‘You look different today to what you did when we met you,’ Harry observed and Amber smiled.
She was now clad in one of the lovely gowns Mrs Temple had supplied her with and a warm cloak and felt quite the lady.
‘It’s probably what I’m wearin’.’
Harry dug George in the ribs and giggled rudely. ‘Why do you talk so funny?’ he enquired and Amber felt her cheeks grow hot.
‘That’s quite enough of those rude comments, Master Harry,’ Mr Wadsworth scolded. ‘Where are your manners?’
Mr Wadsworth was a tall, grey-haired, stately gentleman and Amber flashed him a grateful smile as for the first time she wondered if she had made a mistake taking this job. It appeared the boys were going to be a real handful.
Mr Wadsworth regarded Amber seriously. ‘If you don’t mind me saying, Miss, I think you should start as you mean to go on, if you follow my meaning?’ He inclined his head towards the two boys who were play fighting on the seat opposite.
Amber nodded, knowing he was right. So, hoping to assert her authority she said firmly, ‘That’s enough o’ that boys! One o’ you will get hurt in a minute!’
Harry gave her a scathing look. ‘You can’t tell us off,’ he goaded. ‘You aren’t that much older than me!’
‘Oh, yes I can, an’ age doesn’t come into it,’ Amber responded sharply. ‘I was chosen by your mother to take care of you and if you don’t heed me words, I’ll tell both your parents that your behaviour has been appallin’.’
George instantly sat back in his seat whilst Harry made a great show of putting his chin in the air, scowling fiercely and folding his arms tightly across his chest. But at least they were quiet, for then at least.
‘Well done, Miss Ainsley,’ Mr Wadsworth whispered and Amber felt as if she had won a small victory.
*
‘We’re here, we’re here!’ The boys whooped when the carriage that had taken them from the train station pulled up outside their grandparents’ house in Mayfair. It had been a horrendous and lengthy journey and Amber was utterly exhausted, but even so she stared from the window at the house in awe. London was like another world compared to Whitby and up to now she wasn’t at all sure that she liked it. At the station she had been mesmerised by the amount of people rushing to and fro, and by the volume of traffic on the roads. There were hackney cabs, private carriages, dray horses pulling huge carts and all manner of vehicles, and to someone who was used to nothing louder than the sound of the waves breaking on the shore, the noise was deafening. The air smelt strange too – foggy and sooty – and she felt a million miles away from home, although she had to admit to herself that the house looked very grand.
It was in a crescent that skirted a park and was three storeys’ high. Two bay trees pruned into fancy shapes stood either side of a shiny red door with a brass lionhead knocker on it, and the steps leading up to it were solid marble. A low, fancy wrought-iron railing ran along the front of it with steps leading down to the kitchen where snow-white lace curtains hung at the windows. The carriages had scarcely pulled up when the door was opened by a maid in a starched frilly white apron and seconds later a woman who looked like an older version of Mrs Temple erupted out of the door and hurried to the carriage in front to greet her daughter.
‘Helen, my darling, how I have missed you.’ Heedless of who might be watching the woman hugged her daughter and kissed her soundly on the cheek and before Amber could stop them the boys suddenly threw open the carriage door and raced to embrace the woman.
‘Grandmamma!’
‘Oh, my little loves!’ The woman threw her arms about them and wrapped them in a fierce embrace before leading them indoors, leaving Mr Wadsworth and Mr Temple to supervise the unpacking of the luggage while Amber stood there feeling completely out of her depth.
‘Come along, my dear,’ Mr Temple said, taking pity on her as he hefted a large bag up the steps. ‘I’m sure my wife will show you where to go.’
It was organised chaos in the hallway with the boys running riot as various members of staff stopped to greet them and the bags were brought in.
‘Daisy.’ Mrs Jennings, Mrs Temple’s mother, beckoned to one of the maids. ‘Would you take Miss Ainsley up to her room, please? She’s to go in the one next to the boys.’
‘O’ course, ma’am.’ The maid dipped her knee and with a cheeky wink at Amber, she led her up a sweeping staircase to a galleried landing. There were doors dotted all along it and stopping outside one, the girl told her, ‘This’ll be your room, Miss. Would yer like me to ’elp yer unpack? It’ll be no bovver at all.’ Her accent was broad cockney and Amber was struggling to understand her.
‘No, thank you?.?.?. Daisy, ain’t it? I can manage fine.’ Could she have known it, Daisy was finding her dialect difficult to understand too. She followed Daisy into the room and was pleasantly surprised. It was quite large and beautifully furnished, decorated in varying shades of pale greys and pinks, which made it feel very calming.
‘So you’re the latest nanny, are yer?’ Daisy asked and when Amber nodded, she chuckled. ‘The latest in a long line, eh? Them pair o’ little devils never manage to keep one fer more than a couple o’ months.’
‘Well, my position is only temporary until they start boarding school in the New Year,’ Amber informed her as she undid the ribbons on her bonnet and slid the cloak from her shoulders.
‘Just as well, I doubt you’d ’ave stuck it fer much longer than that,’ Daisy said with a grin. ‘But would yer like to see the boys’ room, an’ will yer want any ’elp wiv their unpackin’?’
Amber nodded and followed her from the room to the next door along. This one was decorated in shades of blue and a cheery fire was burning in the grate with a large guard placed around it. ‘This is the room the young ’uns usually use when they come to stay,’ Daisy told her. ‘But now, if yer sure there’s nuffin I can ’elp yer wiv I’d best gerr on else the missus will ’ave me guts fer garters.’
Amber smiled at her and as the girl bustled away she felt as if she had made at least one friend here. Daisy looked to be about the same age as herself and after all the heartache of the last few months she was like a breath of fresh air.
Minutes later the boys’ luggage was carried up to her and she spent the next hour unpacking their clothes and putting everything neatly away. She was just about finished when the door burst open and the boys sailed into the room.
‘The maid is bringing us afternoon tea up here, and you’re to have yours with us,’ Harry informed her. ‘Because the grown-ups want a few minutes to themselves.’ He was a good-looking young fellow with curly blond hair and bright-blue eyes, and already it was plain to see that he was going to be very handsome when he grew up. He was going to be tall too because he already reached just past Amber’s shoulder.
