of time remembering their time together and realized that he’d rarely paid much attention to her unless he wanted something for himself. And she’d been right. He hadn’t noticed her loaded car or her sparse room.

When he and Julianna had arrived home last night, they’d sunk down in the chairs in the living room and, pleading exhaustion from their travels, expected her to wait on them. And knowing this would be the last time, she had done just that while they’d laughed and talked together about their trip and never once asked her how she’d been and what she’d done during their absence.

So this morning, hearing her father’s shower running at its usual early hour, she’d waited for him to come down to breakfast. Peter Brodwick had frowned at his place at the table as he entered. There was no plate of eggs and ham waiting for him. His gaze shifted to his daughter seated in her chair with a cup of coffee in front of her. “Where’s my breakfast?”

“If you want someone to cook something for you, you can wake up your new wife,” Minerva had replied calmly. “I merely stayed until you came in so that I could say goodbye. I’m all packed and have found a new place to live.”

Peter’s frown turned to a fatherly smile. “There is no reason for you to move out. There’s plenty of room here for you, your new stepmother and me.”

The house, situated in one of the well-maintained but older communities of Atlanta, was certainly large enough, Minerva conceded. “I know how much room you have here. Ever since I was sixteen and mother died, I’ve cleaned it for you. I’ve also done your laundry and cooked for you. But now you have a new chief cook and housekeeper, and I’m going to have a life of my own.”

Peter’s frown returned. “Julianna is not the domestic type.”

“I know.” The anger Minerva had been hiding bubbled to the surface. “I heard the two of you talking a couple of days before the wedding.”

“You eavesdropped on us,” he growled accusingly.

“I didn’t mean to. I didn’t like the movie I went out to see and came home early. I was on my way upstairs when I heard my name mentioned. You wanted to send me to live with my dear brother, Gerald, so that you and Julianna could be alone. But she pointed out that if I left, who would get up and fix you breakfast? She made it clear she intended to sleep in the mornings. And she also wanted to know who would clean the house and do the laundry.”

“Are you complaining about doing your chores...your fair share? I’ve taken good care of you. You did what is considered woman’s work around here, and I’ve provided you with a roof over your head and food to eat.”

“Yes, you have. But that wasn’t why I stayed. I stayed because I thought you loved me and you needed me. And you said as much when I wanted to go away to college.”

“I do love you and need you,” he assured her.

“I’m not sure about the love part but you did need me. You needed someone to be your maid.”

“It wasn’t as if you were a slave. I paid for you to go to college here in town,” he said in his defense.

“True. But when I finished and wanted to get a full-time job, you talked me out of it. You insinuated that I owed you and I was being an ingrate if I didn’t let you come first on my list of priorities. And I did so want you to love me. So I settled for a part-time job that wouldn’t interfere with my having your breakfast and dinner on the table when you wanted it there.”

He regarded her dryly. “And I suppose you’re going to blame me for you being nearly thirty and not married, either.”

“You’ve pointed out many times that I’m not a beauty... that I take after Aunt Mamie rather than my mother. And, when a man has shown interest in me, you’ve found flaws in him. But, no, I don’t blame you for my not being married. You’re right about me being a plain Jane and you were right about every suitor I’ve ever had. None were the right husband material for me.”

His voice took on a coaxing quality. “You don’t really want to spend the rest of your life living alone in a tiny little apartment.”

“I don’t know what I want except that I want my freedom.”

His manner became practical. “You can’t afford to support yourself on your salary from the day-care center. And I hope you don’t think you can take any furniture out of this house.”

“I’m taking nothing but my personal belongings. And I have a new job.”

The plea returned to his voice. “I still need you. Come on, honey. You don’t really want to leave. You just feel a little out of place with Julianna joining the household. But you shouldn’t.”

“I don’t feel out of place. I feel freed. You have someone to take care of you and I can get on with my life.” Rising, she walked to him, gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I wish you all the best.”

The anger returned to his face. “You’ll regret this. You’ll fail on your own.”

A curl of fear had woven through her. He’d made that prediction in the past and it had caused her to hesitate, to question her ability to survive on her own and finally to retreat to the safe haven he offered her. But not this time. Before she’d been able to convince herself that he loved her and that was why he was so concerned. Now she knew he’d only kept her there because he’d wanted her free services. “Every bird must spread its wings and fly. I’d hoped you’d wish me luck.”

“You need more than luck to survive in the real world. When you crash land, my door will be open and your room will be waiting just as you’ve left it.”

She scowled. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Nodding toward a note on the refrigerator, she said, “I left my new address and phone number.” Then not waiting for him to continue to attempt to undermine her determination, she’d strode out the door.

Backing out of the driveway, she’d noted that he hadn’t even stepped outside to watch her leave. “No doubt he’s more concerned about finding something for his breakfast,” she’d muttered, then shoved him out of her mind and turned her thoughts to finding Judd Graham’s home.

Now lying in bed her first night there, she vowed never to allow herself to be used or manipulated again. From this moment on, she would always face the truth and never deceive herself or allow others to deceive her.

She drew a long, deep refreshing breath, then released it. Smiling, she turned to Travis. “I’m in charge of my own destiny now and I like it.” Then snuggling into her pillow, she slept.