Seconds later a maid appeared bearing a laden tray. There were dainty cucumber and ham sandwiches, tiny pork pies, a large pot of tea and a selection of cakes and pastries. The maid placed it on the table by the window and Harry asked politely, ‘Shall I pour one for you, Miss Ainsley?’
Amber was in the process of folding their pyjamas and she smiled at him. Perhaps they did know how to behave after all. ‘Yes, thank you, Harry. I shall be with you in a second.’
She finished what she was doing and joined them, pleased to see that they were sitting quietly. ‘Oh, I can’t tell you how much I’ve been lookin’ forward to this,’ she said as she lifted the delicate cup and saucer and took a long drink. Suddenly she clutched at her throat, trying to catch her breath as her eyes watered and the boys began to giggle helplessly. It was then she saw the pepper floating on the surface of her drink and she glared at them. She would have liked to shout at them but she couldn’t get a word out of her stinging throat.
‘Th?.?.?. at wa?.?.?. sn’t f-funny!’ She managed to croak eventually. They showed no signs of remorse whatsoever and now Amber understood why so many of their nannies had left. Even so, she behaved with as much dignity as she could muster as she reached for another cup and poured herself a drink and thought back to the advice she had been given – start as you mean to go on! Perhaps it was time to do just that!
Chapter Seventeen
Thankfully, by bedtime the boys were tired and once Amber had ensured they were tucked up in their beds and had all they needed, she slipped next door to her own room. The maid had been in and lit the oil lamp. She had also made up the fire in the small grate and turned back the bed so the place looked warm and cosy. Amber yawned. She was worn out, what with all the travelling and trying to keep the boys in order, and all she wanted to do was sleep. Quickly she undressed and hung up her gown, then after washing in the water the maid had left ready, she slipped her nightgown over her head and clambered onto the bed. She was so weary that she was sure she would be asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow, but as she pushed her legs down the bed, they connected with something disgustingly wet and squidgy and she shrieked as she leapt out again. Throwing back the covers back to see what it was, she heard laughter on the landing outside her door, and rushing to it she thrust it open to find the boys in their nightgowns with tears of mirth streaming down their cheeks.
‘Thought that was funny, did you?’ she barked, heedless of who heard her. And lunging forward she took the boys by their ears and began to haul them back towards their own room.
‘Ow! Ow!Get off me,’ Harry shouted, slapping out at her ineffectually.
At that moment Mr Temple appeared from his room further down the landing. ‘What thehellis going on here?’ he demanded. ‘You’re making enough noise to waken the dead!’
‘Shall I tell him, or shallyou?’ Amber spat as she shook the two boys, making them screech louder than ever. ‘Actually, sir, these two thought it were a huge joke to put a wet sponge in me bed,’ she told her employer. ‘An’ that were after almost chokin’ me by puttin’ pepper in me tea earlier on!’
‘I see.’
Mrs Temple appeared at his shoulder and glanced worriedly towards the boys as she saw that Amber was holding each of them by an ear, but her husband put his arm out and ushered her into the room.
‘I suggest we deal with this matter in the morning before we wake the whole household,’ he said with authority as he glared at the boys. ‘Meanwhile, you two get yourselves to bed this instant, and Miss Ainsley, I suggest you ring the bell in your room and the maid will supply you with dry sheets.’
‘Yes, sir.’ Amber reluctantly released the boys and looking aggrieved they rubbed at their sore ears before slinking back into their room.
Amber realised now that she shouldn’t have got so physical with them but she wasn’t sorry. Mr Temple could dismiss her for all she cared. She’d be damned if she’d let those two little devils get the better of her.
Once back in her room she reluctantly rang the small bell to the side of the fireplace, hating having to disturb any of the maids so late at night. Had she known where the linen cupboard was, she would have got the dry sheets herself, but as it was, she didn’t have much choice.
Daisy appeared within minutes, and half an hour later the bed was dry and newly made up again.
‘Eeh, they’re little buggers, them pair are,’ she said as she collected the wet sheets into a pile, and then she blushed. ‘Sorry, miss. Me mouth tends to run away wiv me. Me ma allus says it’ll be the death o’ me one o’ these days.’
Amber shook her head. ‘It’s all right, Daisy. I agree wi’ you. If I don’t get the sack in the mornin’ I reckon I’m goin’ to have to start puttin’ me foot down wi’ ’em else they’ll be runnin’ rings round me, the little blighters. I have to say Mrs Temple didn’t look none too pleased wi’ me at all.’
‘That’s ‘cos she’s the one as ruins ’em,’ Daisy confided. ‘An’ that’s why Mr Temple wants ’em sent away to school to learn a bit o’ discipline.’ She stifled a yawn and smiled apologetically. ‘Sorry, miss. It’s been a long day. Is there anythin’ else you’ll be needin’ afore I turn in?’
‘No, you get off to bed, an’ thanks, Daisy.’
Once the girl had gone Amber clambered into bed again and lay watching the shadows flicker across the ceiling. Although it was quite late at night it was still very noisy outside and she couldn’t get used to it. A great wave of homesickness swept over her as tears started to form in her eyes and suddenly she almost hoped she would be dismissed the following morning. Just as her mother had once warned her, London was turning out to be nothing like she’d expected and she longed for the peace of the tiny cottage where she had been brought up. Thankfully at some point she slept, although in her dreams she could hear her baby crying and she woke the next morning with tears on her cheeks.
*
‘So, who is going to explain what went on then?’ Mr Temple asked sternly as Amber and the boys stood in front of him in the drawing room after breakfast the next morning.
‘It was our fault, Father,’ Harry confessed with his head bowed and Amber was so shocked that her eyes widened. Unknown to her the boys had had a conversation earlier and they were actually quite impressed with the way she had stood up to them. None of their other nannies had ever dared to do that and they didn’t want her to leave. She was so much younger and much more fun than the others had been.
Harry went on to confess more fully what they had done, ending with, ‘And we are very sorry and we’d like to apologise.’
‘Then do it.’
They both turned to face Amber and told her meekly, ‘We apologise for our bad behaviour, Miss Ainsley.’
When Amber nodded, not quite knowing how to react, Mr Temple said with a glower, ‘Very well, we’ll let it go this time. But I don’t want to hear another word about you playing any more silly pranks, do you hear me?’
‘Yes, Father,’ the boys said quietly in unison and he pointed at the door. ‘Right, now go and get your breakfast and be thankful that I haven’t confined you to your room for the day.’
