A Nanny For Keeps. Janet Barton Lee

tug in her heart at their pleas. She glanced at their papa and thought she saw hope in his eyes until he looked away. This family needed help and Sir Tyler was going to pay well. She needed work. There was only one answer she could give. “Yes. I’ll be here first thing Monday morning.”

      The relief in Sir Tyler’s eyes and the smiles on his daughters’ faces made her feel she’d done the right thing. Now she could only pray that she had.

      * * *

      Promising to check on his daughters after the maid, Amelia, gave them their baths and got them ready for bed, Tyler headed out the door for a walk. He needed some fresh air. He’d been pouring over American law books in order to take the New York bar exam and it wasn’t an easy task, but this was to be his home now and where he did business. He had no choice but to learn the differences and make note of them. He didn’t want his clients complaining that he’d made any kind of mistake because of subtle variations.

      Now he took a deep breath of the evening air and released a huge sigh of relief. The girls seemed happy that Miss Marshall had agreed to take care of them until he could find someone suitable, and he was quite pleased himself. Or perhaps relieved was a better word.

      That Mrs. Heaton had known Miss Marshall all her life and recommended her highly, thinking so much of her that she wanted to make sure the young woman’s reputation would be protected under his care, said all he’d needed to know about her.

      Georgia Marshall seemed to relate to his daughters on some level he didn’t really understand. They’d chattered away as if they’d known her all their lives after she’d said she would help out, and he’d been surprised at how well they’d minded their manners.

      Making the move to America hadn’t been an easy decision for him, but his wife’s family had holdings here and they wanted him to look after them for their granddaughters’ sake.

      As the middle son, he’d had no real reason to stay in England. His older brother would inherit the land and all there. However, Tyler wasn’t penniless, as his grandfather had bequeathed him a very nice sum on his death. Tyler had gone to school and become an attorney and could easily set up practice here—once he passed that exam.

      Most important in his decision to make the move was that he’d be raising his daughters in their mother’s country, as she’d wished before she passed away. He felt that was the very least he could do for the woman he’d loved dearly.

      Had it been just over a year since Ivy had passed away? Sometimes it felt like a lifetime and other times only as if it was yesterday. But always, there seemed to be an empty spot in his heart, and tonight was no different. Especially now, as he neared his home from his walk around Gramercy Park and heard people laughing as they approached from the opposite direction.

      Somehow it didn’t surprise him to see a group of Mrs. Heaton’s boarders coming back from one of their outings. It was a mix of men and women, and he wondered if one of the ladies might be Miss Marshall.

      He didn’t have to wonder long as they all reached their destinations at the same time. One of the women broke away from the group and he was taken by surprise as his chest tightened when he recognized her under the streetlamp.

      “Sir Tyler?”

      “Yes. Miss Marshall, how are you this evening?”

      “I’m fine. We’ve all been to the soda shop for ice cream. It’s getting warm enough now to enjoy it.”

      “I took the girls there a few days ago and they loved it. I’ve been out for a walk while they are being put to bed.” He’d been introduced to some of Mrs. Heaton’s boarders at the wedding reception he’d attended, but there appeared to be new people in the group heading into Heaton House.

      “Good evening, Sir Tyler,” the one he knew as Joe said.

      “Good evening. It’s a nice night for ice cream, isn’t it?”

      “It is. Georgia, are you coming in?”

      “Yes, of course.” She turned to Tyler. “Good night.”

      “Good night.”

      She turned to where Joe was waiting for her and then back to Tyler. “Have a good evening.”

      “You, too.” He tipped his hat as she hurried up the steps to Heaton House. Then she disappeared inside, leaving Tyler suddenly feeling lonelier than ever.

      Tate opened the door as soon as Tyler’s foot hit the top step. “Good evening, sir. Did you have a nice walk?”

      “I did, Tate. Thank you. I’m going up to look in on the girls. I’ll be back down in a few minutes. Would you bring me some coffee?”

      “Certainly.”

      Tyler headed upstairs, wondering if Joe was Miss Marshall’s beau. He’d seemed quite protective of her, but then, so did Mrs. Heaton. The thought that Miss Marshall might have a suitor didn’t sit well with him and that unsettled Tyler. He shouldn’t even be wondering about her personal life. It was none of his business. She’d agreed to help him out and for that he was very thankful. As long as his girls were taken care of, that was all that mattered. He had no business even wondering about Miss Marshall’s social life—none at all.

      Tyler slipped into the room his daughters shared, even though there were plenty of rooms and each one could have had their own. However, since their mother’s death, they’d wanted to be together at night. He kissed them each on the forehead, softly so as not to wake them. Oh, how he loved them.

      Tyler hoped all would go well with Miss Marshall until he could find a permanent nanny—and that the girls didn’t try to run her away as they had the last one. But they knew Miss Marshall was only temporary, so surely they wouldn’t.

      Tyler slipped out of the room, leaving the door cracked open so he could hear them if they called out in the night, and went down to his study to find Tate just pouring his coffee. The butler must have waited until he heard his footsteps.

      He sat down in his favorite chair and took the cup Tate handed him.

      “Cook sent you a piece of cake, sir. She seems much better after you spoke to her.”

      Tyler wasn’t all that hungry but he wasn’t about to hurt his cook’s feelings, especially when he was trying to keep her on. He took the dessert plate from Tate. “I’m glad to hear it. I hope she’s changed her mind about staying.”

      “It appears so, at least for the moment.”

      “I suppose we’ll have to be happy with that. Thank her for the cake, will you?”

      “I will, sir.” Tate gave a nod and quietly took his leave.

      Tyler finished the dessert he really didn’t want and took a sip of coffee, and then he leaned his head back against his chair. This time of night was never easy for him. It’d always been the time that he and Ivy had enjoyed together, talking over their day after the girls had been put to bed. She’d tell him funny stories about the things Polly and Lilly had said and done that day, and then she’d update him on their upcoming social engagements and family commitments.

      It hadn’t taken Ivy long to win over his parents. A second or third cousin to one of his best friends, she’d come to visit her relatives and they’d fallen in love. At first Tyler’s family had voiced disapproval, but as he wasn’t the heir apparent of their estate, he was more able to obtain their blessing than his older brother would have been.

      That Ivy came with a substantial wealth of her own certainly helped, although it’d had nothing to do with how he felt about her. He would have loved her had she been a pauper.

      But tonight his thoughts weren’t just on Ivy. Instead they were also on Georgia Marshall. He wondered if hiring her was the right thing for his daughters. What if they became too attached to her before he found someone permanent?

      And he really didn’t know anything about her personal life. What if she did have a beau who wouldn’t