Chapter 15
Meredith and the children had dinner at a small café in town on their way home.
Both children, though tired, seemed happy about their outing.
And Kat was extraordinarily pleased with her new friendship with Kalina.
As it turned out, Kalina had thought Kat was a snob before their encounter on the river boat, but during the course of the afternoon, the girls had discovered they had much in common—from sports to music taste and disliking some of the truly snobby girls at their school.
They had traded cell phone numbers, and by the time Meredith turned up the drive at the villa, had exchanged at least a dozen or more text messages.
“Papa!” Mishka exclaimed as Meredith parked in front of the house.
“What?” Meredith looked all around.
“Over there by the carriage house,” Kat said. “I see him too.”
As they got out of the car, Meredith felt an unexpected rush of nerves.
She hadn’t expected to see their father this soon.
Hadn’t Mrs. Warner said he wouldn’t be back for a while longer?
But instead of showing her uneasiness, she fixed a smile on her face and followed the children, who were squealing with delight and running toward their father.
Kat got there first, throwing her arms around Spencer.
Meredith, not far behind Mishka, was about to greet him too, but couldn’t even get a word out of her mouth before Spencer began scolding her.
“You took the children on the river today?” he demanded. “For the whole day?”
“Mrs. Warner—she said it was okay,” she stammered.
“Mrs. Warner is not in charge.”
“Well, you have not been around to instruct me as to what—”
“Papa,” Kat interrupted her. “We had a lovely time on the Danube. Don’t be vexed at Meredith.”
“Miss Cardwell,” he corrected her.
“I’ve told them to call me Meredith, or Meri,” she countered.
“Please, Papa, don’t be vexed at Meri,” Mishka echoed, grabbing hold of Meredith’s hand. “We like her.”
Spencer appeared tongue tied but smiled stiffly. “My apologies, Miss Cardwell. I was worried about the children’s welfare. I didn’t mean to insinuate you did any intentional wrong. But security is very important to me.”
“I didn’t realize…” She bit her lip.
“No, I don’t suppose you would.” His tone softened slightly. “I think of the villa as being rather secure. You’ve probably noticed the system we have here.”
“Not really.” She glanced around.
“See the cams on the house.” He pointed to a black object that she assumed was a security camera.
“Oh, of course.” She was grateful for the dusky light that wouldn’t show her reddened cheeks. Partly from embarrassment and partly from her frustration at being treated like a child.
“When you are here with the children,” he continued, “I am reassured of their safety. But if you leave the villa…well, that’s another matter.
” He pursed his lips. “And something we can address later.” He knelt down, extending his arms to Mishka.
“Because right now, I need a big hug from Mishka Bear.”
“Please, excuse me,” she said quietly. As he chatted with his children, she made a hasty exit to the house and upstairs to her suite.
Fortunately, it was nearly bedtime. She hoped she wouldn’t be forced to encounter Master Spencer, as Mrs. Warner called him, until tomorrow.
And then, even if he presented her walking papers, she wouldn’t complain.
Oh, she’d be sad to leave the children, but she had enough money for airfare home and, according to Carrie’s text message that had just come through on her cell phone, the rushed passport had arrived at the US Consulate this afternoon.
Maybe her stint as the royal nanny had really come to an end. So be it.
Yet, she knew she wasn’t ready to leave.
As she paced back and forth in her suite, she wondered how difficult it would be to tell the children goodbye.
Kat might be glad to see her go, but Mishka would be sad.
Somehow, she needed to do whatever she could to make her inevitable departure easier on him.
Although she was tempted to get ready for bed and allow Spencer to see to his own children’s bedtime, she knew that as the nanny, it was still her responsibility.
Not eager for another scolding, she listened until she heard the children’s footsteps and voices before sticking her head out. Mishka spotted her and rushed over.
“Where did you go?” he asked with wide eyes.
“Just up here.” She smiled and stepped out. “Are you heading up for bed now?”
“Papa said it was late.”
“Yes, I noticed that. But I thought you would want time with your father.” She smoothed his hair. “You get into your pajamas and, if you want, I’ll come tuck you in.”
“You always tuck me in,” he declared. “That’s what you do.”
“Yes, of course. But I didn’t know if your father would want to do that. You know, since he just got here.”
He shook his head. “Papa never tucks me in.”
“Well, that’s probably because your nanny always does it.” She could tell he was trying not to yawn. “You better get ready for bed, Mishka, before you fall asleep on your feet. Don’t forget to brush your teeth. I’ll be right in.”
As he plodded off to his room, she decided to check on Kat. After just a couple of light taps on her door, Kat said, “Come in.” She was sitting on her bed, looking at something on her phone.
“I just wanted to say goodnight,” Meredith told her from the doorway.
“You can come in if you want.”
Surprised at this unexpected hospitality, she walked inside, closing the door behind her. “Did you have a good visit with your father?”
“I guess.”
“Something interesting on your phone?”
“Kalina sent me some photos she took on the boat today.”
“That was nice of her.”
“Yeah, I suppose she’s not so bad after all.”
“It was nice of you to give her a second chance.” Meredith sat in the chair by the window.
“I was so impressed that you did. To be honest, I was ready to dropkick the girl myself.” She grinned.
“But I guess that just goes to show that you never know what someone’s like until you really get to know them. ”
“Kalina has two older sisters that pick on her.” Kat set her phone aside.
“Ah-ha, that explains a lot. Kids who’ve been bullied tend to become bullies.”
“But she’s really not a bully underneath it all. She said she always regrets it after doing something mean.” Kat had an almost thoughtful expression. “I get that.”
“Like when you’re mean to Mishka?”
“Yeah, it never feels good afterward.”
“I kind of thought so. It’s a sign of growing up to admit that.”
“I’m sure I’ll still be mean sometimes.” Kat’s eyes twinkled with mischievousness. “When he gets on my last nerve.”
Meredith laughed at the honesty. “That’s just normal sibling behavior.”
“I guess.”
“Well, speaking of Mishka, I should go tuck him in.” Meredith stood.
“Thanks for today.”
“You’re welcome. I enjoyed it too. Thanks.”
“I’m sorry Papa got upset at you.”
“It’s okay. I think he was just worried about his kids.” She opened the door.
“I think he was sorry…after you left.”
“We’ll smooth it out.” She smiled. “Don’t worry. Goodnight, Kat. Sleep well.”
Kat told her goodnight, and Meredith slipped out, hoping she wouldn’t run into Spencer, but the hallway was vacant. She hurried into Mishka’s room, where he was already in bed.
“I brushed my teeth.” He bared his lips to show her. “Even the ones in back.”
“Good for you.” She sat on the side of the bed like she always did, waiting for him to recite the prayer that had become their bedtime routine and the personalized blessing requests.
“Very nice,” she told him once he finished the prayer. She stroked his silky hair.
“Meri?” His voice sounded extra small.
“Yes?”
“You won’t leave us now, will you?”
“Well, I don’t have any plans to leave anytime soon.”
“I mean, you won’t go back to America, will you? Because Papa was so angry…you won’t just leave, will you?”
“No, I won’t. Your father was just worried.
Grownups can sound angry when they’re worried, but usually they’re not.
” She knew she wasn’t completely answering his question, but she hated to trouble him right before bed.
Perhaps she could start preparing him for her eventual departure…
tomorrow. For now, she smiled and kissed his forehead like she usually did before bed.
“Goodnight, Mishka. Sweet dreams, sweet boy.” She stood.
“Meri?”
“Yes?”
“I love you.”
She smiled. “I love you too, Mishka.” She kissed his forehead again. “Sleep well.”
And then she turned off the light and left, a tinge of guilt running through her.
Was it wrong to say she loved him? Would it give him the hope that she would stick around for a long time?
But it was true, she did love him. As she went to her suite, she knew it was time to start developing a plan to make her departure less painful for him.
Perhaps they could agree to be pen pals.
That might make the transition easier. But right now, she was tired.
She would have to think about that tomorrow.
The next morning, Meredith awoke to the sounds of birds chirping outside.
She’d left her window open all night, and the sound of their cheerful song, combined with the sunshine and beautiful landscape, left her refreshed and recharged for another delightful day with the children.
Until she remembered…Master Spencer was here.
And just like that, it was as if gray clouds had rolled in, and all her expectations for a good day evaporated right before her eyes.