The bedroom was twice the size of the one he’d given Ivy and perfect for a little girl, or at least he’d tried to make it so. She too had a spindle bed, with a red quilt over a goosedown comforter. The cat was curled smack in the middle.
“Bave on my bed!” Jewel pointed, her arm jiggling in excitement.
“She is!” Ivy mimicked Jewel’s tone. “Do you want to sleep with her?”
“Yes.”
“Careful, then. Don’t startle her. Why don’t you sit on the bed, and I’ll take off your boots.”
A proprietary feeling sent Torin forward. “I’ll do that.” He indicated a chest of drawers next to a wardrobe. “You’ll find a flannel nightshift in the second drawer. Take one from the top.Constance and Elsie made those for her. The tube-like ones on the bottom were sewn by me.”
Ivy glanced up at him, a curious expression on her face.
“Until those two ladies came into our lives, I made all Jewel’s clothes. And since I didn’t know how to sew, you could imagine how ill-fitting they were.” He gave her a sheepish look.
She let out a giggle. “How lovely.”
“Far from lovely,” he said wryly, watching Jewel pet the cat. “With just the three of us men, it didn’t matter. Probably should tear them up for rags.” He went down on one knee by the bed. Taking a buttonhook from the top of the nightstand, he started undoing Jewel’s boots, while trying to watch his new governess from the corner of his eye.
Ivy lifted a sturdy flannel nightgown with a ruffled hem from the top of two folded stacks. The scent of roses wafted up, and she parted the two piles and picked up one of Delia’s sachets, holding it to her nose for a sniff before returning it.
He helped Jewel out of the rest of her clothes and dropped the nightgown over her head, saying “Where is Jewel?”
With a belly laugh, her head popped through. “Her-ah,” she squealed.
“There you are.” He gave her a hug and a smacking kiss on the cheek and scooted her under the covers.
With an offended look and flick of her tail, Brave rose and stalked away to the end of the bed. But when Jewel was tucked in, the cat returned to plop down at her side.
Torin smiled at the two of them providing comfort to each other.I guess the cat belongs to Jewel now.He glanced at Ivy.Does she mind Jewel appropriating her cat?But the fond smile on her face reassured him.
Ivy has only been here a few hours, and she’s already brought changes.With some apprehension, he wondered what more would come.
7
The next morning after a breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon, Torin and Jewel washed and dried the dishes, before putting them away. Although, his back was to Ivy sitting at the kitchen table, from time to time, he glanced over his shoulder, sometimes catching her in silent laughter when Jewel directed him to do a task. Like always, he made for an obedient servant to his young lady, allowing her to command him. Only once did he override her orders, making sure the temperature in the fresh water he’d poured into the basin wasn’t too hot for her.
Once they’d finished and turned toward her, Ivy stood. “I thought I’d start with something Jewel is familiar with to get a feel for what she knows and how she thinks. Cora told me you have Kate Greenaway’sMother Goosebook?” She made the statement a question.
“Moth-r Goo. I go get.” Jewel stumped from the room.
“Well, that answers my question,” Ivy said in an amused tone.
Torin hung the wet dish cloth on a wall peg to dry.Has Jewel so far proven higher than Ivy’s expectations or lower?He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
When Jewel returned, she set the book on the table and took a seat, scooching in her chair.
Ivy picked up the book and studied the battered cover. “I see this is well loved. Which is your favorite story?”
Jewel bounced in her chair. “Bo-Pee.” She clapped her hands.
Smiling, Ivy opened the book and turned the page to where a young shepherdess, who appeared about Jewel’s age, stood on a split rail fence, holding a shepherd’s crook. She looked well dressed for her occupation, wearing a puff sleeved, white gown and pink sash. Her broadbrimmed, straw hat tied with pink ribbons under her chin.
“‘Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep,’” Ivy recited, without looking at the print.
Like me, she probably has all the verses in the book memorized.
Jewel enthusiastically joined in on some of the words and bobbed her head to the rhythm of the ones she didn’t. “Lil Bo-Pee.” Nod, nod, nod. “Sheep!”
