Chapter 9

“What are you talking about?” Adrian asks. His voice is light, but his face looks far from happy to see me.

“Sir!” Thomas comes rushing into the room as though sensing his boss’s displeasure. “Please, excuse Miss Lily, but we now know she is far from a suitable candidate for this position. I’m sure she is lovely with children, but she lacks the appropriate class and will only teach young Grace poor manners and unsophisticated habits.”

“Tell me Thomas, do proper manners and sophistication require one to be snob as well, or is that just you? And stop talking about Grace like she’s not in the room.” I snap back. This job isn’t going to stick anyway. Not with what I just realized. I can’t live in the same house as Adrian. Not with everything that has happened.

Thomas gapes at me like a fish, clearly struggling for words to communicate his indignation.

“Lily, can I speak to you in the hall, please?” Adrian says. I know that tone. It’s the one people use to deliver bad news or have hard conversations. He’s going to fire me and for whatever reason that infuriates me. I may be about to quit, but he offered me this job. This was his idea. He brought me here. Now he thinks he’s going to fire me in the first hour? I don’t think so.

He opens his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it. “Why did you offer me this job?”

He closes his mouth and his jaw tenses. His face is difficult to read, but he almost looks uneasy.

Finally, he says, “You needed a job, I needed a nanny. Seemed like this was the logical solution.”

He’s right. I’m not sure why I expected a different response, but there it is. Maybe it was the blunt emotionless way he said it that rubbed me the wrong way. I was hoping for a glimpse of the man I met on the steps of the hotel. Something a little more real.

I look away, embarrassed. This job was not turning out the way I had hoped it would.

“Look, I’m not sure this is a good idea. I’m not sure why I thought you wouldn’t live here, but I did. I don’t want to make things awkward, so maybe I should just go.” I say hurriedly.

Adrian shakes his head, and he relaxes a little. “You don’t have to go, but if you’ve changed your mind, I understand. My offer still stands though. I can help you find another job.”

Suddenly, a little chiffon wrapped figure collides with my legs, her arms grasping around them. Giant brown eyes peer pleadingly up at me.

“Please don’t leave.” Grace begs. “I like you. I want you to be my nanny. You’ll be like a big sister. I’ve never had a big sister before.”

My heart clenches. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to say no to that little face. I see so much of myself in Grace. Her loneliness and the way she was so closed off when I got here was so similar to how I was as a child. In the hour I’ve been here, she’s already started to open up.

“Please stay.” I hear Adrian ask. His voice is soft, and I know he sees what I see in Grace. The way he looks at her, it’s clear that he loves her and wants her to be happy. “You don’t have to worry about me. I work a lot, so I’m hardly here.”

“Alright. I’ll stay.” I agree. I can always resign later if it doesn’t work.

It’s hard not to smile back at Grace as her face lights up with excitement.

“Sir.” A tight female voice says. “I’ll show Miss Lily to her room.”

Adrian nods and I grab my suitcase and follow an older woman in a crisp uniform up the stairs to the top floor.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.” I say as she approaches a room at the end of the hall.

“Susan.” She answers shortly.

“It’s nice to meet you, Susan.” I add. Susan doesn’t respond and simply unlocks the door and pushes it open.

Okay, is the entire staff unfriendly in this house? Between Susan and Thomas, I’m not sure who is worse.

“Thank you.” I step inside and look around. The room is small and dark. The bed is tiny and there is a small dresser in the corner. That’s it for furniture. I’m not sure how it is going to be when it gets cold, but it doesn’t look like it warms easily.

“Extra blankets are down the hall, laundry is on Thursdays, and staff eats dinner at eight. Do not be late.” Her tone is clipped and a little harsh, like she expects me to be a world of trouble.

I turn to assure her I won’t be, when a knock at the open door sounds and Thomas enters looking like he’s been sent on the worst errand of his life.

“Excuse me, Susan, but Mr. Whitmore has instructed that Miss Lilly be placed in the Violet room.” He says and gestures us out of the small bedroom.

“Is he quite sure?” Susan asks, raising her chin.

“He is.” Thomas answers with a tone that says he asked Mr. Whitmore that very question not long ago.

Susan ushers me back down the hall and down a flight of steps before opening the door to another room. If the other one was small, cold, and dark, this one is its polar opposite. The bed is huge, a large window expands over one wall, and vibrant shades of lavender cover the bedding and walls.

It’s absolutely beautiful. This cannot be the nanny’s room. I wasn’t ungrateful. The other room was worse than the one in my cheap apartment, but this was extravagant.

From the look on Susan’s face, this was definitely not the nanny’s proper room. Was this because I was Julian’s girlfriend or because Adrian was trying to encourage my silence about the other night. He needn’t worry. I had no intention of ever bringing that up with anyone.

After a bit of an awkward dinner, at which Thomas, Susan, and a few of the other staff barely acknowledge my presence, I’m given the evening to get settled.

I unpack my sparse belongings, take a quick shower in the attached bathroom, and put on my pajamas before calling Julian.

“Hey.” He says, his greeting lackluster. I know I’ve only been gone one day, but I expected a little more enthusiasm than that. “How’s the job?”

“Fine.” I answer. “The family is nice. The other staff is a little snobby, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“I’m sure. You’ll do great.” He says though his tone says something else is on his mind.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Nothing.” He shakes his head, then rethinks his response. “I just got a text from Adrian. There’s a family ceremonial thing coming up and he wants me to be there. Kept going on about obligation and tradition.”

“What kind of ceremony?” I ask.

Great. A family gathering. Not something I anticipated when I chose not to tell my boyfriend that I was working for his father. Given that there’s not a lot of love from Julian where his father is concerned, I know he would be furious if he found out. I really don’t want to tell him. I need this money, but he would try to make me quit. It’s just best he doesn’t know.

“Just an old tradition thing. It’s happened for generations. It’s a waste of time, I’m not going.” Julian scoffs.

I don’t know why I’m arguing with him. It’s best for me if he stays home, but the words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.

“You know, you should cut your dad some slack. If it’s a tradition that’s been around for that long, it must be important. I’m sure your dad has a lot on his plate, he might be really happy to see you there.”

“Lily, are you serious?” He asks angrily. “Are you defending Adrian, right now? I told you what he did and why I don’t want contact with him. It’s his fault…”

A knock at the door cuts off his angry rant.

“Lily, are you in there?” Adrian’s voice comes through the door.

My heart races and I panic as I glance at my phone hoping Julian doesn’t recognize it.

“Who is that? Is that a man? Why do I know that voice?” He demands.

I don’t answer right away, struggling to keep my calm.

“Lily, who is that?” He asks again as another knock sounds.

My blood rushes in my ears and for the first time, I realize just how complicated this lie is going to be.