Extract
New York City
Spring 1898
Georgia Marshall stepped off the trolley and headed down the sidewalk toward Gramercy Park and Heaton House. The spring day was beautiful with clear blue skies and sunshine, along with trees and flowers beginning to bud, but she was preoccupied and barely noticed. After her interview with the school superintendent, it appeared she must give up on finding a teaching position until the next term, which meant she needed to find employment as soon as possible.
Thankfully, she had some money saved from her teaching days in Virginia. And when she arrived in New York City, Mrs. Heaton had refused to charge her rent until she found suitable employment. She’d insisted Georgia was a family friend and she didn’t want her to feel pressured. Because of her charitableness, Georgia hadn’t needed to dig into her savings.
However, she couldn’t take advantage of Mrs. Heaton’s kindness any longer. She would find employment, even if it wasn’t in her preferred field. She refused to return home. There was nothing for her there. She’d pour over the classifieds again later that evening in hopes of finding something she might be qualified for.
Just walking up the steps to Heaton House comforted her. Georgia had felt at home from the very first, and the warm and welcoming feeling always seemed to lift her spirits. She let herself in, surprised to hear a man’s voice in the parlor at teatime. It was unusual for any of the male boarders to be home at this time of day.
She peeked inside to see Mrs. Heaton speaking to her new neighbor from England, if his accent was any indication.
“Georgia, dear! Come in and join us. I believe you might have met at Matt and Millicent’s wedding last month, but if not, let me introduce you to Sir Tyler Walker. Sir Tyler, Miss Marshall is a family friend and boarder here.”
Georgia caught her breath as the tall, broad-shouldered man, who’d stood and started toward her the moment she entered the room, took her hand in his and bowed over it. “I don’t believe we did. But, Miss Marshall, it’s a pleasure to meet you now.”
She knew he was a baronet, but this wasn’t England and she didn’t know whether to curtsy or not. She knew nothing of the hierarchy in England, so she dipped her head instead. Still, she wasn’t sure how to address him. “A pleasure to meet you, too, Sir...Walker?”
“I’d be called Sir Tyler in England, but I’m making my home here now, so perhaps Mr. Walker will do?”
“That might make it easier.” Georgia tried to ignore the fluttery feeling in the vicinity of her heart and slipped her hand from his. She smiled and took a seat beside her landlady, who held a cup of tea for her. “Thank you, Mrs. Heaton. This is just what I need.”
The baronet took his seat across from Mrs. Heaton once again and let her freshen his tea.
Georgia hoped no one noticed that her fingers trembled as she raised her cup to her mouth. She remembered seeing Sir—Mr. Walker and his daughters at the wedding, but not up this close. He was the most handsome man she’d ever met, with his almost black hair and ocean-blue eyes.
“Mr. Walker has come asking for help in finding someone to act as a nanny to his young daughters, until he can find a permanent one,” Mrs. Heaton explained.
“Oh? I thought you’d brought your help over with you?” Mr. Walker and his entourage had been quite a topic of conversation at the dinner table for several nights not long after he’d moved in next door.
“Yes, well, the nanny became homesick and wanted to go back to England. I’d promised I would pay her way back home and had to keep my word. But the one I hired to replace her didn’t last but two weeks. And neither did the next.”
“I’m so sorry,” Georgia said. He did have a dilemma on his hands, but her heart went out to his two young girls. They’d lost their mother and were bound to still be missing her.
“Yes, so am I.” Mr. Walker released a deep sigh before continuing in his charming English accent. “It appears my daughters might be trying to run off the help. The maid is watching them now, but she isn’t happy about it. She doesn’t want to be their nanny and I can’t say I blame her. The girls are a bit incorrigible at times.”
“And quite adorable,” Mrs. Heaton added.
Mr. Walker smiled and shook his head. “I’m not sure what to do. I know they miss their mother, and moving away from their familiar surroundings might not have been for the best, although I could no longer—” He cut off what he’d been about to say and cleared his throat.
The sorrow in his expression was unmistakable and Georgia’s heart flooded with sympathy for him. His wife had been gone just over a year, and trying to raise his young daughters without her must be terribly difficult.
“I’ll get in touch with any friends I believe might be able to help and let you know what I find out as soon as I can,” Mrs. Heaton said.
“Thank you, Mrs. Heaton. I appreciate your willingness to assist me.” Mr. Walker took a sip of tea and then placed it back on the saucer and stood. “I suppose I should get back. No telling what those two might be up to. I can’t let the maid up and leave, too. I’ve begun to think that my mother was right. I should have brought some of her household staff with me.”
Mrs. Heaton accompanied him to the door and Georgia heard him say, “It’s good to have a neighbor one can come to for advice. Thank you for tea.”
“You’re quite welcome anytime, Sir Tyler. I’ll be in touch soon.”
“I look forward to hearing from you.”
Mrs. Heaton came back into the room and refreshed both hers and Georgia’s tea. “Poor man. It’s got to be so distressing to move away from all that’s familiar after losing one’s spouse. And even more so while trying to hold his family together and comfort his children.”
“I agree. After all, our culture is a bit different here than in England.”
“Yes, it is. Not so much at his level as at ours, but he seems to want to embrace the American way of life. His wife was from here and he wants his girls to grow up in this country.”
“He must have loved her very much.”
“I’m sure he did. Perhaps he’ll find a suitable wife before long—one who will love him and his children.”
“He’s a handsome man,” Georgia said. “I’m sure that once the daughters of the wealthy in this city are introduced to him, he’ll have his choice of women.”
“Oh, but not all of those young debutantes will be interested in marrying a man with children. It may be more difficult than we think. In the meantime, I hope we can find someone to help out.”
“You mean until he finds a mate?”
“Yes, or a permanent
