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A Nanny for Keeps
by Janet Lee Barton
Chapter One
New York City
Spring 1898
Georgia Marshall stepped off the trolley and headed down the sidewalk toward Gramercy Park and Heaton House. The spring day was beautiful with clear blue skies and sunshine, along with trees and flowers beginning to bud, but she was preoccupied and barely noticed. After her interview with the school superintendent, it appeared she must give up on finding a teaching position until the next term, which meant she needed to find employment as soon as possible.
Thankfully, she had some money saved from her teaching days in Virginia. And when she arrived in New York City, Mrs. Heaton had refused to charge her rent until she found suitable employment. She’d insisted Georgia was a family friend and she didn’t want her to feel pressured. Because of her charitableness, Georgia hadn’t needed to dig into her savings.
However, she couldn’t take advantage of Mrs. Heaton’s kindness any longer. She would find employment, even if it wasn’t in her preferred field. She refused to return home. There was nothing for her there. She’d pour over the classifieds again later that evening in hopes of finding something she might be qualified for.
Just walking up the steps to Heaton House comforted her. Georgia had felt at home from the very first, and the warm and welcoming feeling always seemed to lift her spirits. She let herself in, surprised to hear a man’s voice in the parlor at teatime. It was unusual for any of the male boarders to be home at this time of day.
She peeked inside to see Mrs. Heaton speaking to her new neighbor from England, if his accent was any indication.
“Georgia, dear! Come in and join us. I believe you might have met at Matt and Millicent’s wedding last month, but if not, let me introduce you to Sir Tyler Walker. Sir Tyler, Miss Marshall is a family friend and boarder here.”
Georgia caught her breath as the tall, broad-shouldered man, who’d stood and started toward her the moment she entered the room, took her hand in his and bowed over it. “I don’t believe we did. But, Miss Marshall, it’s a pleasure to meet you now.”
She knew he was a baronet, but this wasn’t England and she didn’t know whether to curtsy or not. She knew nothing of the hierarchy in England, so she dipped her head instead. Still, she wasn’t sure how to address him. “A pleasure to meet you, too, Sir…Walker?”
“I’d be called Sir Tyler in England, but I’m making my home here now, so perhaps Mr. Walker will do?”
“That might make it easier.” Georgia tried to ignore the fluttery feeling in the vicinity of her heart and slipped her hand from his. She smiled and took a seat beside her landlady, who held a cup of tea for her. “Thank you, Mrs. Heaton. This is just what I need.”
The baronet took his seat across from Mrs. Heaton once again and let her freshen his tea.
Georgia hoped no one noticed that her fingers trembled as she raised her cup to her mouth. She remembered seeing Sir—Mr. Walker and his daughters at the wedding, but not up this close. He was the most handsome man she’d ever met, with his almost black hair and ocean-blue eyes.
“Mr. Walker has come asking for help in finding someone to act as a nanny to his young daughters, until he can find a permanent one,” Mrs. Heaton explained.
“Oh? I thought you’d brought your help over with you?” Mr. Walker and his entourage had been quite a topic of conversation at the dinner table for several nights not long after he’d moved in next door.
“Yes, well, the nanny became homesick and wanted to go back to England. I’d promised I would pay her way back home and had to keep my word. But the one I hired to replace her didn’t last but two weeks. And neither did the next.”
“I’m so sorry,” Georgia said. He did have a dilemma on his hands, but her heart went out to his two young girls. They’d lost their mother and were bound to still be missing her.
“Yes, so am I.” Mr. Walker released a deep sigh before continuing in his charming English accent. “It appears my daughters might be trying to run off the help. The maid is watching them now, but she isn’t happy about it. She doesn’t want to be their nanny and I can’t say I blame her. The girls are a bit incorrigible at times.”
“And quite adorable,” Mrs. Heaton added.
Mr. Walker smiled and shook his head. “I’m not sure what to do. I know they miss their mother, and moving away from their familiar surroundings might not have been for the best, although I could no longer—” He cut off what he’d been about to say and cleared his throat.
The sorrow in his expression was unmistakable and Georgia’s heart flooded with sympathy for him. His wife had been gone just over a year, and trying to raise his young daughters without her must be terribly difficult.
“I’ll get in touch with any friends I believe might be able to help and let you know what I find out as soon as I can,” Mrs. Heaton said.
“Thank you, Mrs. Heaton. I appreciate your willingness to assist me.” Mr. Walker took a sip of tea and then placed it back on the saucer and stood. “I suppose I should get back. No telling what those two might be up to. I can’t let the maid up and leave, too. I’ve begun to think that my mother was right. I should have brought some of her household staff with me.”
Mrs. Heaton accompanied him to the door and Georgia heard him say, “It’s good to have a neighbor one can come to for advice. Thank you for tea.”
“You’re quite welcome anytime, Sir Tyler. I’ll be in touch soon.”
“I look forward to hearing from you.”
Mrs. Heaton came back into the room and refreshed both hers and Georgia’s tea. “Poor man. It’s got to be so distressing to move away from all that’s familiar after losing one’s spouse. And even more so while trying to hold his family together and comfort his children.”
“I agree. After all, our culture is a bit different here than in England.”
“Yes, it is. Not so much at his level as at ours, but he seems to want to embrace the American way of life. His wife was from here and he wants his girls to grow up in this country.”
“He must have loved her very much.”
“I’m sure he did. Perhaps he’ll find a suitable wife before long—one who will love him and his children.”
“He’s a handsome man,” Georgia said. “I’m sure that once the daughters of the wealthy in this city are introduced to him, he’ll have his choice of women.”
“Oh, but not all of those young debutantes will be interested in marrying a man with children. It may be more difficult than we think. In the meantime, I hope we can find someone to help out.”
“You mean until he finds a mate?”
“Yes, or a permanent nanny. I’m not sure he’s ready to find a wife just yet. I’ll think on things. But for now, I’d best go see how our dinner is coming along.” She gathered up the tea tray and started toward the door before turning back to Georgia. “If you come up with any ideas, I’d love to hear them.”
“I’ll think on it.”
Mrs. Heaton turned just before she left the room. “I’m sorry, Georgia. I didn’t have a chance to ask if you had any good news about procuring a teaching position anywhere.”
“No, ma’am. I believe I’m going to have to find a position of some kind but it won’t be teaching, at least not until the new term in the fall. My
timing seems to be awful. I’d put my name in at several schools when I first came, but they have a long list of those looking for positions and I’m far down on it.”
“Perhaps you should try something else,” Mrs. Heaton suggested.
“I believe I’m going to have to.”
“You know, Georgia…I’m sure Sir Walker will pay very well and you want a job. Would you consider filling in for a short time?”
Only now did Georgia realize the same thought had been forming at the back of her mind, but she didn’t think she was qualified. “I don’t know. I’ve never been a nanny for anyone.”
“But you’ve taught young children, haven’t you?”
“I have.” And she was quite good at it, from what her letter of reference said.
“Oh, his little girls are so sweet,” Mrs. Heaton said. “I hear them outside playing on warm days. It’s so sad that they don’t have a mother.”
“It is,” Georgia said. “I’m sure that losing the nanny who’d always taken care of them must be almost as hard as losing their mother. Perhaps I should consider it. I don’t have anything else to do right now and—”
“You’d be doing a great favor for Sir Tyler. He has such sadness in his eyes.”
Yes, he did. And that sadness and worry about the care for his daughters had touched Georgia’s heart and made her wish she could help—even though she’d never thought about being a nanny. “But doesn’t a nanny live in? I don’t think I’d want to do that.”
“I’m sure you could come to an agreement. It would be temporary, after all. Perhaps you could offer to be there to get them up and dressed and stay until they ate dinner or were put to bed. And surely you could ask for some free time on weekends.”
“I suppose I could think about it…” Georgia said.
“It might be an answered prayer for you both,” Mrs. Heaton said. “But I must check on dinner now. I appreciate your giving thought to it.”
She hurried away and Georgia headed up to her room. Mrs. Heaton took helping others very seriously and Georgia knew she wouldn’t rest until Mr. Walker had what—or who—he needed. Perhaps this was an opportunity for her to have work and assist a neighbor in need at the same time. She’d have to pray about it.
*
Tyler took his leave, glad he’d gone to ask Mrs. Heaton for guidance. She was a kind woman and he felt sure she would do what she could to try to find someone to fill in as nanny.
And although he hadn’t been formally introduced to Georgia Marshall at the wedding he and his daughters had been invited to not long after they’d moved in, he remembered seeing her there. Since then he’d caught a glimpse or two of her going in and out of Heaton House.
One couldn’t help but notice her. She was lovely, with her dark brown hair and deep green eyes. But he hadn’t expected his reaction to being near to her. Her smile had warmed his heart and made his chest tighten in a way it hadn’t since his wife passed away.
And because of that reaction, Tyler quickly forced Miss Marshall out of his mind. He wasn’t looking for love or a wife. Not now and not in the future. All he needed at the moment was someone to take care of his daughters.
His butler opened the door the moment his foot touched the top step. What would he do without Mr. Tate? Thankfully, the man had no plans of desertion, at least not that he’d voiced to Tyler.
“How did it go, sir? Did Mrs. Heaton have any ideas about replacing the nanny?”
His butler was the one person Tyler felt he could confide in here in his new home. “Not right away, but she’s going to see if she can find someone to help. I’m glad I thought to go to her, since it’s obvious that the service I’ve gone through hasn’t worked.”
“Much as I dislike saying so, I believe that is true, Sir Tyler. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I feel I must tell you that the cook is making noises about leaving again.”
“Oh, dear, what have the girls done now?”
“It’s not Miss Polly or Miss Lilly, sir. They’ve done nothing to cause this. Mrs. Biddle just doesn’t like it here very much. Or so she says.”
Tyler sighed. He’d felt better after speaking with Mrs. Heaton, but he wasn’t confident even she could find anyone to help him. And now this. “I’ll speak to her.”
“That might help. It certainly can’t hurt at this point.”
Dear Lord, please help me. Now I might need a cook, too. I should have brought over a housekeeper to deal with some of these problems. Did I make the wrong decision in coming here? And what made me believe I could do this? I felt it was the answer, but perhaps I was wrong.
“Where are the girls now?”
“The maid gave them a snack earlier and they were in the playroom when I checked on them a few minutes ago.”
“Thank you, Tate. I can’t tell you how much your presence here is helping with this move. You aren’t thinking of leaving us, are you?”
“No, sir. It is a change to be sure, but my loyalties are with you and your family, Sir Tyler. I wish to work for no one else.”
“That puts my mind at ease. I’ll check on the girls and then go speak to Mrs. Biddle.”
“Very good, sir.”
Tyler gave his butler a nod and headed upstairs to his daughters’ playroom. The designer he’d hired on recommendation from his in-laws had done a wonderful job. The room was bright and sunny, decorated in blue and white. The girls were busy playing with their three-story dollhouse and talking for the dolls. He loved watching them and stood quietly at the door until they noticed him.
“Papa!” Polly jumped up and ran to him with her younger sister, Lilly, right behind her.
“We missed you, Papa!” Lilly said, kissing him on the cheek as he gathered them both up, one in each arm.
“We truly did,” Polly agreed, giving him a kiss on the other cheek.
He took them to the settee and sat down, one on each side of him.
“I went to Mrs. Heaton’s to ask—”
“Without us? Oh, Papa, we love taking tea at Mrs. Heaton’s!” Lilly exclaimed.
They’d gone only once to have tea with Mrs. Heaton and her daughter and granddaughter. But they’d taken a liking to their neighbor right away. “We’ll go another time, I’m sure, Lilly. But today I needed to ask her assistance in finding someone to help out—at least until I can find a permanent nanny.”
“Oh, Papa,” Polly said, “we don’t want any mean old nanny. Why couldn’t Mary stay?”
“Why did she have to leave us?” Lilly asked in an overly dramatic tone.
“She got homesick for England and I’d promised I’d send her home if she didn’t want to stay.”
“Why wouldn’t she want to stay with us?” Polly asked, her eyes filling with tears. “She’s been with us since we were born and after Mama passed away, too.”
“You know Nanny loved you both. It was hard for her to leave you. But she missed her family and she doesn’t like cities.”
“Oh,” Lilly said, a tear plopping out of her eye. “But we miss her.”
“I know you do. And I’m sure she misses the two of you, too.”
Mary had been a good nanny and the girls did love her. She’d cried when he took her to the ship to leave, telling him she knew how much he and his girls had already lost and that she felt as if she was deserting them. Which was exactly how Tyler felt, too.
He’d heard Mary was thinking of leaving from Tate and Mrs. Biddle, but she’d kept it from him and the girls as long as she could. But she had been miserable. In the end, she missed her own family too much to stay, and Tyler felt he had no choice but to let her go back.
“Well, I hope you’ll like the next nanny better than the one I hired to replace Mary and then the next one. You weren’t very nice to her, you know.”
“She wasn’t nice to us when you weren’t around, Papa,” Polly said.
“I’m sorry. You should have told me, instead of trying to run her away.”
“We weren’t exactly trying to
do that, Papa. We were kind of…” Lilly looked over at Polly.
“If she wasn’t going to stay, we wanted her to leave as soon as possible,” his older daughter stated matter-of-factly. “If they don’t want to be nanny to us, we don’t want them to be.”
Tyler sighed and pulled his daughters closer, kissing them each on the top of the head. He didn’t know what to say. He understood their reasoning, but he felt terribly inept at figuring out what to do in this situation. It seemed he questioned every decision he’d made since Ivy had passed away.
All he really could do was pray for the Lord to help him talk Mrs. Biddle into staying, and for Mrs. Heaton to come up with someone to help out as soon as possible. He’d never thought the move to America would be such a huge adjustment for them all. And that might have been the root of the problem. He hadn’t thought things through at all.
*
Sir Walker’s dilemma had been on Georgia’s mind ever since he’d left Heaton House. She’d heard his daughters playing in their courtyard from time to time when she’d been out in Mrs. Heaton’s small garden reading. They were pretty little girls and she hated that not only did they have to adjust to a new country without their mother, but they also didn’t have a nanny to care for them in her place. She’d mulled over Mrs. Heaton’s suggestion and prayed about it and thought she’d come to a decision.
She dressed for dinner in a pink silk damask-and-satin dress trimmed with cream lace and silk braid. Then she went through the bathroom she shared with one of the new boarders, a seamstress named Betsy Thomas, and knocked on the door to her room.
“Georgia, come in. I was just about to go down to dinner. That pink looks lovely on you.”
“Thank you. You look very nice, too.” Betsy was quite pretty with dark, almost black, hair and blue eyes. She was dressed in a silk gown almost the same shade as her eyes. “We’ll go down together.”
“I appreciate that. It still feels a little awkward entering the parlor alone. I don’t know why, when everyone has been so kind to me.”
“You’ve only been here a few days. By next week, you’ll be breezing in without even thinking about it.”
