Читать книгу A Nanny For Keeps - Janet Barton Lee - Страница 12

Chapter Four

Tyler went out to the reception area, where Michael Heaton was waiting for him, and they took the elevator downstairs and then strode out onto the street. Tyler had found that New York City traffic was every bit as bad as London’s was, but he was beginning to learn his way around.

“I thought we’d walk to the restaurant I have in mind. It caters mostly to businessmen, and don’t tell the ladies, but I’ve found it’s nice to talk business there.” Michael grinned at him.

Tyler laughed. “I understand.”

They arrived at the restaurant and in a matter of minutes were seated and had their orders taken.

“Mother told me that Georgia Marshall was stepping in to help you out for a while,” Michael said.

“Yes, she is. You know her?”

“Oh, yes. Besides being a boarder at Heaton House, our families have been friends for a long time. Georgia will do her best for you.”

Tyler could feel himself relax at Michael’s words. “I believe she will. This transition hasn’t been easy on any of us and I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate your mother’s help. The fact that she highly recommended Miss Marshall put my mind at ease. But still, I am concerned a bit. My girls ran the last nanny off with their pranks, and while I believe it was because they are still missing their mother and the nanny who went back to England, I’m not sure what I’ll do if they do the same to Miss Marshall.”

“I can’t imagine what you’ve been through. I am sorry for the loss of your wife. I’m sure Georgia will do her best to help your daughters. I wouldn’t be too concerned about them running her off. She’s taught school for several years now, and from what I’ve heard, she is very good with children.”

“Do you know why she came to New York?” Tyler hoped Michael wouldn’t think him too nosy, but he was curious.

“I don’t know for sure. My wife thinks it was from a broken heart.”

“Was she engaged?”

“No. But we all thought she’d marry her next-door neighbor. But he surprised us all—Georgia more than anyone, we suspect—and asked her sister to marry him instead. Georgia stayed in Ashland until after the wedding but, well, you can imagine how difficult it must have been for her.”

“Oh, yes, I can,” Tyler said. He was a bit surprised by the anger he felt toward Miss Marshall’s neighbor, realizing that he was now her brother-in-law. How painful that must have been for her. “I am sorry for the heartbreak she might be going through, but I must admit I’m glad to have her free to help us.”

And to know that she didn’t have a beau who might have demands on her time.

“I think helping you out will be good for her, too,” Michael said.

“I hope so.”

Their meal came and the conversation turned to business.

“So you want the larger office next to mine?”

“Yes.”

“It needs a fresh coat of paint and, of course, I’ll have that done. When would you want to move in?” Michael asked.

“How about the first of June? That will give me time to choose the furnishings, take the bar exam and see how things are going with the girls and Miss Marshall.”

“Sounds good to me. I’m glad to have you as a tenant, Sir Tyler.”

“And I’m glad you had space available. I’ll pay the rent starting now, of course.”

Michael shook his head. “There’s no need for that. We’ll have a contract drawn up to start in June. Until then, feel free to come by and take measurements or whatever you need to do. I’ll not be leasing it to anyone else.”

By the time Tyler left the restaurant, he felt he’d made a new friend and at least begun the tedious task of setting up office. He’d go look for furnishings at the shops Michael had recommended over the next few weeks.

For now, though, he looked forward to getting home and seeing the girls and Miss Marshall. But when he arrived back home, it was to find that Miss Marshall and his daughters weren’t back yet, and disappointment that he had no one but Tate to share his news with washed over him.

He made his way down to the kitchen to make sure Mrs. Biddle wasn’t upset that her lunch plans had to be changed. She seemed quite surprised to see him in the kitchen. “Sir Tyler, is there anything I can get for you?”

“No, thank you, Mrs. Biddle. I hope that Miss Marshall and I didn’t put you out too much with our change in lunch plans. She gave you plenty of notice, didn’t she?” Although he wasn’t so sure he’d given her enough.

“Oh, yes, she did, Sir Tyler. And Miss Polly and Miss Lilly were ever so thrilled about going.”

“Very good.” He made his way back to his study, glad Mrs. Biddle wasn’t upset. And he was happy his daughters had been excited about the day’s plans. Still, the house seemed much too quiet and he had a feeling he wouldn’t settle down to work until his girls were back home.

* * *

By the time Georgia put the girls down to nap, she was feeling better about accepting the position as their nanny. She’d been very pleased with how well behaved they were at Rebecca’s. And she was happy that they got along so well with Jenny. The girls had played outdoors while she and Rebecca caught up with each other. Their families had been friends for a very long time back in Virginia, and Georgia felt blessed that she’d been able to reunite with Mrs. Heaton’s family when she’d moved to the city.

“How do you think you’re going to like being a nanny?” Rebecca had asked as she’d poured them some tea.

“I don’t know just yet, but I’m going to try to do well at it. The girls have had so much to deal with—I believe they’re still grieving the loss of their mother and missing the nanny who’d cared for them since they were born. I pray I can help them adjust to living in America.”

“I’m sure you will, Georgia. You’ve always had a way with children.”

“I hope I can live up to your expectations, Rebecca,” Georgia said. “I would like to be able to help them and their papa.”

“He’s very handsome, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is,” Georgia said. Much too handsome, in her opinion. And she was more than a little disturbed by the amount of time she’d spent thinking about him. She’d become adept at pushing thoughts of men— especially handsome ones—out of her mind. She did not intend to give her heart to another. Not after Phillip Wilson. The one man she’d loved—her best friend from childhood, no less—gave her the impression from an early age they would one day be married and then had asked her sister to become his wife!

After that, Georgia had come to the conclusion there wasn’t one trustworthy man out there—not with her heart, anyway. No matter how handsome he might be. “I’m sure he’ll have his choice of wealthy young women once they realize he’s here.”

“Perhaps,” Rebecca had said. “But he might not be interested in them.”

“I suppose only time will tell.” And she really didn’t want to think about that possibility. His daughters had enough to adjust to as things were.

She’d been relieved when Rebecca had changed the subject and suggested they take the girls on an outing. They made plans to take them to Central Park, and after they’d told the girls, that was all Polly and Lilly could talk about on the way home.

“Nanny never wanted to take us to the big park,” Lilly had said. “We asked, but she just was too afraid.”

“Well, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Perhaps she was a little nervous being in a new country and all,” Georgia said.

“But we aren’t nervous. Papa said America was a wonderful place and where Mama was born. What is there to be frightened of?” Polly asked.

Oh, the innocence of a child. “One should always be cautious when going out, but when people are in a place they’ve never been before, it isn’t uncommon for some to be quite apprehensive. Your English nanny was raised in a smaller place than New York City. So was I, and it takes getting used to going out and about in a place this large,” Georgia said.

If it hadn’t been for living at Heaton House and going in and out with the other boarders, she would have been quite fearful. It hadn’t taken long to understand why Mrs. Heaton always insisted her female boarders had male escorts, or went in a group if they went out of an evening. But Polly and Lilly were too young to understand that now. And there was no need to make them fearful. “But I soon got used to it and I’m sure your nanny would have, too, had she stayed long enough.”

“I miss her,” Polly said, “but I’m glad we have you.”

“Thank you, Miss Polly. I appreciate you saying so. Now rest a bit before you see your papa. He’ll want to know about your day when you see him.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Polly said, then yawned.

They’d played hard with Jenny, and Lilly’s eyes were closing as Georgia pulled a light cover over her. She pulled the shades on the windows and went downstairs to ask Mrs. Biddle for a cup of tea.

She wasn’t expecting to run into Sir Tyler in the foyer. “Miss Marshall. You’re back. I was just going to see if Tate had seen you come in.”

“Oh, we’ve been back awhile. I’m sorry—did you need me or the girls?”

“No, I was a little surprised that you weren’t here for lunch—”

“Oh! Should I have asked if it was all right to—”

“No, I gave you freedom to plan their days. And it’s fine. I wasn’t actually here at noon, either. I had lunch with Michael Heaton. I’ve decided to lease an office in his building, but maybe I should have waited a while longer. Do you think it will be too hard for them to have me working away from home with all the changes I’ve put them through?”

“I don’t know. Are they used to having time with you during the day? And how far is the office from here?”

“The office is on Third Avenue in Michael Heaton’s building. I usually see my daughters in the morning and check in on them at lunchtime. Then, of course, there is teatime, when Nanny brought them in. And I... Things have been different since their mother passed away and we don’t really have a schedule. I’ve been hoping you’d help with that.”

“I can try. And if the girls aren’t used to spending a lot of time with you during the day, I doubt that setting up your office a few blocks away will upset them too much. If you were needed, you’d be able to get home quickly. I suppose we’ll just have to see how it goes.”

He visibly relaxed and Georgia breathed a sigh of relief. Sir Tyler wasn’t angry with her. He seemed to be trying to find his way through the painful adjustment of raising his daughters without his wife. And as Georgia’s heart melted in compassion for the man, she prayed she’d be able to help him.

* * *

By the end of the first week, Georgia felt as if she might be able to handle the nanny position. The girls seemed to like her and they were well behaved—at least so far.

They were very close and whispered between themselves quite often, and they seemed to get along with each other exceptionally well. Of course, that was most likely due to the loss they shared. Her heart hurt for them each time she thought about how much they’d been through.

But she was still having a hard time adjusting with the way Sir Tyler parented. Evidently wealthy English parents didn’t spend quite as much time with their children as American ones did. Or maybe that wasn’t quite fair. It could be that the wealthy of both countries did things differently. Even among her friends in Ashland, not all of them had parents like hers.

Still, she knew Sir Tyler loved his girls. He’d made that very plain from the beginning. She could see it in his eyes when he watched them together. But he just didn’t seem to have any idea how to really interact with them.

She almost hated to leave them on Friday evening, but she’d promised Polly and Lilly that she’d be there early Monday morning and that seemed to satisfy them.

Georgia headed downstairs to let Sir Tyler know they were ready for him to listen to their prayers. It was something she’d begun to do each evening, hoping to give them a bit more time with him.

Mr. Tate was at the bottom of the stairs and must have been waiting for her, for he nodded and said, “Sir Tyler asked me to tell you he is in his study, Miss Marshall.”

“Thank you, Mr. Tate.” He led the way and Georgia was left to follow.

“Miss Marshall, Sir Tyler.”

“Please come in,” Sir Tyler said, getting up from his chair and motioning to a chair adjacent to his. “Would you like some tea before you leave?”

“No, thank you.”

Georgia took the seat as he turned to his butler. “Thank you, Tate. That will be all for now.”

He then sat back down. “I suppose my girls are ready for me to come up and hear their prayers.”

“They are. They were giggling with each other before I got out of the room.”

“I can’t tell you how that warms my heart. They’ve always gotten along well, but I haven’t heard many giggles lately—not until you came to us. I wanted to be sure and let you know how much I appreciate whatever it is you’ve done to bring that about.”

“Oh, I’m not sure I can take credit for that, Sir Tyler. I—”

The expression in Sir Tyler’s eyes when he shook his head and smiled at her had her heart skittering in her chest.

“Oh, I believe you can. At any rate, thank you.” He slipped his hand into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out an envelope. “This is your first week’s pay.”

“Oh, I wasn’t expecting to get paid so quickly. Thank you.” She took the envelope from him and their fingers brushed, making her catch her breath. She hoped he couldn’t tell how flustered she felt.

“You’re welcome.” He stood and so did she. “I suppose I’d best go listen to those prayers. They already pray for you, you know.”

“How sweet,” Georgia said as they walked out into the foyer. “I pray for them as well. I’ll see you all on Monday or at church on Sunday, I suppose.”

“You will. Have a good weekend, Miss Marshall.”

“You, too, Sir Tyler.”

He gave another smile and turned to the stairs while Mr. Tate showed her out.

“Good night, Miss Marshall,” the butler said.

“Good night, Mr. Tate.”

She heard the door shut behind her and hurried over to the steps of Heaton House. Happy as she was to have the weekend off, she felt a little guilty for leaving Sir Tyler and Mr. Tate.

Then she scolded herself. She wasn’t indispensable, after all! She heard the boarders in the parlor as soon as she opened the door and hurried inside to join them.

“Georgia! How nice it is to have you home for more than a few hours!” Julia exclaimed.

“Oh, it is!” Emily added.

“I’m glad to be here. I’ve missed evenings at Heaton House. What have you got planned for the weekend?”

“Your favorite meal, for one,” Mrs. Heaton said from behind her. “It’s good to know we have you for the whole weekend.”

“Mostly we’re going to enjoy spending time with you,” Julia said. “But remember, Matt and Millicent’s housewarming is next Saturday.”

“Oh! I’d forgotten about that. Are we going in together on a gift?”

“We were just talking about that. Mrs. Heaton suggested we get a brass bowl similar to what we got for the other couples. We can go down tomorrow morning and pick one out together, if you’d all like,” Julia said.

“Oh, I’d love to help.” And hopefully it would take her mind off of Sir Tyler and his daughters. The girls should be asleep by now, but what was he doing? She always wondered about that once she left. The first night, she’d stopped at the window of the upstairs hall that looked out on Mrs. Heaton’s garden. She’d seen a glow of lamplight on the courtyard next door and thought it must be coming from Sir Tyler’s study window.

And as she went up for the night with the others tonight, she was drawn to that window once more after the other girls went to their rooms. Sure enough, a splash of light shone on the yard. She hoped Sir Tyler was working, for the thought of him just sitting all by himself in his study late at night saddened her deeply.

Dear Lord, please help them to have a good weekend. I do feel so bad about leaving them. And yet the girls are asleep and Sir Tyler is doing whatever it is he does of an evening. I’m sure he has his own routine, and besides, it’s none of my business at all! I must stop thinking of him so much. Please help me to put him out of my mind and remember that my job is to see that his daughters are well taken care of in my charge. And that is all. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.