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Chapter Three

Mrs Brody had been shown into the drawing room. Lucas would have known it was her the moment he entered, even before his eyes lighted on her. It was the perfume she wore—that was the thing he remembered about her—a subtle smell, hardly noticeable at all, but nevertheless a part of her.

Dressed in open-necked shirt and light grey silk waistcoat, Lucas stood surveying her from beneath frowning dark eyebrows.

For a moment Eve stared at him blankly. He watched her in silence, fixing her with a gaze so hard that she quailed. What a strong presence this English lord had. It filled the room, momentarily distracting her from her reason for being there. His bearing was proud and he was a man of uncertain temperament. Eve wondered what dark secrets lay behind that handsome visage.

Normally she was unimpressed with exceptionally handsome men because they were either vain or after her money, but this man was neither. He was thoughtful, intelligent and thoroughly male, positively emanating masculine sensuality. All of these attributes, combined with the fact that he had two adorable motherless children, made Eve decide that he was in every respect the right man she wished to work for. His words brought her back to reality with a jolt.

‘Mrs Brody! You seem to have a propensity for invading my home. What is it this time?’ he asked with mock civility. ‘A mislaid child or dog, or another dressing down?’

‘None of those.’ She could hear defiance in her own voice, which she tried to moderate. ‘How is Abigail? None the worse for her encounter with the tree, I hope?’ she asked in an attempt to ease the situation between them.

‘Abigail is very well considering, Mrs Brody.’

‘Then I’m relieved to hear it.’

‘I suspect you are not here to ask about Abigail. This is a surprise.’

‘And not a very pleasant one, I take it, Lord Stainton?’

‘That remains to be seen, though I must admit I had not taken you for a lady who indulged in afternoon calls to gentlemen’s homes. Does visiting friends not keep you busy? I imagined you to be fully occupied from morning till night on the frivolous pastimes with which you ladies fill your days.’

His tone was caustic and his gaze ironic and Eve longed to tell him to go to the devil, but with everything balanced on this interview, and not wishing to antagonise him until she’d told him the reason for her visit, with great self-control she managed to smile politely.

‘As a matter of fact, I prefer to fill my time with more worthwhile pursuits, but I hardly think you would spend your time light-mindedly thinking of what I do with my time, Lord Stainton.’

‘Oh, and why is that, Mrs Brody?’

‘It is merely an impression you give. The picture I have of you in my mind is of a man who does not employ himself with useless thoughts of other people.’

‘Really. I had no idea you had any picture of me in your mind at all, Mrs Brody. In fact, as we have only seen each other on four occasions, I fail to see how you have had time to form any opinion at all.’

‘Oh, I can be charitable when I want to be, Lord Stainton—although I am certainly no saint. Far from it, in fact. My father was for ever telling me that I am not a lady, for I have this awkward habit of arguing when I should be listening and speaking my mind when I should be quiet. Our previous encounters have been unfortunate, and the one at Lady Ellesmere’s a misunderstanding. We—do seem to have got off on the wrong foot.’

‘Don’t we just.’

Not to be put off, she ploughed on. ‘I…have given our unfortunate encounters—and your predicament—some thought, Lord Stainton.’

‘Indeed!’ With narrowed, shuttered eyes focused on her face, he moved closer, looming over her. ‘My predicament! And you know all about that, do you?’

‘I know that Miss Lacy is to leave your employment very soon and that you must be concerned for your children’s future well being.’

The muscles of his face tightened and a hard gleam entered his eyes. ‘Prying into my affairs is a tasteless invasion of my privacy, Mrs Brody. I am very grateful for your concern, but I can assure you I don’t need it.’

Eve began to feel her spirits drop. ‘I see. So you have already found a replacement.’

‘No, as a matter of fact I have not—at least not yet.’ Lucas was becoming extremely frustrated at the difficulty he was having trying to find a suitable nursemaid. There were plenty of available women well qualified in looking after children, but none of them seemed willing to take on the position of working for the formidable Lord Stainton. Only two had approached him. One had the hard features of a harridan he would never consider letting close to his children, and he was sure there had been the smell of drink about the other.

‘Then perhaps I can be of help.’

‘You? Mrs Brody, am I supposed to be impressed or flattered by your show of interest in me and my affairs? Dear me, what a persistent busybody you are.’

‘I have a proposition to put to you, Lord Stainton,’ she went on, ignoring his sarcastic diatribe and looking him straight in the eye, ‘a proposition that may be of benefit to us both.’

Resting his hips against a rather splendid walnut desk, the only piece of furniture left in the room, he regarded her coldly. ‘I am intrigued.’

Eve wasn’t sure how to interpret his tone. She waited for him to ask her to go on, but instead he folded his arms and stared at her, looking oddly impatient. She’d gone over what she wanted to say to him so many times that she was afraid it was going to sound like a well-rehearsed speech, and now the moment had arrived it came out in one sentence.

‘I would like to apply for the position as nursemaid to your children.’

‘What?’ His amazement was genuine and he looked at her incredulously. ‘You?’

Eve felt a wave of desperation as she strove for control and to calm her mounting fears. ‘As mad and impossible as it seems to you, yes, me.’

‘Mrs Brody! Is this your idea of a joke?’

Eve stiffened and lifted her chin. ‘A joke? I find nothing amusing, Lord Stainton. I have given the matter a great deal of thought and it’s a solution I am sure would suit us both.’

Recovering from the shock her suggestion had caused, Lucas burst out laughing unpleasantly, his reaction telling her that her application was not only ridiculous, but laughingly so. ‘You, of all people, want to look after my children?’

Eve flushed violently. This arrogant Englishman had a habit of crushing her with shame and anger, but she refused to retreat now she had come so far. ‘There is nothing unusual in it, Sir. I like children—indeed, I have one of my own, as you know. I am eminently suitable to be a nursemaid and have the advantage of having met Sophie and Abigail. They are two beautiful girls and I get on with them well.’

‘Yes, I saw that in the park,’ Lucas was forced to concede, having dwelt on the charming picture that had remained in his mind of Mrs Brody comforting Abigail with soft words as she held her close. ‘But—forgive me if I seem somewhat perplexed. You see, I have been led to believe that you are a wealthy woman, Mrs Brody, in which case I am bewildered as to why you should be seeking such lowly employment.’

‘I do not consider looking after children to be a lowly occupation, Lord Stainton—quite the opposite, in fact. It is a worthwhile and rewarding profession. It is true that my father was a wealthy man—and as his only child that wealth will pass to me. Unfortunately, there are legal matters to be taken care of in America, and until such time as the money is made available to me, I find myself in—unfortunate circumstances. I also have a daughter to raise. It is a situation that makes it necessary for me to seek employment.’

He looked at her hard, and after a pause he snapped, ‘Temporary employment by the sound of it. I am not interested in setting someone on who will see it only as a short-term post, Mrs Brody, someone who will up and leave when she no longer has the need to stay.’

Eve felt hesitant, slightly uncertain, as well she might, in the face of such cold regard. ‘Yes—I suppose it would be temporary, but this might be the case with whomever you employ. I can assure you that I would not leave until you had found someone else. Of course, I realise you will need time to consider my proposition.’

He spoke through gritted teeth, his eyes hard. ‘I have. It took precisely one second. The answer is no.’

Their eyes locked.

‘I see. Won’t you at least consider it?’

‘There is no question of it.’ Biting down visibly on his impatience, he brought himself to his full height. ‘I have no place in my house for a woman of volatile temperament and who has no regard for her employer or his children that she would leave without a thought of how it might hurt their tender feelings. That said, the interview is concluded and I think it would be better for us both if you left.’

Eve clenched her hands tightly. When she had come here, her objective had seemed close within her reach, but now was as remote as ever. ‘Really, Lord Stainton, my proposition cannot be as dreadful as all that. I would not intentionally do anything to hurt your children. I am offering to look after them, to give you the perfect answer to your dilemma, and you are reacting as though I have suggested I commit murder.’

‘As I might, if you remain here a moment longer. So, before you insult me further, Mrs Brody, with any more of your outrageous proposals, I would be grateful if you would leave my house.’ He saw the banked fires leaping dangerously into flames in her eyes, and he deliberately threw verbal oil at her. ‘I am sure after your time in America you are ignorant of such things as etiquette, but the English place great importance on such matters. Take my advice and learn the rules before you go knocking on any more doors and offering your services. You may get more than you bargained for.’

His volatile anger was tangible, frightening and completely incomprehensible to Eve, who had never met anyone like him. Shocked into stricken paralysis, she stared at him as the insult hit home. Then her temper exploded and she silenced him with the only means available—she slapped him so hard his head jerked sideways, then she took an automatic step back from the ice-cold fury in his eyes.

‘How dare you insult me when I came here with nothing but good intentions? I will not tolerate it. Contrary to what you might or might not think of me, sir, I am not a savage. Perhaps my fellow Americans are to you. If so, then that might explain how we managed to beat you in the war we fought for our independence.’

Lucas’s jaw tightened and his eyes were glacial. ‘Try anything like that again and I will personally throw you out on to the street while your hand is in the air,’ he said, icily and evenly. ‘I am a survivor, Mrs Brody, and I have an ugly temper when roused. Don’t test me any further.’

His tone was implacable and left no room for argument. ‘Very well. I’ll go. I’m sorry to have inflicted myself on you.’ Still fuming, taking a card from her reticule she held it out to him. When he made no move to take it, she slapped it down on the desk, refusing to give up on him or his children just yet. ‘However, when you’ve had time to come to your senses, to calm down and think more rationally, you may see things differently. This is where I am staying—should you change your mind.’

With nothing more than a quick nod, with her head held high and a swish of her skirts she took her leave. As she left the house she understood that his decision was irrevocable.

‘Well, what did he say?’ Beth asked, having waited impatiently for Eve to get back from Upper Brook Street. ‘Did he agree to your application, or did he think you were mad?’

‘I’m sure he did think I was mad, Beth. He refused. Absolutely.’ In frustration Eve strode past Beth into the drawing room. ‘He accused me of being an ignorant American, saying that my proposition was quite outrageous—and a great deal more that I won’t offend your sensibilities by repeating. The man’s an overpowering, conceited beast.’

‘And what did you say?’

‘I slapped his face.’

Beth stared at her in shocked disbelief. ‘You slapped Lord Stainton?’

‘He deserved it.’

Beth watched Eve pace distractedly across the room. ‘And no doubt he was furious and asked you to leave.’

‘Nothing so genteel, Beth. He didn’t ask, he ordered me out.’

Perturbed, Beth sighed. Histrionics weren’t in Eve’s character and in all their lives she had never seen her friend so put out. After a time she ventured, ‘So—that’s it, then. You won’t be working for Lord Stainton.’

‘It doesn’t look like it. I doubt he’d even consider taking on a woman who had the temerity to slap his face.’

* * *

For the next two days Lucas immersed himself in the usual duties and matters of business, firmly believing that it was the only way he could put Mrs Brody’s visit from his mind, which had unsettled him more than he cared to admit. When Henry Channing arrived, he was grateful for the distraction as he tore his gaze from the letter that had just been delivered.

‘Dear Lord! You call this a house, Lucas?’ Henry remarked, glancing around the almost empty salon. ‘This place looks like a mausoleum—all walls, pillars, statues and space.’

‘What do you expect? I’ve sent most of the furniture and artefacts to be auctioned off.’

Never able to stand still for long, Henry helped himself to a brandy and began to wander about the room. ‘There were some rather fine pieces, as I recall. I may even buy some myself.’

‘Feel free. There are plenty to choose from at Sotheby’s. What brings you here today, Henry? A social call?’

‘Of course. You know how I like your company, dear boy. Although,’ he said, his face losing its jocular expression and becoming serious, ‘I did hear some news at my club in St James’s earlier that might be of interest to you—not good news, I hasten to add.’ When Lucas gave him his full attention, he said, ‘Those two shipping yards on the Thames have gone under, Lucas. I’m sorry.’

Genuine concern for his friend clouded Henry’s eyes. They had known each other since their Cambridge days. Henry had always admired Lucas. He was so controlled, so disciplined and determined, forthright and dynamic, driven in everything he put his mind to. As a businessman he was resourceful. He invested his money wisely, buying stock in new inventions and anything he thought promising with confident expectation of future gains. They usually paid off, again and again.

Unfortunately his brother Stephen had not been so clever. Lucas had told him he could not be expected to subsidise him indefinitely, but, unable to curtail his brother’s extravagance, he bailed him out every time, selling stock until his own affairs had reached the point of crisis. He went from a man of substance to being branded a bad risk, and when some of his own investments went under, losses he could normally have withstood, he accrued tremendous personal loss.

And now the news that two of the shipping yards he had invested in—practically the last thing he had to hold on to—had closed, was the final straw.

‘Good grief, Lucas. You look as if I’ve just handed you a death sentence.’

‘Perhaps you have.’

‘What do you mean by that?’ Henry realised that this was the worst possible time for Lucas. Suddenly alarm sprang into his eyes. ‘I say, you’re not—I mean, you won’t—’

‘What? Shoot myself?’ A cynical smile curved Lucas’s lips. ‘Nothing so easy. I have my daughters to consider. Their mother may have deserted them, but I will not.’ Looking down at the letter in his hand, he became thoughtful.

‘What is it about that letter that seems to hold your interest, Lucas?’

‘I’m not sure. It’s just arrived from my brother’s solicitor along with the deeds to some land in the north-east.’

‘I didn’t know you owned land in my neck of the woods.’

‘I don’t. Apparently it’s a parcel of land Stephen won off a landowner up in Newcastle—who is now no longer with us.’

‘I see. It sounds interesting. As you know, my own family have been making a profit from coal for decades in those parts. What will you do? Sell it? My father might be happy to make you an offer.’

Lucas shook his head. ‘I won’t sell it, not if there’s coal to be got—at least not until I’ve made some enquiries. I’ll contact a mining engineer to have it checked out.’ His lips curved in an ironic smile. ‘You never know, Henry, it might put me back on the road to recovery.’

‘I sincerely hope so, Lucas. You always did find making money easy. I have no doubt at all that you will soon be over this present crisis and back on your feet. I wish you luck, and if you do go up there then my home is at your disposal. In the meantime, are you able to carry on?’

‘Not for long—but at the moment my prime concern is finding a new nursemaid for Sophie and Abigail before I leave for Laurel Court.’

‘Which is when?’

‘As soon as possible. I haven’t been to the old place since before Stephen died. Eventually I intend moving there permanently, but first I must go and inspect the place. Lord knows what condition it’s in, although any repairs that need doing will have to wait until I’m solvent.’

‘I would have thought you’d have no problem getting a nursemaid.’

‘So did I, but it’s proving to be more difficult than I thought it would be. I’ve seen several, but none that was suitable—although, perhaps there was one.’

‘Then ask her to come again and see how she gets on with the children.’

‘Oh, she gets on with them—and they adore her.’

‘Then what’s the problem? Who is she?’

‘Mrs Brody.’

Henry almost choked on his brandy. Uttering a sound of disbelief, he stared at him. ‘The Mrs Brody?’ he asked, astounded when Lucas nodded. ‘You’re jesting, Lucas. You have to be. Tell me the truth.’

‘On the contrary, Henry, I am in earnest.’ He went on to tell Henry about the American widow’s visit.

‘But—I thought the two of you were at daggers drawn?’

Lucas shook his head. ‘We were, but her application could be of benefit to both of us.’ He smiled wryly. ‘You might say she could be the answer to all my prayers.’

‘But she is an extremely wealthy woman in her own right. Why the devil would a woman like her want to become a hired help?’

Lucas shrugged. ‘She has her reasons.’

‘And will you take her on?’

‘I haven’t decided. I confess that after giving her application a great deal of thought—and needing someone to replace Miss Lacy within the week—I am sorely tempted, if not desperate.’

Suddenly his gaze lighted on the card Mrs Brody had put down on his desk. Picking it up, he looked at it for a long hard moment. Her face came to mind. She was certainly attractive enough. Indeed, from the moment he had set eyes on her his baser instincts had been stirred. In fact, he couldn’t understand why she could evoke a combustible combination of fury and the desire to know her better in him within minutes of meeting her. Slowly and methodically he began reviewing the American widow’s serious proposition, making two lists in his mind—one for accepting her offer and one against. The former won.

* * *

By the time Lucas reached the Seagrove residence and was shown inside, frustration and suspense had twisted every muscle of his body into knots. His voice, demanding to see Mrs Brody, echoed through the house from the hallway, his presence like a strong wind blowing through the quiet rooms, bringing everything that was masculine and loud into the unruffled and well-ordered running of the house.

Eve came out of the drawing room to see who the visitor was, and in a flash her tranquillity was swept away. She could feel the very air move forcefully and snap with a restless intensity that Lucas Stainton seemed to discharge. Clad in an immaculately fitting dark-green coat that deepened his swarthy complexion and turned his eyes to the colour of light blue steel, he looked lethally handsome and incredibly alluring.

‘Lord Stainton!’

‘I would like a word with you, Mrs Brody.’

Lucas strode across the hall and walked straight past her into the drawing room, skirting the hovering servant as if she were not there. ‘Leave us.’

His command was peremptory and the servant stepped back in shock. She glanced at Eve, seeking permission to leave, but Eve was not looking at her. Her eyes were fixed on her visitor. When the drawing-room door closed, shaking her head, the usually slow-moving servant slipped away at a faster pace.

‘We have to talk,’ Lucas said without preamble, striding into the centre of the room where he turned and looked at Eve. ‘There are things we have to discuss.’

Eve raised her brows. His arrival indicated that her proposition had pricked his interest, providing her with the opportunity to chip away at his defences. Her spirits were lifted a little. ‘We do?’

‘Whatever I thought of your audacity to come to my house and offer yourself to look after my children, I should have had the courtesy to listen to you.’

‘Yes, you should. It was most ungentlemanly of you to order me out of the house the way you did.’

A wry smile added to his hard features. ‘According to your blistering tirade, I haven’t done anything to give you the impression that I am a gentleman.’

Eve stared at him, her anger forgotten. ‘No, you have not. Are you apologising?’

He looked puzzled for a moment, then he nodded. ‘Of course.’

‘Then I apologise for slapping you. It was most undignified of me and I should have known better.’

‘Do you regret it?’

Eve lifted her brows, eyeing him with an impenitent smile. ‘No. You deserved it.’

‘You’re right,’ he admitted, ‘but don’t push your luck.’

A sudden smile dawned across his face and Eve’s heart skipped a beat. Lord Stainton had a smile that could melt an iceberg—when he chose to use it.

‘When you had left, I was afraid I might have been too harsh and it was unforgivable of me to ask you to leave so abruptly.’

For a moment Eve was too stunned to speak. ‘And now? Are you willing to listen to me and consider seriously my application?’ she managed to say in response.

‘Yes, I am, but I am a cautious man and there are many aspects to consider.’

She shot a glance at him beneath her lashes, and because he seemed to be genuinely interested and approachable for the first time, she continued haltingly, ‘Before…we go any further, I… would like you to know that I don’t usually go around knocking on gentlemen’s doors. Yours was the first and will definitely be the last.’

He grinned, his features relaxing. ‘I’m relieved to hear it.’

Lucas folded his arms casually across his chest. She was standing with her back to the door, surveying him with a steady gaze. For a moment he was taken aback by the sheer magnetism of her presence. She was dressed in a riding habit of midnight blue velvet, her hair arranged in glossy twists and curls about her well-shaped head that made it look like a beacon of light, and in that room of gentle shades she was a vibrant reminder that life went on.

Hers was a dangerous kind of beauty, for she had the power to touch upon a man’s vulnerability with a flash of her dark blue eyes. Holding his gaze with her challenging stare and quietly determined manner, she crossed towards him with a smooth fluid grace and he felt suddenly exposed. He was staring at her, he realised, but he couldn’t help himself. He was unsure why he was so quick to anger when he was with her. Perhaps unlike so many other women—excluding Maxine—she refused to be intimidated or impressed by him. Maybe she even disliked him a little. The thought hurt.

Their eyes met, measuring each other up, thoughtfully, calculating, aware of the differences in their backgrounds, but aware, too, of a personal interaction.

‘It seems I am in your debt, Mrs Brody, and I apologise for not having thanked you before now.’

‘Thanked me? For what?’

‘You took care of Miss Lacy when she was feeling unwell, the day you met in the park, and took the trouble to see her and the children home safely.’

Eve smiled. ‘I merely did what any caring citizen would have done.’

‘It was a kindness. Thank you. Now, about our last meeting—’

‘You were angry and harsh,’ she cut in. ‘But now you have had time to consider what I proposed, I hope you realise there was some sense in it.’

He nodded. ‘What you propose does make sense—even though it would be a temporary arrangement. In that I thank you for being honest with me.’

‘That is my way. I come from a proud family with background and tradition, and respectability.’ She smiled slightly. ‘I do not underestimate your intelligence and knew full well when I went to see you that you wouldn’t agree to my proposition outright. Anything you wish to know about me you only have to ask Beth and William Seagrove.’

‘I would like you to tell me why you think I should employ you, Mrs Brody, what desirable attributes you possess that makes you so certain you are capable of looking after my daughters.’

‘Well, I am intelligent and sensible and I excel at whatever I put my mind to. I am well read and speak French and Latin and a little Greek—and I sew a fine seam.’ She smiled, a smile that lit up her eyes. ‘I am also good with children, which surely is what you are looking for in the person you employ. I would look forward to getting to know them. They are quite adorable.’

‘They are?’

He seemed surprised by her remark, which Eve thought strange. ‘Don’t you think so?’

‘Children are children, Mrs Brody.’

‘Not when they are your own.’

He looked at her with narrowed eyes. ‘You—know that I am divorced from their mother—that she walked out on both me and her children?’

‘Yes, and for what it’s worth I am sorry. It—must have been a very difficult time for you.’ Her look was one of understanding. ‘I am offering you a way out, Lord Stainton, and I promise that if you are willing to admit me into your household, when the time comes for me to leave it will be done in such a way as to cause Sophie and Abigail minimum distress.’

Lucas was studying her with interest. He had seen the smile flicker across her eyes and the expression had caught his full attention. For a moment they considered each other thoughtfully before Eve looked away. He was a very handsome man.

‘When can you start?’ Lucas asked suddenly.

‘Start?’

‘Your full-time employment.’

It was said diffidently, but the effect it had on Eve was quite dramatic. Her face, as she stared at her new employer, was young, full of disbelief and a shining hope, showing how much she had wanted this position. ‘Why—I—I hadn’t thought,’ she uttered haltingly, ‘but I suppose I could start right away. When is Sarah—Miss Lacy leaving?’

‘Two days, so it does not give you much time. Come to the house tomorrow—we will discuss your wages and Miss Lacy will familiarise you with things you need to know. You will have full charge of Sophie and Abigail. I want to leave for my home in Oxfordshire four days hence, so there will be preparations to make. It will be a short visit—time enough for me to assess what needs to be done since I have not visited the estate for some time.’

‘And the children?’

‘Are to come with me. A jaunt in the country—the country air and all that—will do them good. You, of course, will accompany them.’

‘And my daughter?’ Eve asked tentatively, realising that she had failed to mention Estelle and that he might consider it inappropriate for the nursemaid’s daughter to be in the company of his own. ‘As much as I want to look after your children, Lord Stainton, I will not be parted from my daughter.’

‘And I would not expect you to be. She can occupy the nursery with Sophie and Abigail. I remember they got on rather well.’

‘Yes—yes, they did.’

‘Good,’ he said, striding to the door, where he turned and looked back at her. ‘Good day, Mrs Brody. I shall expect to see you at my house in the morning at ten o’clock.’

Eve arrived at Lord Stainton’s house the following morning with Estelle. They were expected and admitted by a footman, who immediately went to inform his lordship of their arrival.

The tap of decisive, familiar footsteps warned Eve of Lord Stainton’s approach. Turning quickly, she watched him cross the hall towards her. He smiled, a smile that took her breath away, his pale blue eyes meeting hers.

‘I hope I’m not late,’ she said hurriedly, nervous now he was her employer.

‘You are on time. I always make sure I am punctual for appointments, Mrs Brody, and I expect punctuality in others.’ He shot a look at the footman. ‘Fetch Mrs Coombs. She can show Mrs Brody what’s what.’

‘Mrs Coombs is your housekeeper?’ Eve enquired, holding Estelle’s hand tight.

He nodded. ‘She is, although many years ago she was my nurse. At present I employ eight members of staff. Bennet is my butler of long standing, and Mrs Coombs is my housekeeper and cook, with Nelly the kitchen maid. There are two footmen—not forgetting Miss Lacy and my valet. There is also Herbert Shepherd, my carriage driver. He looks after the few horses I have left. When I decided to sell the house I had to let most of the servants go. There was no point in keeping them on. But here’s Mrs Coombs,’ he said, beckoning the elderly housekeeper who was looking at the new nursemaid with interest.

‘Mrs Coombs, this is Mrs Brody, who is to replace Miss Lacy. Be so good as to show her up to the nursery. I’m sure she’d like to see the children and familiarise herself with everything before Miss Lacy leaves us.’

Mrs Brody’s name was not unfamiliar to Mrs Coombs. She had heard all about the furore between this young woman and his lordship from Miss Lacy and it had caused much talk and laughter among the meagre staff. She had nothing but admiration for the young lady. There weren’t many people who would dare stand up to Lord Stainton, and Mrs Brody had tested both his patience and his temper—which was volatile at the best of times—fearlessly giving as much as she got. Jolly good luck to her, she thought with a pleased little chuckle.