‘Howverythoughtful of you!’ Her voice dripped sarcasm and again she saw him flinch. This was clearly as hard for him as it was for her.
But then she forced herself to ask, ‘An’ what about?.?.?. aboutmydaughter? Is she safe an’ well?’ There was a catch in her voice that she couldn’t control and it was not lost on him.
‘She is thriving.’ Although his voice was steady when he answered he could feel her pain and he bowed his head in shame as he asked, ‘So will you consider the post, Miss Ainsley? The wage would be twenty-five pounds a year plus you would be entitled to every Sunday afternoon off, of course.’
She stared at him uncertainly. It was more than she had ever been offered in her life and she would have somewhere to live into the bargain, yet the thought of being so close to him and having to see him often turned her stomach.
‘Per’aps if I could meet the babies before I make me mind up?’ she suggested cautiously and he nodded enthusiastically.
‘Why, yes?.?.?. yes, of course you can. I shall take you up to the nursery myself.’
He hurried from behind his desk and held the door open for her and when they saw Mrs Boswell in the hall he asked, ‘Would you mind taking Miss Ainsley’s cloak please, Mrs Boswell? I’m taking her up to the nursery to meet the twins.’
It was hard for Amber not to smile as she handed the woman her cloak, and Mrs Boswell’s eyes were like saucers as she watched the master of the house escort the former laundry maid up the sweeping staircase as if she was visiting royalty.
‘You could have knocked me down with a feather,’ she confided to the cook when she returned to the kitchen, and they both shook their heads, wondering what the hell was going on.
Once they reached the nursery floor, Barnaby again held the door open for Amber to pass through ahead of him, and the first thing she saw was Nancy with young David on her lap as she tried to tempt him to take his milk.
‘Amber!’ Nancy’s face broke into a broad smile at sight of her friend but spotting the master behind her she quickly looked down at her young charge again.
‘So how is our young man doing today, Nancy?’ Barnaby asked, injecting some cheerfulness into his voice.
‘Not too bad, sir, though he still won’t take much milk. Cook even tried puttin’ a bit o’ honey in it to try an’ tempt him but he just falls asleep on it.’
As Amber stared down at the drowsy baby, her face softened. His hair was the exact same colour as his father’s but his face was pale and he was so small that he looked almost new born.
‘He’s lovely,’ she said softly and Barnaby nodded in agreement.
‘Yes, he is, isn’t he? And this is his sister over here.’
There were two cribs set to either side of a blazing fire and approaching the one that Barnaby had pointed to she found herself staring down at a baby girl.
‘This is little Charlotte,’ Barnaby told Amber and although she hated this man with a vengeance, she could hear the love in his voice for his children.
This child had hair much like the colour of her own, she found herself thinking, and her long dark eyelashes were curled on her peaches-and-cream cheeks. Her limbs were plump and Amber thought she was easily the most beautiful baby she had ever seen. It would be a pleasure to care for these two cherubs, she thought, if only it didn’t mean being in such close proximity to their father.
After a nod to Nancy, Barnaby led her from the room and once back in his study he asked hopefully, ‘So, is it a position you would consider, Miss Ainsley?’
She stared back at him, torn in two directions: her heart told her she could be very happy in this job, but common sense told her that she would be putting herself too close to his attentions again.
‘Only if you can swear on your babies’ lives that you’ll keep your filthy hands to yourself,’ she spat eventually. ‘Cos as sure as eggs is eggs I’ll tell you now if you ever so much as try to touch me again I’ll shout it from the rooftops an’ sod what happens to me!’
He bowed his head. ‘You have my word as a gentleman, Miss Ainsley!’
‘Huh! Well, you’d have had to be a gentleman in the first place for that to mean owt,’ she retaliated and again he looked ashamed.
‘Then yes, I will swear on the babies’ lives that I will never force you to do anything you don’t wish to do,’ he said solemnly, and as much as she despised him, she felt that he was telling the truth. Perhaps his wife’s illness had finally brought him to his senses? And then she flushed with guilt as she thought back to their time together. In truth the blame for their affair didn’t lie entirely with him. She had worshipped the ground he walked on and lived for the times they were together. But then he had betrayed her when she had needed him the most and she knew that she could never forgive him for that.
‘All right?.?.?. in that case we’ll give it a try,’ she told him, still not completely sure that she was doing the right thing. But, she asked herself, what other option did she have? She’d nearly worn her boots out over the last few days traipsing from door to door looking for work. And at least here at Greenacres she knew everyone, although what they would think of the master offering her such a prestigious position after her being the laundry maid there she couldn’t imagine.Still, she thought,that’s his problem to sort out. ‘So when do you want me to start?’ she asked.
Chapter Twenty-Five
‘Ooh, I’m so pleased to see you?’ Nancy said happily when Amber arrived two days later carrying her small bundle of clothes. ‘I’ve loved lookin’ after the little ’uns but I prefer me job downstairs. It can get a bit lonely up here wi’ only the two babies to keep you company. Your room is through there, by the way. I’ve taken my things out an’ changed the bed for you.’ She pointed to a door leading off the main nursery.
Entering it, Amber found herself in a very comfortable bedroom with a double bed in the centre of one wall, drawers to either side of it and pretty flowered curtains hanging at the window. A wardrobe took up most of the space on the other wall and next to that was a marble-topped washstand on which stood a large jug and bowl. A small table and chair were placed in the window from which there were lovely views of the grounds, and after spending time at Nancy’s mother’s cottage Amber thought it was quite luxurious – it would certainly be nice to be able to stretch out in bed after sharing with Nancy’s little sisters. They seemed to be all bony elbows and knees and she was surprised she wasn’t bruised.
‘The master says I’m to stay up here wi’ you for the day to show you the ropes,’ Nancy went on, coming to stand beside her.
