And they truly were quite nice.
Judith sighed and rolled her eyes at herself. It was not a tendre. Nor anything else of significance. For some reason, Mr. Byrnes’s features happened to be arranged in an appealing manner, but that meant nothing other than she’d been reading too many romances of late. A lady of her years was not one to be overwrought by a simple attraction.
Nor did she abandon her charges at such a pivotal time, and that thought wrenched Judith back to the present.
Mr. Byrnes remained kneeling in the center of the room, his arms held wide, though none of the children paid him any heed. Or rather, they pretended to pay him no heed while ignoring his clear prompt. Griffith stayed hidden behind the armchair, though he peeked around the edge to watch the man. Helen remained in her mother’s seat, examining her father with a narrowed eye. Leah meandered closer but then retreated to her nursemaid’s skirts.
Judith gave herself a mental shake and stepped forward. “Children—”
But the master of the house silenced her with a dismissive wave of his hand, not giving her so much as a passing glance before summarily ignoring her. “Won’t you come and greet your papa? I have missed you so very much.”
If the stubborn man wished to handle things himself, he could do so, though a few retorts filled her thoughts. If not for the children’s clear discomfort, Judith might enjoy his confusion. The fellow sat on his heels for a moment before reaching into his pocket.
“I’ve brought a few surprises from my travels,” he said, offering up a sweet. “I would like to show them to you.”
Leah emerged from behind Alice at the sight of the confection, and with only a moment’s hesitation, she scurried closer and took it from her papa, shoving it in her mouth with a smile. He lifted her with the stiffness of someone uncertain if she were a child or a porcelain doll liable to break if jostled.
“How are you, Leah?” he asked and then turned his gaze to the other two. “I have more, if you wish.”
Griffith poked his head around the armchair, his brow furrowed in clear consideration of the offer. When Mr. Byrnes waved another in the child’s view, Griffith slowly crept out, inching closer like an animal scenting the air for a trap. The boy did not beam as his sister did, but he took the proffered treat and gobbled it down, deigning to allow his father to pat him on the shoulder before Griffith came to stand behind Judith.
Helen never left her chair.
Mr. Byrnes frowned but turned to the other side of the room, motioning for the children to follow as he led them to where the young brute of a man remained silently standing. Judith had been too preoccupied with the stranger’s appearance to notice the open crates scattered behind him; the lids had been pried off and the cushioning straw stuck out over the edges, begging for the little ones to dig through its contents.
“Your services aren’t required at present,” said Mr. Byrnes, giving Judith and the nursemaid a vague wave towards the door. “I will bring the children to the nursery when they are done exploring their new treasures.”
Judith frowned at Mr. Byrnes’s back, casting a look at the three children. Leah wriggled out of her papa’s hold, reaching into the crates and pulling out great handfuls of the straw while Griffith peered over the edge with enough curiosity that Judith knew the promised goodies would endear him to his father quickly enough. But Helen remained in her seat with a grim determination.
Giving the child a wary look, Judith hesitated for a moment when Mr. Byrnes repeated himself. The gentleman didn’t spare a glance in her direction, dismissing her in word and action as thoroughly as if she were a vagrant on the street. Judith narrowed her eyes, burning her gaze into his back, but there was nothing more she could do than hold onto her hidden disapproval. It was just like an absent father to believe he could buy his children’s affection with a few baubles.
Judith patted Helen’s shoulder as she passed and let herself out of the parlor with Alice following.
“We’d best get the nursery and schoolroom set up and our things unpacked,” said Judith.
“Would you be needing any help with that?”
The question startled Judith, and she turned to find a woman standing down the hall from them with a great chatelaine hanging from her waist. The woman bustled forward with the commanding air of one in charge of her surroundings, and Judith had only a moment to gird her loins once more before greeting yet another stranger in the house.
Before Judith could say a word, the woman smiled. “I do apologize for not greeting you sooner, but I’ve been run off my feet trying to get the house in order for the family.”
“And you are?” asked Judith.
Shaking her head, the woman laughed, which stripped years from her face until she looked nearer to Judith’s age. “Oh, dear me. I am getting ahead of myself, aren’t I? I’m Mrs. Barton. The housekeeper. And you must be Miss Delmonte and Nurse Johnson.”
Judith straightened. “Where is Mrs. Kenward?”
“She didn’t suit the household,” said Mrs. Barton, though she shook her head at that. “Now, isn’t that a silly manner in which to say the truth, but it sounds so terrible to say Mr. Byrnes dismissed her.”
Alice stiffened behind her, and Judith held in a sigh. At times, it felt as though she had four charges. The nursemaid was a sweet girl and handled her duties admirably but was too apt to work herself into a dither over such things. Besides, it was no loss to see the sour-faced dragon gone from Stowell Cottage. Even if it was surprising to see a servant of Mrs. Kenward’s years dismissed.
“Please forgive me,” Mrs. Barton said, placing a hand on her stomach and taking a breath. “I feel so very flustered, and I am making an absolute muck of this. I only arrived a sennight ago, and I’ve been at my wit’s end trying to get everything set to rights before the family and Mr. Hatcher arrived.”
Motioning for the women to follow her, Mrs. Barton moved to the stairs, leading them up to the servants’ quarters. Judith did not know who Mr. Hatcher was, though it took no great leap of logic to assume it was the silent young man in the parlor.
“If you are occupied with other matters, do continue with your work,” said Judith. “Though it has been some months, we know the way.”
Mrs. Barton stopped on the stairs and turned around with a self-effacing laugh. “I had entirely forgotten. Of course, you do not need me underfoot as you get settled. But do let me know if you have need anything. Mr. Byrnes insisted I provide anything the nursery requires.”
