“Can I meet her?”
“Who?” Mrs Bailey asked, confused.
“Amy, of course,” Ophelia replied.
“Oh,” Mrs Bailey genuinely looked surprised, “no one else I interviewed asked me to meet Miss Amy. If you want to meet her, you most certainly can. Please come along.”
Ophelia silently followed Mrs Bailey as she led her up the stairs to where the nursery might be. Just as Ophelia had thought, they entered a delightfully decorated nursery, where a maid was seated with a baby in her arms, who continued to sob silently. Ophelia could see how distressed the maid looked.
“What is the matter, Martha?” Mrs Bailey asked the maid, who looked at them as they entered.
“She won’t stop crying, no matter what I do,” Martha replied.
Ophelia felt something tug in her heart as she saw the beautiful child wrapped tightly in sheets and walked ahead to take the baby from the maid’s hands. The maid did not resist as Ophelia took her, quickly loosening the sheets from around Amy’s chest and arms, giving her more room to breathe.
She softly put Amy on her shoulder, rubbing her back continuously as the sobbing ceased, and the little girl fell asleep within seconds. Ophelia carefully placed Amy back in her cradle, making sure she continued to sleep peacefully. Her heart wasalready invested in Amy, even though they had only met for a few minutes, but Ophelia felt as if she was meant to take care of this child. Something about her just felt familiar.
“We can go out now,” Ophelia whispered, looking at Mrs Bailey, who was still staring at Amy in wonder as the two stepped out of the nursery.
“You were rather efficient,” Mrs Bailey commented once they were outside.
“I do have a way with children.”
“She will need a lot of attention and care, Miss Jennings, and immense commitment. As of now, Miss Amy has no stability in her life, and as her nanny, you will need to stick with her. She has not had proper care and has no routine or schedule, which might be challenging for you initially.”
“I realize that.” Ophelia nodded.
“Well, in that case, when can you begin?”
Ophelia did not know if she had heard her right, and her eyes widened in confusion.
“What do you mean?”
“You are hired.” Mrs Bailey smiled. “When can you begin?”
“Truly?”
Mrs Bailey nodded.
“I can begin in a week,” Ophelia replied, trying to control the squealing laughter threatening to emerge out of her. Just then, she felt a heavy pair of eyes on her, and she looked towards a partially open door from where a man had been staring. Her back had been turned; hence, she knew he had not been able to see her, but the moment she looked at him, he looked away and walked back inside, leaving Ophelia to wonder who it was.
Although, none of it mattered right then.
She had been hired.
Chapter 4
Dearest Mama,
It is hard for me to believe that a week has passed since I arrived here. Time passed too quickly, and I have remained rather occupied with work. Although the simple fact that it has been eight days since I packed up my few belongings in a valise and left behind you, Amelia, Sarah, and Edward to come here is still a burden on my heart. I miss all of you immensely, but things have been going well here.
Amy is the sweetest little girl in the world, and it took me only two days to adjust her schedule. I can sense she is already attached to me, and we are beginning to have the best time together since taking care of her hardly feels like a chore. Her uncle, The Earl of Sommers, has been completely absent, and I am certain he is away. If he were in the manor, I would have met him by now. Perhaps his absence has ruined things for the little girl, but I am taking good care of her.
Meanwhile, Mrs Bailey has been taking good care of me!
I have fitted in well with all the servants, and everyone is kind. I believe I did the right thing by not revealing my true identity, for if everyone knew about it, I would have been treated rather differently, and I do not wish that to happen. Things are better this way, and I feel a part of the household.
The house, on the other hand, is beautiful. It keeps reminding me of our manor, but I try to keep thoughts of the past at bay. The only thing that disturbs me is the looming sadness over the house. It is filled with sorrow, Mama. Our little cottage might be small, but it is happy, while this mansion can hardly be called a home. It is beautiful and grand but has no warmth and love to it. I wish I could somehow brighten it. I really hope I can.
