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,