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!