Delia's Debt

by Allison West

  Frank rounded the dirt path, approaching the train station. A flurry of people clustered the platform awaiting the next incoming train.

  Charles had no idea when the new train was due and if Ida and the girls had already left or were waiting for the train to arrive. Without warning, he jumped from the moving coach, refusing to wait until Frank had made a complete stop.

  He stumbled forward but kept running, ignoring the few stares that found their way toward him.

  “Emma!” His voice carried as he shouted for his girls. “Alice!” His heart slammed against the walls of his chest, while his breath caught in his throat. It hurt to breathe. What would he find?

  Delia’s soft shout carried in the wind as she too disembarked the carriage and searched for his children.

  “Emma!” he tried again, praying she was amidst the crowd of onlookers as he pushed by men in their top hats and women with parasols. It hardly seemed sunny with a thicket of clouds overhead. Knocking through the chaos of people, Charles spun around as he felt someone tap his shoulder repeatedly to draw his attention.

  He spun around on his feet, coming face-to-face with Edward, his cousin. What was Edward doing here, at the train station? Had he come to see the royal palace and pray to grant eyes for a moment on the Queen of Great Britain?

  “I must say, I was surprised to find your two children alone without a guardian present.”

  Charles’s eyes widened. “You found Emma and Alice?” Surely he would not have made up such a cruel joke. Besides word outside of the home had not spread of the girls’ disappearance.

  “Sitting right over there,” Edward said, pointing toward a bench nestled tight to the building.

  He pushed through the throes of people as the train swiftly approached the platform. His girls knew to stay seated until he came, right? He worried they would follow the crowd blindly onto the train.

  Each step felt heavy and weighted as he moved forward only to stumble two steps back as the rush of people moved him away from his intended destination. Above the hats and parasols, the morning crowd heading to work, Charles could not see the children. Had Edward managed to keep them calm? It was not as though the girls were incredibly familiar with Charles’s cousin. He had done well to keep Emma and Alice far from trouble which meant away from much of his estranged family.

  “Alice! Emma!” His voice shouted into the chaotic void of noise as the trains whistle blew, alerting the passengers to hurry on before the doors shut. Charles pushed forward. He needed to know with absolute certainty that his children waited as they had been told. If there was even the slightest bit of chance that they had boarded that train, he would never forgive Edward or Ida. The mere thought of his nanny made his blood boil.

  A flash of dark blue, the color of Emma’s favorite dress caught his eye. “Emma!” He stood on his tiptoes, his dark black shoes grazing the cement of the train platform as he tried to stand above the crowd. Charles was not a particularly short man. He was of average height but being average was not doing him any favors.

  Breaking through, his shoulder to the side, he pushed his way to the back.

  “Papa!” Emma’s voice echoed off the building as she stood. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes glistened as she clutched Alice’s hand.

  Alice could not stop sobbing. Her breathing labored and erratic as she climbed down from the bench.

  The girls rushed the final distance to their father, throwing their arms around him as he bent down, burying their tears into his shoulder and jacket.

  “Where is Nanny Ida?” Charles asked. His voice was firm yet tight. He showed no betrayal of his emotions, refusing to let the girls witness how frightened he felt.

  Emma pointed toward the train as the last passengers climbed inside.

  Charles turned around and his eyes widened at the mere sight of Delia and Ida fighting. Not verbally as one might expect of a lady who was scorned, but actually throwing punches. Delia appeared to be winning as she knocked a blow to Ida’s cheek, her body slamming against the railcar. He did not approve of women fighting, even if it was with other women, but she had the balls to do what he could not. He wanted to break the fight up, insist for an explanation of what had happened, but instead he clutched his daughter’s tight to him. He trusted the word of his young girls far above Nanny Ida right at this moment.

  “Tell me what you are doing out here.” His question though directed at Emma, did not refocus his attention as he watched the nanny grab the rail as she stepped onto the train.

  Delia seemed to have none of it, grabbing Ida’s jacket lapels as she pulled her from the train car. The whistle blew and slowly the engine moved forward at a snail’s pace.

  Ida yelled something at Delia. He could not hear it over the clickety clack of the wheels on the tracks. It had probably been for the best. Nothing said could be pleasant for either him or the girls to hear. Besides, he could not unteach them foul language and they had done well to keep away from it thus far.

  “Nanny Ida wanted to take us away, to London.”

  London was not far, but the fact she had desired to take the girls without informing him was more than just a tad bit unsettling. He swallowed the bile in his throat. If he let go of his children and chased after Ida, he would do something far more regrettable, like throwing her on the tracks.

  Charles had always been a good man with strong morals. Anger did not provide him a reasonable excuse to do away with all he had been taught. He needed to be better than that, especially for his girls.

  “Stay right here, do not move. Do you hear me?” Charles could not just let Ida leave without saying something about her behavior. It was reprehensible and worse she had put two young girls lives in grave danger. Had they not rushed to the station, what would have happened to Emma and Alice?

  “How dare you!” he shouted, not caring that the train had begun to pull away and Ida once again worked to catch up. Charles had no reason to detain her, if she wanted to leave for London, then so be it, but he was not going to let her disappear without at the very least a tongue lashing. “I entrusted you with my children!”

  Delia watched from the platform, heading toward the girls while Charles further approached the train’s platform. His pace was quick like the beating of his heart. He wasted no time as Ida jumped on for him to latch his hand with hers, barely touching on the metal rail as he lifted his legs and grazed the train. He had no ticket or desire to leave his home.

  “I’m sorry,” Ida said. Her voice trembled and with wide doe like eyes she took a step further back, clearly afraid of Charles.

  He had no intention to hit her or put her over his knee, though she deserved far more than just a spanking for her betrayal.

  “Charles!” Delia’s voice carried to him. He glanced back over his shoulder to see her in the distance. The platform ended in just a few short seconds.

  “I will never forgive you.” The words uttered were harsh yet true. He jumped forward and stumbled slightly before catching his feet. His heart did not seem to slow. The train picked up speed, rushing off leaving a handful of people at the platform. Most who had gotten off the train had already left the station.

  “Papa!” Alice untangled herself from Delia’s embrace as she ran toward her father.

  He lifted the young girl into his arms and spun her around, grateful his children were still with him. He knew he had Delia to thank, but fighting his battles, hitting Ida, it was not appropriate for a woman or a governess.

  The four of them walked toward the carriage. Frank leaned against the coach, waiting patiently for their return. “I am glad to see Alice and Emma,” he said, smiling warmly at the children as he opened the door to the carriage, letting them inside first. Frank offered his hand for Delia to step in before Charles followed suit.

  “Please take us home,” Charles said. Exhausted from the ordeal, his day had only just begun. He needed to get to work.

  Chapter 5

  Delia sat beside Charles as the girls sat acro
ss from them in the carriage. “I brought your coats,” Delia said, offering the items to the children to help warm them up. Their noses and fingers were bright red. She had not any idea how long they had been outside, waiting for the train.

  Charles stared at the girls, seeming unable to steal his gaze away for even the briefest of moments. “Without a nanny, I am going to need you to take on more responsibility with Emma and Alice. The girls will need to be bathed and fed. You will teach Emma during the morning and Alice will sit in on your lessons.”

  “Are you asking me to be their nanny as well as their governess?” Delia asked. She had not even considered a promotion so quickly. If that were the case, then she would demand a raise as well. Surely he could afford to pay her what he had been paying Nanny Ida.

  “I know I am expecting a lot of you, but I need someone I can trust.”

  Delia did not dare ask him why he thought he could trust her when a woman who had been around for years up and left without hesitation. Perhaps their moment of intimacy the previous night had clouded his mind and made him think she was a suitable nanny. “Am I to assume that my salary will double?” Delia was not above asking. What was the worst thing that could happen? He certainly was not in a position to relieve her of being a governess. Then there would be the maid to look after the girls.

  Charles grumbled and stroked his jaw. “I had not considered the increase in work. Yes, I will pay you what Nanny Ida had been making.”

  There was no way to know for certain that she received every pence Nanny Ida had during the week, but it would suffice.

  “Perhaps you could provide me with instructions on your routine.” Delia had not been around long enough to have memorized it, let alone seen it, for herself.

  “The maids and kitchen staff I am certain can help with the specifics. I am already hours late for work.”

  Frank slowed the carriage to a standstill and came around to help the girls out.

  “For the next month the girls are not to leave the premises. There will be no rides with Frank or wandering from the house, is that clear?” Charles asked.

  “Of course.” Delia had not been the one to break the rules but it seemed she was still being punished for Ida’s insubordination. Had she known a sentence would have been tacked on with the job of nanny, she might have reconsidered accepting the position.

  Charles made no attempt to exit the carriage.

  Delia walked the girls inside, watching from the door as Frank climbed atop the seat. She shut the door, not wanting to think about how it was not fair that she could not take the girls outside. The children had done nothing wrong. In fact, they had stayed at the station instead of boarding the train with their nanny. They should be rewarded for their bravery and loyalty to their father.

  She helped Alice out of her coat. Emma removed her own jacket, dropping the dark blue material onto the floor.

  “Young lady, is that where your coat belongs?” Delia knew better. If she was going to take on the role of nanny and governess, then she needed to take control. These girls needed to show her respect.

  Grumbling under her breath, Emma bent down and picked up her jacket.

  Delia held out her hand, taking her coat and placing it back in the closet where everything belonged. She whisked the girls toward the library. Inside there were two desks of equal proportion.

  Emma took her seat, as if she knew right where to go.

  Alice stood with her wide green eyes staring at the wooden table. Her feet refused to budge an inch. “Nanny Ida told me never to bother Emma.”

  Delia smiled warmly, trying to ease the young girls mind. “You will not bother her because you will be learning your alphabet. Now come sit.” She patted the back of the empty chair.

  With hesitation, Alice stepped further into the room and scurried to the seat chosen exclusively for her. She climbed onto the chair, swimming in the seat.

  Delia walked toward the shelf of books, her fingers skimming over the titles as she tried to decide her first lesson for both girls. She had never played the role of governess before, not truly. Yesterday had been a day of meeting Charles and the girls. No studies had been required or lessons had been taught. Delia found two blank sheets of paper and pencils, handing one to Emma and the second to Alice.

  Emma sat poised with the pencil in her hand, ready to start.

  Delia did not dare admit her surprise that the day had already been forgotten by Emma, eager to learn or perhaps please her governess. “I would like you each to start with writing the alphabet and then your numbers from one to thirty.”

  “That is easy,” Emma said, she scribbled hurriedly on the parchment.

  Alice’s eyes watered and her bottom lip trembled.

  Delia walked over to the young child’s side and leaned down. “What is it?”

  Putting her head on her desk, the tears poured down her cheeks, though her sobs were muffled by the wood beside her lips.

  “She does not know how to write,” Emma said, glancing back at Alice.

  “Of course,” Delia said. Why had she been so thoughtless to provide them the same test? She had not even asked the girl to do some addition or subtraction yet either. Was this what she had to look forward to everyday? At least one of the girls seemed calm, a surprise considering her demeanor just a few short minutes ago.

  Patting young Alice’s back, she gently soothed the young child. “Perhaps you could draw me a picture?” It would provide Delia the opportunity to see how she held her pencil and then she might suggest helping Alice sign her name.

  “I am done.” Emma placed the pencil down on the desk, a proud grin on her face.

  “Very good. Do you know your multiplication tables?”

  Emma stared at Delia blankly.

  Perhaps she should start simpler with the oldest child. Glancing over Emma’s paper, Delia wrote down a dozen problems, many included addition, a few were subtraction, and she even tossed in two multiplications. “Take your time to and try to solve the equations.”

  Delia walked back over to Alice as she drew a very abstract picture, her scribbles not anything that could yet be seen by anyone other than the child. “That looks great,” Delia said, complimenting the young girl as she patted her back.

  Alice sniffled and wiped at the last tears. Her breathing had returned to normal, the soft gasps and hiccups vanished as Alice focused on her picture.

  Finding a seat in the room, Delia tried to relax the insistent pounding of her racing heart. The morning had been unlike anything she had anticipated with Nanny Ida stealing the girls away. Grateful they had not boarded the train, she wondered what kept them at the station. Had Emma realized that Ida’s behavior had been peculiar? Delia recognized the jealous streak early on, but it had not kept the children from harms way. Guilt ebbed away at her. She should have told Charles at once that Ida had been waiting outside his bedroom door for her. Perhaps had he known of Ida’s feelings and her temper he would have seen to it that his girls were safe. Though what would he have done any differently? She doubted that he would have fired her during the night. She had not proven a traitor until morning.

  * * * * *

  The day seemed to drag on. Alice swiftly grew bored and restless with her coloring. Delia attempted to teach the young girl to draw her letters but she constantly had to switch between the children, working to further enrich Emma with her studies.

  Had she been crazy for insisting to teach both children at once? Though being a nanny to Alice seemed easy, it was not during the hours of her being a governess. They all had a lot to learn.

  “Are we done yet?” Emma asked. She lifted her hand, showing Delia the welt on the inside of her palm beside her thumb.

  It would get easier for the children and for her. “Yes, of course. Wash up and head to the dining room for dinner.”

  Delia did not know whether she was supposed to eat with the girls as the nanny had or with Charles like the night before, as governess. She had eaten lunch with the chi
ldren but that had been quick and their father had been at work. Delia would find out soon enough.

  Stepping out from the library, the air in the hall had chilled by several degrees. Delia wrapped her arms around herself, wishing she had had a shawl over her shoulders. She needed to make sure the girls were not too cold.

  Emma grabbed Alice’s hand and together they opened the door to the dining room.

  Just a few feet behind them, Delia could feel the warmth of the fire calling out to her. She shut the door behind the girls, certain to keep the room warm. “Have a seat,” Delia said, unsure where each child sat for their meal.

  They rushed to the table. Did they think if they were late that they would not be fed? Hurriedly they sat and placed their napkins upon their laps, as young ladies were instructed to do.

  Delia smiled surprised by the manners they exhibited, while excited eyes watched the food be brought out to the table.

  “May we eat?” Emma asked, glancing over her shoulder at Delia.

  “Yes, of course.”

  The door behind Delia swung open and Charles stepped into the room. He looked exhausted and she knew exactly how he felt.

  “Papa!” Alice exclaimed, dropping her fork as it bounced from her plate to the chair and as she stood in haste, the fork somersaulted onto the floor. Her eyes welled and Delia rushed to the child, bending down to pick up the utensil.

  “I will get you a new one,” Delia said, giving the young girl a quick hug, trying to ease her concerns.

  Alice took a sharp intake of breath, perhaps trying to quell the tears before they fully formed. She nodded and sniffled a bit, staring at her papa.

  Charles walked toward Alice, giving her a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, before walking around the opposite side of the table to do the same for Emma. “How were you both today, with your new governess? I hope you did not give her any problems.”