He shook his head and cleared his throat before continuing, “Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Miss Marshall. I should have thought of that myself. Of course you may meet them.”
Tate returned with tea just then, and after serving them, he turned to Sir Tyler. “Will that be all, sir?”
“Please have the maid bring Lilly and Polly down, Tate. Miss Marshall would like to meet them.”
“Yes, sir.” With that, the butler exited the room.
“How old are your daughters, Sir Tyler?” Mrs. Heaton asked. “I know they’re near my granddaughter Jenny’s age.”
“Yes, they are. Polly is five and Lilly is four. They like Jenny very much. And they like you, too, Mrs. Heaton. In fact, they were quite upset with me for going to see you at teatime without them yesterday.”
“Oh, please bring them over soon for tea. I’d love to have them.”
“That’s very kind of you. Perhaps Miss Marshall might do so—if she agrees to step in. My daughters mean everything to me. I pray I haven’t done the wrong thing by uprooting them and moving them away from all they know best. But they do seem to like it here. Or perhaps they don’t want to let me know that they don’t.”
Georgia’s heart softened toward the man who seemed so concerned about his daughters’ well-being. And yet he didn’t appear to know much about their daily routines or how they felt about the move. How could that be?
Suddenly she heard footsteps running down stairs and the sound of the sweet voices she’d heard from Mrs. Heaton’s garden. But they quieted just before they entered the room, appearing quite serious when they did. Though upon recognizing Mrs. Heaton, the corners of their mouths turned up in sweet smiles.
“Papa, Mr. Tate said you wanted to see us,” one of Sir Tyler’s daughters said. Georgia assumed she was the oldest, as she was about an inch taller than the sister who stood beside her.
“Yes. Mrs. Heaton has brought Miss Marshall to meet you. Miss Marshall, these are my daughters, Polly, the oldest and tallest, and Lilly.”
“I’m pleased to meet you both,” Georgia said as the blond-haired, blue-eyed girls smiled in her direction.
“Miss Marshall is considering helping out with you two until we can find a new nanny. But she wanted to know what you both think of the idea.”
“We’ve seen you coming in and out of Mrs. Heaton’s house,” Polly said.
“Yes, and we’ve peeked through the hedge and seen you in her garden, too,” Lilly added.
“I thought I’d heard you over there.” Georgia smiled to show she wasn’t upset that they’d been looking through the boxwoods.
“Would you live here?” Polly asked.
“No. I’ll still live at Heaton House. But I’ll be here first thing in the morning and until bedtime on the days I work.”
“You won’t watch us every day?” Lilly asked.
“No,” her father answered. “Miss Marshall isn’t a nanny, but a teacher here in America. She’s looking for a permanent teaching position while we’re looking for a permanent nanny. It is nice of her to offer to help us out, isn’t it?”
Both girls nodded, but Georgia couldn’t tell if they were happy or disappointed that she wouldn’t be living with them.
“But what if we need something in the night?” Lilly asked.
“You’ll come to me,” Sir Tyler answered. “I’m just across the hall.”
“You won’t mind?” Polly asked.
Sir Tyler’s brow furrowed as if he was surprised at the question. “Of course not.”
Georgia couldn’t quite grasp that his daughters might think he would be upset if they woke him during the night. Had they called only the nanny?
“Well, then, I think it might work out,” Polly said, sounding as grown up as a five-year-old could, and as much as the child she was could muster.
In that moment, Georgia knew she’d be taking this position if they agreed.
“What about you, Lilly?” her father asked. “Do you want Miss Marshall to help us out?”
Lilly looked from him to Georgia and then to her sister. Georgia saw the older sister give a little nod and Lilly smiled. “Yes, I think I do.”
“But you must mind her as you would your nanny. You understand that, don’t you?”
“Yes, Papa, we do,” Polly answered for the two of them. “May we have tea with you and Mrs. Heaton and Miss Marshall?”
Sir Tyler smiled. “I suppose, since you didn’t get to go with me yesterday, I can only say, yes, you may. Mrs. Heaton, would you mind pouring them a cup?”
“I’d be delighted.” Georgia watched as her landlady poured for the little girls and they took their first sip of tea.
“And, girls, be sure to mind your manners,” their papa said. “Miss Marshall hasn’t agreed to help us out yet.”
“Oh, please say yes, Miss Marshall!” Lilly said.
“Oh, yes, please do!” Polly added.
Georgia felt a 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
