Chapter 14 #2
“In fact,” Georgie continued, fighting hard to keep from just grabbing those little girls to her. “I don’t prefer it at all. Certainly not here in the nursery. After all, Miss O’Toole wouldn’t have it when I was a girl. I don’t think she would now. Would you, Miss O’Toole?”
“Formal manners are a lovely thing in the drawin’ room,” she said, her voice soft and sure. “But as I told you yesterday, I far prefer to see my children have fun up here.”
Both girls looked back and forth as if trying to interpret a foreign language.
“When you were a girl, Aunt Georgie?” Amelia asked.
“Oh my, yes,” Georgie said with a bright grin for her old nanny. “Miss O’Toole taught me my manners, you can be sure of it. And if she says fun should be had in the nursery, it should. What if we try it in our nursery as well?”
Sophie risked a look up at her. “What?”
Georgie shrugged. “A hug? I love hugs.”
“She does!” the other children chorused.
It didn’t quite thaw the girls, but they looked at each other and shrugged. “We could try,” Sophie said. “It is just that we are wild savages, and we should be very careful to present a good face.”
Georgie thought she would be delighted to share her opinion of that teaching with whoever had inflicted it, except she thought it might be long too late. “You present an excellent face,” she assured them, holding her arms open. “Isn’t that right, Uncle Grey?”
She heard the growl of emotion in his voice. “A most excellent face.”
Finally, the girls ran into Georgie’s arms and let her hug them both until she had them giggling as well. Then she handed them off to their Uncle Grey who knelt just next to her, his eyes suspiciously bright.
“I have an idea,” he whispered to them, kissing both their heads. “You may present an excellent face to everyone else. But your Aunt Georgie and I would be far happier if you were just yourselves at home. Just like her family is. Because now we are family. All right?”
Both girls backed up and checked both Georgie and him. “Truly?” Sophie asked.
“If it would suit you,” he said. “Because I become very sad if my girls feel uncomfortable around me.”
“As do I,” Georgie agreed.
“Would the bees?” Amelia asked, her little face puckered in concern.
Georgie almost choked. “Did the bees mind when you introduced yourselves?”
Both girls shook heads. “They sang to us!” Amelia declared.
Georgie nodded, her hand on Grey’s shoulder as he held on to his little girls. “Well,” she said. “No one knows better than the bees. “
Finally, finally the girls surrendered themselves to Grey and Georgie. It was only then that Georgie saw O’Toole surreptitiously wiping her eyes.
“There was concern?” she asked the family nanny as Grey was collecting the girls’ clothing.
O’Toole shrugged. “They seem much concerned that they behave correctly.”
Georgie sighed. “I’m afraid Grey’s was the first kind smile they have seen.”
“I was afraid so.” The nanny patted Georgie on the shoulder. “Well, they have landed in good pasture now.”
Georgie smiled. “You’re sure. When I was twelve, you claimed I would be the death of etiquette and culture.”
O’Toole smiled back. “Sometimes etiquette and culture are overrated. You will be the perfect person for those girls.” Then her smile grew. “As long as you bring them over here frequently for a bit of mayhem.”
“That,” she said, giving her old nanny a brisk hug, the only kind the nanny would accept, “I believe I can guarantee. I would also consider it a huge favor if you would help me screen nannies for the girls.”
Miss O’Toole cast another surreptitious glance at the girls, who were in the process of chattering at their Uncle Grey about their adventures with the Packhams. “Shall I send out feelers?”
“I would be grateful.”
And as briskly as that, Georgie knew O’Toole would find the perfect nanny for the girls.
“Time to go, I’m afraid,” Grey said, regaining his feet. “Say goodbye to your new friends.”
“May we come back?” Sophie asked.
“Absolutely,” he assured them with a nod from Georgie and Miss O’Toole both.
Georgie formally introduced her husband to her old nanny and then took hold of Amelia’s hand as Sophie accepted Grey’s.
The general farewells were cacophonous and repeated when they returned downstairs to be met by the kings and Georgie’s mother.
Georgie was ruthless, however, in getting them back out of the house.
She had very limited time left with her husband, and part of it had to be taken up with explaining to the girls why their brand-new substitute father would be deserting them so soon.
It went just as badly as Georgie had feared it would. Not that there were tears or tantrums. Worse. There was silence and an odd retreat, as if they had shrunk away even as they sat there.
“Where will we go?” Sophie asked from where she had moved to sit right next to her sister, Amelia’s hand firmly clasped in hers.
“Where?” Grey repeated, obviously bewildered. “Why, nowhere.”
The girls went stone still.
“He means that you will stay right here with me,” Georgie assured them gently, her heart in shreds for the distress so obvious in the rigid posture and small voices. How many shocks did these two have to survive in their young lives?
Grey blinked a couple of times. “Well, of course. You didn’t think I would send you away, did you?”
That was exactly what they had thought. This time, Georgie saw the pain reflect in Grey’s eyes and wanted to hold his hand.
Abruptly he got to his feet and walked over to insert himself ruthlessly between the two girls on the settee, one of their hands in each of his.
“My two little gooses,” he chastised them with a frown.
“We are a family now. And I do not know what you believe a family is, but in my house, a family stands by each other. They work together and play together and if one of them must ever leave—as so often happens—the others wait for him—or her—to come back. Maybe they could even bake cinnamon buns to lure him home. I just got my family. I am not giving it up for anything!”
“But you’re leaving,” Sophie protested.
“And will be coming back,” he assured her. “As soon as my work is done. And in the meantime, your Aunt Georgie will be here with you. And she will help you finish settling in. I suspect she would even help decorate the nursery and your rooms.”
“With a swing?” Amelia asked, her voice still far too hesitant.
Grey smiled down at her. “As long as it is safe.”
“I was hoping you two would help me redecorate here,” Georgie offered, wanting so desperately to hold the girls as well. Knowing how important it was that Grey be the one to lay the foundation for them. “Maybe we can make it a little…” she looked around and scowled. “Brighter?”
“But what if Uncle Grey doesn’t recognize it and can’t find us?” Amelia protested.
Lord, would her heart ever stop hurting.
It was Grey who settled that question. “You could paint this house purple and wrap it in fur, and I would still find you. You will never ever be lost again, Sophie. I promise that. Because even if I am not here, your Aunt Georgie will be. And Chalmers, and Mrs. Chalmers, and Bill the gardener, and Midget, and especially Bark. Isn’t that right, Chalmers? ”
The butler, the image of stiff propriety could be heard clearing his throat. “Indeed, my lord. You are our little girls as well, my ladies.”
Georgie swung a quick, surprised smile at the very proper butler, whose eyes shone just a bit too brightly.
“And just to be certain,” Grey continued, his voice sounding a bit rough as well, “you also have all the Packhams. You might not have realized it yet, but when Aunt Georgie made you her daughters, she made you official Packhams. Even if Aunt Georgie and I aren’t handy, the Packhams always will be.”
“And they’re always easy to find,” Georgie assured them.
She knew they weren’t convinced. Their history was too harsh to trust quite yet. And neither Georgie nor Grey had had enough time with them to convince them differently.
And then, worst of all, Amelia’s little voice coming from a bowed head. “Is it because we were bad?”
The silence was devastating. Sophie was watching Amelia with terrified eyes, and Grey was watching them both with tears in his. Even Bark, lying on the floor at their feet, had his head up and cocked.
“Sophie,” Grey said quietly. “Would it be all right if I talked to Amelia about this? Will you listen?”
Sophie didn’t face him, but she nodded, as if she knew it was a question too far. At least it would have been with her family.
With a kiss to the top of Sophie’s head, he reached over and plopped Amelia onto his lap and wrapped her in his arms. Amelia sat like a stone.
“Is that why you think I am leaving tomorrow? Because you did something bad?”
For a long, fraught moment she held still. Then, without looking at him, she gave a jerky nod of her head. “It’s why my father was gone so much.”
It was all Georgie could do to sit still. She had filled her life with responsibilities to children. But she had never been faced with a child so broken she had to begin by rebuilding.
Holding on more tightly to Amelia, Grey gathered Sophie into his arms as well. “Thank you for telling me. It will help me understand some things better. Do you know who the King is, girls?”
Both gave shy nods.
“Well, he has personally asked me to make this trip to help the country. And girls, as impatient as I am to begin our new family, do you think I can disobey my King?”
Wide eyes and shaken heads met the question.
“The King?” Sophie asked. “The real King?”
He nodded. “King George himself. I hope you understand that it is the only way anyone could make me leave you right now. Do you believe me?”
They both looked up at him. “Yes,” they whispered.
He nodded. “And the only person I trust enough to care for you while I’m gone is your Aunt Georgie.”
“And Mr. and Mrs. Chalmers,” Amelia piped up.
Sophie pointed at Georgie. “And the Packhams!”
He grinned. “And the Packhams. Are we all right now?”