by Jen Turano
“Benjamin,” he said before he plopped his thumb in his mouth.
“Well, Benjamin, I can only hope it was an uncommon occurrence for you to bite my arm, and I’m hopeful you’ve learned your lesson and will refrain from sinking your teeth into any other unsuspecting target.”
“He goes by Ben,” the little girl said. “He bites people all the time. Grandmother doesn’t know what to do about it. She keeps saying he’ll grow out of it, but I told her not to get her hopes up. I’m Piper.”
Eliza smiled. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone by the name of Piper. It’s a very pretty name.”
“It’s not my real name. My real name’s Penelope, but I don’t know what my mother was thinking, naming me that.”
“I see,” Eliza said, suddenly realizing she was almost certainly in the presence of Hamilton’s children, given that they bore a marked resemblance to him. Well, mostly Ben bore a resemblance. Piper was possessed of a delicate face with beautiful bone structure, and Eliza could only assume she took after her mother. Hamilton’s deceased wife must have been absolutely stunning if Piper had gotten her looks from her. That thought caused an annoying twinge of something that felt almost like jealousy to stir.
“Am I interrupting?”
Eliza let out a yelp when she noticed Hamilton lounging in the doorway. She snagged the counterpane and pulled it up to her neck. Unfortunately, her action had poor Ben tumbling off the bed and landing with a soft thud on the floor.
“Good heavens, Ben, I’m so sorry,” she exclaimed, fighting to untangle herself from the counterpane before jumping off the bed and kneeling beside the child. “Are you all right?”
“Why is she wearing trousers, Daddy?” Piper asked.
Eliza glanced down and discovered Piper was right. She’d forgotten the fact that she’d pulled off her skirt before she’d collapsed on the bed and now . . . honestly, she felt more than embarrassed. To avoid looking at Hamilton while she was so rattled, she settled her attention on Ben, who was still lying on the floor, gazing back at her with clear reproach in his little eyes. “May I help you up?”
He shook his head.
“I’ll do it,” Hamilton said as he moved past her and scooped Ben up into his arms. He sent her a smile. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to perform proper introductions, seeing as how my children somehow managed to get out of the nursery undetected, but no need to get into that just yet. Piper, Ben, this is Miss Sumner. She’s a guest of ours and will be staying with us for a few weeks.”
“She knocked me off the bed,” Ben said before he stuck his thumb in his mouth and buried his head in Hamilton’s shoulder.
“She didn’t mean to, Ben,” Piper said. “Besides, now you’re even, since you bit her.”
Hamilton frowned. “We’ve talked about this, Ben. You promised me you weren’t going to bite anymore.”
“Dead,” Ben muttered.
“I’m sorry?” Hamilton asked.
“They thought I was dead,” Eliza clarified, the sight of Hamilton cradling his son doing strange things to her heart. There was something so sweet and yet masculine about his manner that she found herself longing for . . . she blinked and shook herself, relieved to discover Hamilton hadn’t appeared to notice her distraction as his attention was directed at his children.
“Why did you think Miss Sumner was dead?” he asked.
“Miss Brighton read us a story about a dead lady, and the lady in the book was not moving at all, just like Miss Sumner,” Piper said.
Hamilton narrowed his eyes. “Your nanny was reading you a story about a dead lady?”
Piper nodded and took a seat on the edge of the bed. “It was a great story, Daddy. There was a murder and a mad scientist.”
“I think I’ll have to have a little chat with your nanny. Stories about murder, dead ladies, and mad scientists are hardly appropriate for a five- and a three-year-old,” Hamilton said.
“You can’t have a chat with her because she’s . . .” Piper’s voice faltered as she suddenly jumped off the bed and edged her way to the door. “I’m starving. I think I’ll go find some breakfast.”
“What did you do to the nanny, Piper?” Hamilton asked, causing Piper to stop in her tracks and release a rather dramatic sigh. She suddenly brightened. “Hello, Grandmother.”
“Ah, I thought I heard voices,” a woman said from the doorway. “What are the three of you doing . . . I wasn’t aware we had a guest.”
“Daddy brought her home last night,” Piper explained.
The woman arched a brow.
“Mother, don’t jump to conclusions,” Hamilton said. “This lady is a friend of mine, Miss Eliza Sumner. Miss Sumner, this is my mother, Mrs. Gloria Beckett.”
“A pleasure to meet you,” Eliza said, feeling her face flush under Gloria’s sharp regard.
“You brought her home last night?” Gloria asked as she advanced into the room.
“It was really late, Grandmother. I saw them,” Piper said.
Hamilton set Ben down before he turned to Piper. “Why were you out of bed in the middle of the night? Where was Miss Brighton?”
Eliza bit back a grin when she noticed a shifty expression cross Piper’s face. She looked down in surprise and found that Ben had obviously forgiven her and was now pressing his small body against her leg as he peered from his sister to his father. It was rapidly becoming apparent the two children had gotten themselves into a bit of mischief.
“Miss Brighton is no longer in our employ,” Gloria said.
“That’s why I said you couldn’t chat with her,” Piper said. “She’s gone.”
“Why?”
“Well, you couldn’t talk to someone who isn’t here, Daddy.”
“You know that’s not what I was asking.”
“Grandmother, did I tell you how really late it was when Daddy brought this lady home?”
Eliza turned her head away when a laugh took her by surprise. Piper was completely precocious and, if Eliza was not mistaken, more than a handful.
“Piper,” Hamilton growled, “enough. You will explain to me exactly what happened to Miss Brighton.”
“Why do you always think it’s me?” Piper demanded, planting her hands on her slim hips.
“Because Ben is only three, and you’ve been responsible for the last four nannies leaving in high dudgeon.”
“What does that mean?”
“Mad.”
“Miss Brighton wasn’t really mad,” Piper said slowly.
“She was scared,” Ben said.
“Scared?” Hamilton questioned.
“I didn’t know she was afraid of spiders,” Piper explained with a huff as if she could not understand that particular matter in the least. She turned to Eliza. “Are you afraid of spiders?”
The corners of Eliza’s mouth twitched before she shook her head.
“See? Miss Sumner isn’t afraid of spiders. Maybe she should be our new nanny.”
“We’re not speaking of Miss Sumner, Piper. We’re speaking about Miss Brighton. What did you do to her?” Hamilton asked.
Piper bit her lip and then began to speak very quickly as though, by getting the words out fast, they wouldn’t be as telling. “I tossed Herman to her.”
“Herman?”
“He’s my pet spider.”
“You don’t have a pet spider,” Hamilton pointed out.
“Well, not anymore, since Miss Brighton squashed him.” Piper summoned up a tragic expression earning a full-out grin from Eliza. “It was horrible, Daddy. Guts were everywhere.”
“Guts,” Ben proclaimed with a bob of his head.
Hamilton closed his eyes, and Eliza noticed his mouth moving, even though no sounds were coming out of it. He seemed to be silently counting.
“May I assume you retaliated against Miss Brighton for squashing your spider?” Hamilton finally asked.
A mulish expression crossed Piper’s face. “I don’t know what ‘retaliated’ means.”
“I
t means you did something to get back at Miss Brighton.”
“Oh.”
“Well?”
“Piper threw Herman’s body at Miss Brighton,” Ben said, earning himself a scowl from his sister in the process.
“Please tell me your aim wasn’t good,” Hamilton pleaded.
“Herman landed on her face,” Piper admitted rather reluctantly.
“Then I bit her leg ’cause Miss Brighton yelled at Pip,” Ben explained, his lower lip trembling once again.
Hamilton squatted down next to Ben. “Did that frighten you?’
“Yep.”
“Miss Brighton had a reason to yell, Ben. Piper did throw a spider at her, and that wasn’t a very nice thing to do.”
“It wasn’t very nice of Miss Brighton to stomp on my Herman either, Daddy, and then she screamed at Ben for biting her, even though there wasn’t any blood, and Ben started crying and that’s when—” Piper suddenly stopped speaking and began once again to edge her way to the door.
“There’s more?” Hamilton asked.
Piper stopped moving and her shoulders drooped. “I let Charlie out.”
“You didn’t,” Hamilton said.
“Who’s Charlie?” Eliza asked.
“Charlie’s our neurotic dog. He took an immediate dislike to Miss Brighton,” Hamilton explained. “Dare I ask what happened next?”
“Charlie chased her to her room, where she barely took any time to pack,” Gloria said, speaking up at last.
“So we’re short one nanny again?” Hamilton asked.
“I’m too old for a nanny anyways, Daddy,” Piper said.
“I don’t want a nanny either,” Ben said. “Sometimes they spank me.”
Eliza drew in a sharp breath. She patted Ben’s head. “I could be their nanny.”
“You’re a nanny?” Ben whispered, sidling away from her leg before he sent her an accusing look.
“No, but I could learn how,” Eliza said. “It can’t be much different than being a governess.”
“Out of the question,” Gloria snapped. “I know nothing about this woman, not even the reason she’s currently residing in our special guest room.”
“’Cause she’s special,” Ben said, scooting back to Eliza’s side.
Eliza beamed at the little boy.
“Miss Sumner is too pretty to be a nanny,” Piper remarked to no one in particular.
“She’s not too pretty to be our mama,” Ben said.
Eliza looked up, only to discover Hamilton watching her in a somewhat disconcerting manner. She felt heat rush over her face even as a tingle of something traveled through her, but she refused to acknowledge the tingle, knowing that, with a suspicious and annoyed mother in the room, she needed to keep her wits firmly about her. She dropped her gaze and settled it on Ben, wondering how to reply to his statement. She was spared a response when Hamilton stepped in.
“Miss Sumner is not here to be your mama, Ben. She lives in England and will be going back there soon, but until that time, I’m sure she’d love to be your friend.”
Eliza felt a sliver of disappointment stab her at Hamilton’s words. She bit back a snort. Honestly, what had she expected the gentleman to say? That Ben was right and Hamilton was going to immediately ask for her hand? She blinked back to reality when Gloria strode across the room and stopped right in front of her. Eliza resisted the urge to bolt.
“It is past time I got some answers,” Gloria said. “I have no idea what’s going on, but I fear something quite shady is transpiring.”
“There is nothing ‘shady’ at all regarding this situation,” Hamilton said. “May I suggest we allow Miss Sumner an opportunity to freshen up, and then we’ll continue this discussion over breakfast?”
“She’s staying for breakfast?” Gloria asked.
“Grandmother,” Piper admonished, “you’ve forgotten your manners.”
“There are some situations, my dear,” Gloria returned, “where manners are overrated.”
Eliza sighed and looked at Piper. “Maybe it would be best if you were to take your brother and go have your breakfast. Your grandmother obviously has questions for me, and some of those questions may not be appropriate for tender ears.”
“My ears aren’t tender,” Piper protested, reaching up to feel her ears.
“Of course not, you’re five,” Eliza said, “but your brother is only three, and from what I can hear at the moment, his stomach is grumbling.”
“We don’t have anyone to watch out for us, and Grandmother always likes us to say a blessing before we eat, but I can’t remember all the words and then God will be mad at me, so we should just wait until everyone can eat breakfast together,” Piper said with a nod.
“I thought you told your father you didn’t need a nanny to watch out for you, and I’m certain God would understand if you didn’t get the blessing exactly right,” Eliza said.
Piper looked as if she wanted to argue, but then, to Eliza’s surprise, she marched across the room, took Ben by the hand, and pulled him through the door without another word. Eliza chanced a glance at Hamilton and found him watching her with amusement dancing in his eyes.
“You might just make a good nanny, Miss Sumner,” he said. “I’ve never seen Piper cooperate quite so easily.”
“Since it appears you have no nanny readily available to care for your children, I really must reiterate that I would feel better regarding my situation if you would allow me to earn my keep. I’m not comfortable accepting charity.”
“My hospitality is not charity,” Hamilton said.
“What would you call it, then?” Eliza asked.
“Hospitality,” Hamilton returned with a grin.
Eliza’s breath caught in her throat. He was such an appealing gentleman, especially when he smiled, that she was having a very difficult time remembering the small fact that she wasn’t in a position to lose sight of her more important goal. She forced her gaze away from him, only to discover Gloria watching her with what could only be described as confusion on her face.
“Would someone please explain to me what’s going on here?” Gloria demanded.
Hamilton moved to Gloria’s side and gestured her into a chair before he looked at Eliza. “Would you like me to tell her or do you care to do the honors?”
“I think you’d do a better job of it,” Eliza muttered, moving to a chair by the side of the bed and taking a seat, suddenly coming to the realization that she’d forgotten all about the fact that she was currently garbed in trousers. It was little wonder Hamilton’s mother was confused. A grin teased her lips when she also remembered the fact that her hair had been beyond untamed last night, and she shuddered to think what it looked like now after a long sleep. She folded her hands into her lap and hoped she presented a somewhat demure picture.
“I suppose I should start at the beginning,” Hamilton said, taking a seat beside his mother.
“I always find that’s the most prudent place to start,” Gloria said.
9
One hour later, Eliza found herself at the mercy of a maid named Mabel, who apparently took every word Gloria said to heart and was now diligently applying herself to the task of making Eliza “appear her best.” She winced when hot tongs nearly burned off a layer of her scalp, but she didn’t utter a sound, still too amazed at the latest turn of events to even consider voicing a protest about the attention she was now receiving.
She’d been certain Gloria would show her the door after she learned all the particulars regarding her less than honest means of tracking down Bartholomew Hayes, including posing as a governess and taking advantage of the Watson family. Such had not been the case. Gloria had listened to her story, asking a few questions here and there, and when Eliza was finished with her tale, Gloria had sent her a rather alarming look before turning to Hamilton and ordering him from the room before she’d summoned Mabel.
Eliza was a bit concerned regarding the seemingly ever-present glint in Gloria’s eyes, but wi
th all the scrubbing, pulling, and curling, she’d not had a moment to contemplate the matter further.
“Ah, good, your hair is almost done,” Gloria exclaimed, striding into the room with her arms laden with clothing. “I took the liberty of bringing you some of my daughter’s gowns. They won’t be a perfect fit, but seeing as how Mr. Watson has not yet had the common courtesy to send your possessions over, Arabella’s gowns will have to do.”
“Won’t Arabella mind my absconding with her gowns?”
“Hardly, she has an entire wardrobe filled with gowns she’s never worn,” Gloria said. “Besides, Arabella isn’t currently at home. She’s traveling out west with my husband, Douglas, who needed to go to California to check on a railroading venture he’s involved in at the moment.”
“Did you not care to take the trip with them?” Eliza asked.
“Truth be told, I normally do accompany Douglas on his adventures, but since my grandbabies are without a proper mother, I decided it would be best if I stayed close to home for the moment.”
The gleam in Gloria’s eyes intensified, causing alarm to course through Eliza’s veins.
The woman was up to something, and Eliza had a sneaky suspicion that something concerned a proper mother for Piper and Ben. She opted to change the subject and prayed Gloria was the type of woman to become easily distracted.
“What does Arabella do when she travels with her father?”
“She’s a strong supporter of the women’s suffrage movement and adores nothing more than attending rallies to spread the word. I’m sure the two of you will get along famously after she returns to town.”
Eliza winced when Mabel took that moment to give a last tug to her hair before she stepped aside and gestured to the privacy screen. Eliza rose from the chair, moved to where Mabel indicated, and accepted the clothes Gloria tossed over to her. She shrugged out of the dressing gown she was wearing, slipped into the soft undergarments, and waited for Mabel to lace her up before pulling the gown over her head.
“I don’t want to disappoint you, Mrs. Beckett,” she said as she stepped out from behind the screen, “but I’m not sure I’ll still be around to make your daughter’s acquaintance. I do need to return to England.”