by Jen Turano
Thaddeus was wearing short pants, as were Rose and Elizabeth, now that Everett took a closer look at them, and all the pants were made out of the same brown material—material that looked slightly familiar. Before he could determine where he’d seen the material before though, Rose stalked closer to her brother, looking very grumpy indeed.
“Why did you leave without me?”
Thaddeus scrunched up his nose. “Because we’re in the middle of an emergency, and . . . Did you stop in the house to get a glass of water when we ran in there to call for help?”
Rose lifted the glass, gulped down half the contents, wiped a hand over her mouth, and nodded. “I was thirsty.”
“You don’t stop to get water when there’s an emergency going on, and your peacocks were really upset when they couldn’t find you.”
Thaddeus looked up at Everett. “Girls don’t know anything about emergencies.”
“I do too know about emergencies,” Rose argued. “They make a person thirsty, and I bet Miss Millie will like having a nice drink of water once we get her out of that tree.” She held up the glass. “I saved her some of my water.”
Everett felt the corners of his mouth begin to twitch. “Millie’s gotten herself stuck up in this tree?”
“I’m not stuck,” Millie’s voice called down. “I’m simply taking a small break up here to, er, appreciate the lovely scenery.”
Swallowing a laugh, he looked at Elizabeth, who was grinning back at him. “What happened?”
“The string on Thaddeus’s kite broke, and it landed in the tree.”
“Did no one think about simply buying him another kite?”
“He was crying,” Millie called down to him. “Tell me if you’d been here and seen Thaddeus crying that you wouldn’t have hightailed it up this tree.”
“I would have, but I’m not afraid of heights, something I get the distinct feeling you suffer from,” Everett called back before he looked back to Elizabeth. “Why didn’t anyone think to send my father up the tree? I know he’s not afraid of heights.”
“He and your mother went off to fetch Mrs. Hart,” Elizabeth said. “But they’ve been gone for over an hour, which has been making Miss Millie awfully nervous.”
“Why would that make her nervous?”
Elizabeth’s brow wrinkled. “I’m not sure, but Miss Millie keeps mumbling something about plotting, and that everyone seems to have lost their minds.”
“Who lost their mind, dear?”
Elizabeth jumped when Caroline suddenly appeared under the tree, but then the young girl began backing up ever so slowly when Caroline drew in a sharp breath and pointed a finger Elizabeth’s way.
“What are you wearing?”
“They’re wearing pants,” Millie called down to them. “Per your request.”
“I only requested that Thaddeus start wearing pants, not the girls, as I’m sure you very well know, Miss Longfellow. And . . . I recall ordering some drapes to be put up in the nanny’s room only a month or so ago that were made up in material remarkably similar to what Elizabeth’s wearing,” Caroline called up to her.
“I thought that material looked familiar,” Everett said to no one in particular. “And it’s not as if we should really be surprised the children are wearing clothing made out of drapes, since they’ve been doing just that for months now.”
Caroline drew herself up. “This is not amusing, Everett. I hate to even consider what all of our guests will think about us if they see the girls wearing pants, but if anyone realizes the children are actually wearing former drapes . . . ”
“No one but you and I have even been in the nanny’s room, Caroline, and as for the girls wearing pants, well, they’re just children, and I’m sure many of our guests have faced similar situations with their own girls.”
Caroline turned and directed her attention to where the buggies that had followed them to Seaview had now come to a stop. The occupants of those buggies were slowly climbing out of them, and to Everett’s disappointment, everyone seemed to be whispering rather furiously behind their hands.
Caroline immediately rounded on him. “Do they look like people who have seen situations like this before?”
“Well, no, and since we hardly want to distress our cherished guests, I’m going to suggest you take everyone to the back terrace and have Mrs. O’Connor serve some of that delicious lemonade she makes. I’ll join you just as soon as I get Millie out of the tree.”
“I don’t need you to get me out of the tree.” Millie said.
“Is someone stuck in that tree?” Dudley called.
“It’s just the nanny,” Caroline said before she started walking Dudley’s way. “But there’s no need for us to linger here. It’ll hardly be amusing to watch her get rescued, so I need everyone to follow me. We’re going to adjoin to the terrace, where there’s a lovely view of the ocean, and Everett’s housekeeper will serve all of us her special lemonade.”
Waiting until the last of the guests disappeared around the corner of Seaview, Everett moved to the ladder his footmen had set up, shaking off his jacket as he did so. Handing it to Thaddeus, who’d immediately scampered over to his side, he eyed the tree.
“If you’re scared, Uncle Everett, I could go save her,” Thaddeus said solemnly. “It’s my fault since she only climbed up there because of my kite.” He hung his head. “I wasn’t watching out for the trees, and it got stuck when a big gust of wind caught it.”
“Thank you, Thaddeus, but I’m not afraid to climb the tree.”
“I’m not afraid either,” Millie yelled.
Completely ignoring that statement since he knew it was less than true, Everett glanced to the two footmen, Davis and Johnson, who were standing on either side of the ladder. “You’ll hold the ladder steady for me?”
Davis, a young man who always had a ready smile and a very pleasant personality, nodded. “We will indeed, sir, but I’d be happy to fetch Miss Millie.” He looked up the tree then back at Everett. “She’s a nice lady, she is, a real friendly sort, and it would be a true honor for me to go and save her.”
A stab of something unpleasant settled in Everett’s stomach as he immediately came to the conclusion that he’d been wrong about Davis, and that the man didn’t possess a pleasant personality at all, but was a pushy and far-too-handsome sort. Reaching out, Everett took hold of the ladder and raised a foot to the first rung. “While I certainly appreciate your offer, Davis, Miss Longfellow is my responsibility, and as such, I’ll save her.” Not allowing Davis an opportunity to argue, he began climbing, pausing when he reached the very last rung of the ladder and realized Millie was still sitting quite a ways away from him.
He couldn’t see much of her, given the foliage that surrounded them, but she was perched on a limb that seemed rather thin. She was also holding perfectly still, that stillness causing him no small amount of concern.
Millie was never still, and the very idea she wasn’t so much as moving a muscle proved she was in a very precarious state.
Pulling himself up and off the ladder, he climbed closer to her, stopping when the branch he was standing on began to bend. “I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to climb all the way up to you, Millie, so you’re going to have to scoot down here and meet me.”
“Not likely.”
“You really don’t have another option.”
“I told you, I’m going to sit here for a spell, rediscover my nerve, and then I’ll climb down on my own.”
“What if your nerve doesn’t want to be rediscovered?”
A snort was her only response.
He tried again. “There’s no need to be scared. I assure you I won’t let you fall. I was considered a very good tree climber in my youth, so you’re in good hands with me.”
“When was the last time you climbed a tree?”
“I will admit it’s been some time, but it’s liking riding one of those bicycles everyone seems so keen about these days. They say once you learn to ride, you
never forget—and the same goes with climbing trees. If you’ve neglected to notice, I made it all the way up here to you without a single mishap.”
“You used a ladder for most of your climb. That’s cheating.”
“While I would love to delve into the reasons behind your difficult attitude at the moment, in case you’re confused about what I’m doing up here, I’m trying to help you.”
“Fine, help me then. Go find Caroline and help her entertain all of those people, and when I’m sure no one is lingering around . . . watching me . . . I’ll come down.”
“No one is watching you. They’ve all retreated to the back terrace.”
“I bet some of them are peeking around the corner of the house, just hoping I’ll . . .” Millie suddenly stopped speaking when the branch she was sitting on gave an ominous creak.
“Stop moving,” he said as calmly as he could, even though his heart had begun beating furiously.
“I wasn’t moving,” she whispered.
Shifting a little on his branch, he looked down and discovered Davis standing on the top rung of the ladder, looking up at him.
“I thought you might need some help, sir,” Davis said before he craned his neck and shifted to the right. “How are you doing up there, Miss Millie?”
“She’s fine, but I might have a bit of a difficult time getting her down if you’re using the ladder,” Everett pointed out.
“Right you are, sir,” Davis said. “I’ll just wait for you on the ground.”
“He’s a very nice man,” Millie said after Davis disappeared, her words having the strange effect of causing Everett’s teeth to clink together.
“Yes, yes, he’s delightful, and certainly seems . . . Well, no need to get into that right now. We need to get you out of the tree. Can you move to another branch? The one right beneath you looks a little sturdier.”
Leaves rustled as she shifted around, but then she stilled again. “I can’t do it.”
“Of course you can. You’re the lady who got Thaddeus out of frocks and into pants with remarkable ease. You can do anything.”
Unfortunately, Millie didn’t seem to want to discuss what she could or couldn’t do at the moment. The branch gave another creak, she let out what almost sounded like a whimper, and then, to his surprise, she completely changed the subject. “Do you know that Davis is an extremely competent tailor? He helped sew all the garments the children and I are currently wearing.”
The unpleasant something or other once again unfurled in Everett’s stomach. “He helped sew the children’s outfits?”
“He did, along with quite a few other members of your staff, as well as your mother. That’s how we were able to finish so quickly. Just so you know, I told Davis I’d introduce him to Harriet once she gets back from England. She could use such a talented man when she gets around to opening her dress shop, so I might have lost you a good footman.”
Everett didn’t know if he should laugh or pull all of his hair out in frustration. Here they were, high up in a tree, and Millie had apparently decided to act as if they were sitting down to tea, discussing matters of a rather mundane nature.
“Fascinating as it is to learn Davis likes to sew,” he settled on saying, “we really do need to get you down from there, so . . . I’m going to try and get closer to you.”
Everett stepped on a branch to the right that, thankfully, held his weight, swung around the trunk, and found another branch that brought him right up next to Millie. When he got a good look at her, though, he found himself in the unusual position of having completely lost the ability to speak.
Millie’s curly hair was tied back with a ribbon, making her appear remarkably young, while also lending her a rather flirty attitude. His gaze traveled from her hair to her face, and he felt his breath catch in his throat when he took note of the paleness of her skin, the panic in her eyes, and the slight trembling of her lips. A scratch marred her cheek, and as his gaze drifted down her person to make certain she wasn’t injured anywhere else, he blinked and blinked again.
“Are you wearing . . . pants?”
“Well, yes,” she said, right before she sent him the smallest of grins.
The grin hit him like a fist to the stomach, and right there and then, in the midst of the tree, he finally realized what it was about his life that had changed.
He, Everett Mulberry, one of society’s highest members, was attracted to Miss Millie Longfellow, the . . . nanny.
It was completely unacceptable, ridiculous even, and almost seemed like a story Jane Austen would have penned. In fact . . . him being attracted to Millie was remarkably similar to the Pride and Prejudice story he hadn’t picked up for a day or two. And he realized now that he certainly wasn’t going to finish because . . . if Mr. Darcy did indeed end up with Miss Elizabeth, well, it was a silly fairy tale, plain and simple.
He didn’t believe in fairy tales, even if Oliver seemed to have experienced one, but . . . no—he would not allow himself to think in that direction. The question that remained now, though, was how was he going to overcome this attraction—if that’s what he was actually feeling—for Millie?
She was unlike any lady he’d ever known—caring, funny, and more intelligent than she gave herself credit for—but . . . she was not his equal in any way, shape, or form. He had to remember that, had to remember that he had a standing within society he’d carefully cultivated over the years. He also had a certain standing within the business community, a community that would not look kindly on him if he allowed himself to pursue this attraction he held for Millie. Besides all that . . . there was Caroline to consider.
Resignation settled deep within him as he realized exactly what he needed to do. He was going to have to distance himself from this woman he found far too enticing, spend even more time with Caroline, since she was the woman he’d committed himself to, and . . . he’d have to find a new nanny sometime in the foreseeable future.
“What is the matter with you?” Millie demanded, pulling him back to the situation at hand.
“I’m thinking about how to get you out of here” was the only response Everett was comfortable giving. Reaching out, he took hold of her arm. “Are you ready?”
“Do I have another choice?”
He refused to grin, reminding himself that he needed to maintain a careful distance with her from this point forward. “I’m afraid not.”
“Oh, very well, but I’m going to need a moment.” With that, Millie closed her eyes, kept them closed for a good long moment, whispered an “Amen,” then opened her eyes.
“Were you just . . . praying?” Everett asked.
“I always pray before I proceed with life-threatening situations.”
“Does it help?”
“I’m still alive, aren’t I?”
Resisting the impulse to grin yet again, Everett settled for a nod.
“You’ll catch me if I start to fall?” she asked.
After reassuring her that he would, indeed, catch her, they finally began to make their way incredibly slowly down the tree. By the time they reached the ground, Millie was shaking like mad, but instead of pulling her close and offering her comfort, Everett allowed the children to do that, unable to help but smile just a little when they couldn’t seem to hug Millie hard enough. Lifting her head, she caught his eye. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“You should be thanking him, Miss Longfellow,” Caroline said as she marched back to join them, having obviously abandoned their guests on the back terrace. “I have no idea what you were thinking, climbing up a tree, for goodness’ sake, but . . . Are you wearing pants?”
Before Millie could respond, Rose stepped forward. “Miss Millie thought if all of us wore pants, Thaddeus would feel better about wearing them again, so you shouldn’t scold her.”
Caroline’s face darkened even as she shook a finger in Rose’s direction. “Pants are never acceptable for ladies or young girls to wear, Rosetta, and I must tell you that you and your sister
have succeeded in embarrassing me quite dreadfully since you allowed our guests to see you in such a disgraceful state.” She shook her finger again. “Why, your lack of proper attire is the topic of conversation right now on the back terrace.”
Rose’s little lips began to quiver, her eyes filled with tears, and then she began to cry in earnest, but before anyone could offer her a smidgen of comfort, the air split with a hair-raising shriek.
To Everett’s very great concern, the peacocks that had been gathered off to the side of the tree turned their heads in unison and set their beady eyes on Caroline. As if choreographed, they spread their tail feathers right before they charged—directly in Caroline’s direction.
11
A week and a half after the disastrous peacock debacle, Millie sat in the shade of a large tree, but not the one she’d been unfortunate enough to get stuck in. Peering closely at the rather worn copy of Romeo and Juliet she was attempting to read, she reached for her dictionary when she ran into yet another word she’d never seen before. As she switched one book for the other, she caught a glimpse of someone walking toward her across the back lawn of Seaview.
“Millie. There you are.”
Abandoning her books, Millie scrambled to her feet and dashed forward, stopping right in front of none other than Lucetta.
“What a marvelous surprise, Lucetta, but . . . what are you doing here? I thought your new play opened this week.”
Pulling Millie into an enthusiastic hug, Lucetta gave her a good squeeze before she stepped back. “The play did open this week. However, because of a pesky little problem with the new electric lights that were installed to replace the old, smoking electric lights, there’s been a slight setback.”
“What happened?”
Lucetta shook her head rather sadly. “It turns out the new and improved lights weren’t exactly improved, since they burst into flames. The theater caught on fire during our first performance.”
“The theater burned down?”