work on my negotiating skills, and . . . since you’re obviously desperate, I do believe this is the perfect time for me to try my hand at negotiating.”
Everett narrowed his eyes. “And if I agree to your outlandish demand?”
“I’ll come to Newport with you.”
His eyes narrowed another fraction. “Fine, it’s a deal, but tell me, are you doing this strictly for the money?”
Millie narrowed her eyes right back at him. “It’s never about the money, Everett. It’s only about the children. Maybe with time, you’ll understand that.”
4
T he next day, Everett urged Titan, one of his favorite horses, down the cobblestone path that led to the back of his Fifth Avenue mansion. He pulled the horse to a stop directly in front of a groom already waiting for him. Climbing from the saddle, he handed the reins to the groom, gave Titan a pat, and headed for the house. Pulling out a pocket watch, he stopped dead in his tracks when he took note of the time.
“It cannot be only a little after noon.” He peered closer at the watch, disgruntlement settling over him when he realized that it was, indeed, just past twelve.
After all the events he’d squeezed in since he’d stumbled out of bed that morning, it seemed to him as if entire days had passed, not simply hours.
When he’d returned home the night before, after securing Millie’s agreement to work for him, he hadn’t been surprised to find Caroline still firmly ensconced in his library. She’d immediately demanded to learn the outcome of his quest, and when he informed her he’d found them a nanny, if a slightlyquestionable one, a genuine smile had spread over her face, the first he’d seen from her in days.
His delight over seeing that smile didn’t last long. Once he got Caroline into a carriage to escort her home, she’d taken to turning a little bossy.
She’d told him, in no uncertain terms, that she wanted to be on her way to Newport early the next morning. The only problem with that, though, was she did not want to travel in the company of the children, proclaiming that the children’s recent fascination with the whole walking the plank business gave her heart palpitations. Since the best way to get to Newport was over a vast amount of water, and Everett was fairly certain the children hadn’t exactly put aside their mischievous ways just yet, he actually thought her concerns held some merit. Because of that, he’d decided the only way to placate her was to offer her the use of his private yacht the next morning, complete with a full staff to wait on her every need, while offering to bring the children to Newport on a different day.
Caroline had quickly accepted his offer, but then she’d continued to voice additional demands—demands that went from seeing her to the docks the next morning, to promising to be in Newport a day after that in order to watch her play tennis. She’d even gone so far as to suggest he leave the children behind in New York with their new nanny, proclaiming that leaving them behind would be beneficial to all involved.
Caroline had not been pleased when he’d immediately rejected that particular suggestion, but she’d rallied quickly. Evidently realizing she’d annoyed him with her less than compassionate attitude toward his wards, she’d batted her lashes in a very attractive manner, and told him that she’d only suggested such a thing because she missed the comradery they’d shared before the children had come into their lives. He’d felt slightlymollified by that, until Caroline mentioned the bothersome little fact that she’d left a long list of what she believed were appropriate boarding schools on his desk. By the time they’d arrived at Caroline’s residence on Park Avenue, he’d been rather relieved to bid her a quick farewell.
His sense of relief, however, had been short-lived, because when he got back to his house, he discovered the children had not cooperated with Mr. Macon and gone to
Everett narrowed his eyes. “And if I agree to your outlandish demand?”
“I’ll come to Newport with you.”
His eyes narrowed another fraction. “Fine, it’s a deal, but tell me, are you doing this strictly for the money?”
Millie narrowed her eyes right back at him. “It’s never about the money, Everett. It’s only about the children. Maybe with time, you’ll understand that.”
4
T he next day, Everett urged Titan, one of his favorite horses, down the cobblestone path that led to the back of his Fifth Avenue mansion. He pulled the horse to a stop directly in front of a groom already waiting for him. Climbing from the saddle, he handed the reins to the groom, gave Titan a pat, and headed for the house. Pulling out a pocket watch, he stopped dead in his tracks when he took note of the time.
“It cannot be only a little after noon.” He peered closer at the watch, disgruntlement settling over him when he realized that it was, indeed, just past twelve.
After all the events he’d squeezed in since he’d stumbled out of bed that morning, it seemed to him as if entire days had passed, not simply hours.
When he’d returned home the night before, after securing Millie’s agreement to work for him, he hadn’t been surprised to find Caroline still firmly ensconced in his library. She’d immediately demanded to learn the outcome of his quest, and when he informed her he’d found them a nanny, if a slightlyquestionable one, a genuine smile had spread over her face, the first he’d seen from her in days.
His delight over seeing that smile didn’t last long. Once he got Caroline into a carriage to escort her home, she’d taken to turning a little bossy.
She’d told him, in no uncertain terms, that she wanted to be on her way to Newport early the next morning. The only problem with that, though, was she did not want to travel in the company of the children, proclaiming that the children’s recent fascination with the whole walking the plank business gave her heart palpitations. Since the best way to get to Newport was over a vast amount of water, and Everett was fairly certain the children hadn’t exactly put aside their mischievous ways just yet, he actually thought her concerns held some merit. Because of that, he’d decided the only way to placate her was to offer her the use of his private yacht the next morning, complete with a full staff to wait on her every need, while offering to bring the children to Newport on a different day.
Caroline had quickly accepted his offer, but then she’d continued to voice additional demands—demands that went from seeing her to the docks the next morning, to promising to be in Newport a day after that in order to watch her play tennis. She’d even gone so far as to suggest he leave the children behind in New York with their new nanny, proclaiming that leaving them behind would be beneficial to all involved.
Caroline had not been pleased when he’d immediately rejected that particular suggestion, but she’d rallied quickly. Evidently realizing she’d annoyed him with her less than compassionate attitude toward his wards, she’d batted her lashes in a very attractive manner, and told him that she’d only suggested such a thing because she missed the comradery they’d shared before the children had come into their lives. He’d felt slightlymollified by that, until Caroline mentioned the bothersome little fact that she’d left a long list of what she believed were appropriate boarding schools on his desk. By the time they’d arrived at Caroline’s residence on Park Avenue, he’d been rather relieved to bid her a quick farewell.
His sense of relief, however, had been short-lived, because when he got back to his house, he discovered the children had not cooperated with Mr. Macon and gone to
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