bed but were waiting for him to see them settled.
Getting three children into bed had turned out to be a very difficult task indeed. Glasses of water were requested—and not at the same time—and then Elizabeth had decided to launch into a very long speech about why she and her siblings didn’t need a nanny. That had gone far in explaining why they’d waited up for him in the first place.
By the time he’d finally gotten them settled, without the nanny issue resolved to anyone’s satisfaction, it had been after midnight. Stumbling into his bed, he’d immediately fallen asleep but had been rudely woken up at the unheard of hour of six by the children. They’d claimed they were ravenous and needed him to find them some breakfast. Why they hadn’t simply sought out the cook on their own was still beyond his comprehension.
To his relief, Millie had shown up at exactly seven o’clock, lugging her one traveling bag into his house, far too chipper than a person had a right to be at such an early hour.
When she learned they would not be traveling to Newport that morning, she’d not batted an eye and proclaimed the delay would give her much-needed time to become better acquainted with the children. He hadn’t missed the sneaky glances his wards shared after that pronouncement. But since he’d needed to get ready to escort Caroline to the dock, he’d warned the children to behave, warned Millie to try her best not to drown anyone,and left the house a short time later, leaving muttering children and an annoyed nanny behind.
Now, five hours after giving those warnings, he was finally returning home. Repocketing the watch, he trudged around the front of the house and then up the steps, finding himself staring at a door that, peculiarly enough, remained closed against him.
A sense of alarm was immediate.
Moving forward, he pushed the door open, stepped inside, and found dread mixing with the alarm when Mr. Macon, who was truly the most competent butler Everett had ever met, didn’t immediately come into view.
Striding down the hallway, he cocked an ear, but when only silence met that ear, his heart began beating a rapid tattoo. The rapid thumping came to an abrupt end when Millie suddenly glided out of the library. Unlike the night before, she was not dressed in a fancy gown but was wearing a sensible dark skirt paired with a white blouse that was covered with a practical apron. Her hair was tucked beneath a cap that for some reason bothered him, and when she took another step forward, he noticed her shoes didn’t sport much of a heel. Her nose was firmly stuck between the pages of a book, and she didn’t appear to be in any way distressed, but . . . she also didn’t appear to be in possession of any of the children.
“What are you doing?” he finally asked when she remained oblivious to him.
The book dropped from Millie’s face as she raised a hand to her chest. “My goodness, Everett, you scared me half to death.” She smiled, the action causing a dimple he’d never noticed before to pop out on her cheek. “I do hope you don’t mind, but I simply couldn’t resist taking a peek around your library. I’m thrilled to report you have a Jane Austen novel I haven’t read in ages.” She held the book up and beamed at him. “Would itbe permissible for me to take this book with us when we leave for Newport tomorrow?”
“You may take whatever books you desire from my library, even though there is a library at my cottage in Newport.”
Her eyes widened. “How in the world do you manage to get any work done when you’re surrounded by so many books?”
“I rarely have time to read these days.”
She sent him a sympathetic smile. “That’s truly unfortunate, but I do understand. There’ve been many times when I’ve been gainfully employed when I can only squeeze reading in late at night. Sometimes I end up regretting that decision in the morning, but I don’t think reading is a pleasure I’ll
Getting three children into bed had turned out to be a very difficult task indeed. Glasses of water were requested—and not at the same time—and then Elizabeth had decided to launch into a very long speech about why she and her siblings didn’t need a nanny. That had gone far in explaining why they’d waited up for him in the first place.
By the time he’d finally gotten them settled, without the nanny issue resolved to anyone’s satisfaction, it had been after midnight. Stumbling into his bed, he’d immediately fallen asleep but had been rudely woken up at the unheard of hour of six by the children. They’d claimed they were ravenous and needed him to find them some breakfast. Why they hadn’t simply sought out the cook on their own was still beyond his comprehension.
To his relief, Millie had shown up at exactly seven o’clock, lugging her one traveling bag into his house, far too chipper than a person had a right to be at such an early hour.
When she learned they would not be traveling to Newport that morning, she’d not batted an eye and proclaimed the delay would give her much-needed time to become better acquainted with the children. He hadn’t missed the sneaky glances his wards shared after that pronouncement. But since he’d needed to get ready to escort Caroline to the dock, he’d warned the children to behave, warned Millie to try her best not to drown anyone,and left the house a short time later, leaving muttering children and an annoyed nanny behind.
Now, five hours after giving those warnings, he was finally returning home. Repocketing the watch, he trudged around the front of the house and then up the steps, finding himself staring at a door that, peculiarly enough, remained closed against him.
A sense of alarm was immediate.
Moving forward, he pushed the door open, stepped inside, and found dread mixing with the alarm when Mr. Macon, who was truly the most competent butler Everett had ever met, didn’t immediately come into view.
Striding down the hallway, he cocked an ear, but when only silence met that ear, his heart began beating a rapid tattoo. The rapid thumping came to an abrupt end when Millie suddenly glided out of the library. Unlike the night before, she was not dressed in a fancy gown but was wearing a sensible dark skirt paired with a white blouse that was covered with a practical apron. Her hair was tucked beneath a cap that for some reason bothered him, and when she took another step forward, he noticed her shoes didn’t sport much of a heel. Her nose was firmly stuck between the pages of a book, and she didn’t appear to be in any way distressed, but . . . she also didn’t appear to be in possession of any of the children.
“What are you doing?” he finally asked when she remained oblivious to him.
The book dropped from Millie’s face as she raised a hand to her chest. “My goodness, Everett, you scared me half to death.” She smiled, the action causing a dimple he’d never noticed before to pop out on her cheek. “I do hope you don’t mind, but I simply couldn’t resist taking a peek around your library. I’m thrilled to report you have a Jane Austen novel I haven’t read in ages.” She held the book up and beamed at him. “Would itbe permissible for me to take this book with us when we leave for Newport tomorrow?”
“You may take whatever books you desire from my library, even though there is a library at my cottage in Newport.”
Her eyes widened. “How in the world do you manage to get any work done when you’re surrounded by so many books?”
“I rarely have time to read these days.”
She sent him a sympathetic smile. “That’s truly unfortunate, but I do understand. There’ve been many times when I’ve been gainfully employed when I can only squeeze reading in late at night. Sometimes I end up regretting that decision in the morning, but I don’t think reading is a pleasure I’ll
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