she threw the covers off to find the younger girl’s pillow pretending to be her.
Maybe they were in their bathroom hiding from her. She hurried across the floor and knocked on the door. When there was no answer, she threw it open only to find it empty. Her stomach felt as if she’d just swallowed a heavy rock as she hurried to the playroom. Surely they were there. Only they weren’t.
Where could they be? And why would they be hiding from her? She hurried back downstairs, heart pounding, praying that they were just pulling some kind of prank and hadn’t run off.
She stopped in the morning room and looked out into the yard, but they weren’t there. Then she heard a little giggle and then another. She followed the sound into the breakfast room, where they were sitting at the table, all dressed—if not properly—and grinning from ear to ear as she entered.
“Surprise!” Polly said. She was smiling but Georgia could tell she was a little apprehensive about her reaction.
She tried to keep her voice normal and not give away how concerned she was at their actions. It didn’t seem like them at all, but then, she’d known them only a week. “Girls, you know you’re supposed to wait until I get here and help you get dressed to come down to breakfast. Mrs. Biddle hasn’t begun yours yet. Let’s go up and get you dressed in something a little more becoming before your papa sees you. Unless you want him to fire me?”
“Oh, no, Miss Georgia!” Polly said. “We don’t want that!” She jumped up from her chair. “Come on, Lilly, hurry. We don’t want to get Miss Georgia in trouble.”
“But I thought you—”
Georgia saw Polly shake her head at her younger sister. “Hurry, before Papa or Mr. Tate see us!”
Georgia hurried behind them and let go of a relieved sigh when they made it back to the girls’ room without being detected. Something was going on here, but she didn’t know what it was, at least not yet. However, now was not the time to question them—they needed to get back downstairs. But she had to find out what caused the girls to act in such a way.
She quickly got them changed into something more presentable and brushed their blond hair up and tied it with ribbons that matched their dresses. Then they headed back downstairs, the girls whispering in front of her.
They slipped into their chairs just before Mrs. Biddle brought in their breakfast and Georgia could see the relief in their eyes. Evidently they knew she was disturbed by their actions, for they were more subdued than usual.
“My goodness, it’s quiet in here this morning,” Sir Tyler said from the doorway. “Are you all feeling all right?”
“Good morning, Papa!” both girls said in unison. But they flashed Georgia a look as if begging her not to tell their father of their actions.
“I believe we’re all well, Sir Tyler,” Georgia said. “But they do seem a bit quiet this morning—did you overdo things at the park yesterday?”
“I don’t think so. Do I need to summon a doctor?”
“No, Papa,” Polly said. “We’re fine.”
“I believe it’s taking them a bit of time to fully wake up this morning.”
“Hmm, Lilly didn’t have a bad night, did she?” Sir Tyler asked Polly. “You promised to call me if she does.”
“I slept good last night, Papa,” Lilly said.
“I’m glad.”
Georgia didn’t realize that Lilly sometimes had trouble sleeping. Perhaps she should ask Sir Tyler about that when they were alone. She needed to speak to him about their wardrobes anyway.
As if he read her thoughts, Sir Tyler turned to her. “Miss Marshall, could you come to the study once you get the girls settled down after breakfast? There’s something I’d like to speak to you about.”
“I’d be glad to, Sir Tyler.”
“I’ll see you then. Girls, you mind Miss Marshall and don’t give her any trouble, you hear?”
“We won’t, Papa,” Polly said.
“We will, Papa,” Lilly said. “Will mind, of course.”
Did he know about their trick this morning? Georgia didn’t know how he could have—unless the maid or Mr. Tate saw something. With Sir Tyler’s invitation, it appeared she’d soon find out.
* * *
With pleas not to tell their papa of their mischievous behavior that morning still ringing in her ears, Georgia headed down to Sir Tyler’s study. She’d promised the girls that she wouldn’t tattle on them, but if their papa asked, she’d have to tell the truth.
She left them with the assignments she’d given them and was sure they’d do their very best. They’d apologized several times and she’d accepted, but when she asked why they’d pulled such a prank, they clammed up.
Mr. Tate seemed to know the minute she came downstairs and was there when her foot hit the last step.
“Miss Marshall, Sir Tyler said he was expecting you. Come along and I’ll let him know you’re here.”
“Thank you, Mr. Tate.” She followed him to the study, although she could have got there on her own. But Mr. Tate truly did seem to run this household and she wondered again if he knew about the girls coming down early.
“Sir Tyler, Miss Marshall is here,” he said.
“Please show her in, Tate.”
The butler motioned her in and then seemed to disappear, although Georgia had a feeling he was camped just outside the door.
Sir Tyler had stood when she entered and motioned her to take a seat in one of the chairs flanking the fireplace. When she sat down, he took the other. “Now, before we get to the subject of the girls’ wardrobes, I must ask you something. Have my girls been giving you any trouble? Tate seems to think they were up to some mischief this morning.”
Georgia’s promise to his daughters was fresh in her mind and she wasn’t sure how to answer. She didn’t want to get Polly and Lilly in trouble. She wanted to help them—and their father.
“They haven’t really—”
“Miss Marshall, did they send you hunting for them today?”
At his point-blank question, she could answer only one way. “They did. But I believe they thought I might think it was funny.”
“Are you sure? I doubt it was fun trying to find them.”
Mr. Tate must have seen much more than she thought he had. “It wasn’t. But they didn’t seem themselves this morning and I wondered... Did anything happen this weekend that I should know about?”
She felt impertinent even asking and waited for Sir Tyler to put her in her place, but instead he let out a sigh.
“No, not that I know of. But my daughters don’t always confide in me. It’s
