I borrow your telephone to call home and let them know I won’t be there for lunch?”
“Of course.” Michael pointed to the telephone on his desk. “I’ll go tell my receptionist we’ll be out for a while.”
Tyler picked up the receiver and asked the operator to connect him to his home. Tate answered the telephone, of course, and informed Tyler that he’d let Mrs. Biddle know, and that Miss Marshall and his daughters would be having lunch with Mrs. Heaton’s daughter.
“Oh, well, I hope Cook hasn’t gone to too much trouble just for me.”
“It will be fine, Sir Tyler. Don’t worry.”
“Thank you, Tate. I’ll see you later.”
Tyler hung up the receiver feeling a bit unsettled. But there was no reason to. He’d told Miss Marshall that she could plan their days. If having lunch with a friend was something she thought the girls might enjoy, there was no reason he should be concerned in any way.
Tyler went out to the reception area, where Michael Heaton was waiting for him, and they took the elevator downstairs and then strode out onto the street. Tyler had found that New York City traffic was every bit as bad as London’s was, but he was beginning to learn his way around.
“I thought we’d walk to the restaurant I have in mind. It caters mostly to businessmen, and don’t tell the ladies, but I’ve found it’s nice to talk business there.” Michael grinned at him.
Tyler laughed. “I understand.”
They arrived at the restaurant and in a matter of minutes were seated and had their orders taken.
“Mother told me that Georgia Marshall was stepping in to help you out for a while,” Michael said.
“Yes, she is. You know her?”
“Oh, yes. Besides being a boarder at Heaton House, our families have been friends for a long time. Georgia will do her best for you.”
Tyler could feel himself relax at Michael’s words. “I believe she will. This transition hasn’t been easy on any of us and I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate your mother’s help. The fact that she highly recommended Miss Marshall put my mind at ease. But still, I am concerned a bit. My girls ran the last nanny off with their pranks, and while I believe it was because they are still missing their mother and the nanny who went back to England, I’m not sure what I’ll do if they do the same to Miss Marshall.”
“I can’t imagine what you’ve been through. I am sorry for the loss of your wife. I’m sure Georgia will do her best to help your daughters. I wouldn’t be too concerned about them running her off. She’s taught school for several years now, and from what I’ve heard, she is very good with children.”
“Do you know why she came to New York?” Tyler hoped Michael wouldn’t think him too nosy, but he was curious.
“I don’t know for sure. My wife thinks it was from a broken heart.”
“Was she engaged?”
“No. But we all thought she’d marry her next-door neighbor. But he surprised us all—Georgia more than anyone, we suspect—and asked her sister to marry him instead. Georgia stayed in Ashland until after the wedding but, well, you can imagine how difficult it must have been for her.”
“Oh, yes, I can,” Tyler said. He was a bit surprised by the anger he felt toward Miss Marshall’s neighbor, realizing that he was now her brother-in-law. How painful that must have been for her. “I am sorry for the heartbreak she might be going through, but I must admit I’m glad to have her free to help us.”
And to know that she didn’t have a beau who might have demands on her time.
“I think helping you out will be good for her, too,” Michael said.
“I hope so.”
Their meal came and the conversation turned to business.
“So you want the larger office next to mine?”
“Yes.”
“It needs a fresh coat of paint and, of course, I’ll have that done. When would you want to move in?” Michael asked.
“How about the first of June? That will give me time to choose the furnishings, take the bar exam and see how things are going with the girls and Miss Marshall.”
“Sounds good to me. I’m glad to have you as a tenant, Sir Tyler.”
“And I’m glad you had space available. I’ll pay the rent starting now, of course.”
Michael shook his head. “There’s no need for that. We’ll have a contract drawn up to start in June. Until then, feel free to come by and take measurements or whatever you need to do. I’ll not be leasing it to anyone else.”
By the time Tyler left the restaurant, he felt he’d made a new friend and at least begun the tedious task of setting up office. He’d go look for furnishings at the shops Michael had recommended over the next few weeks.
For now, though, he looked forward to getting home and seeing the girls and Miss Marshall. But when he arrived back home, it was to find that Miss Marshall and his daughters weren’t back yet, and disappointment that he had no one but Tate to share his news with washed over him.
He made his way down to the kitchen to make sure Mrs. Biddle wasn’t upset that her lunch plans had to be changed. She seemed quite surprised to see him in the kitchen. “Sir Tyler, is there anything I can get for you?”
“No, thank you, Mrs. Biddle. I hope that Miss Marshall and I didn’t put you out too much with our change in lunch plans. She gave you plenty of notice, didn’t she?” Although he wasn’t so sure he’d given her enough.
“Oh, yes, she did, Sir Tyler. And Miss Polly and Miss Lilly were ever so thrilled about going.”
“Very good.” He made his way back to his study, glad Mrs. Biddle wasn’t upset. And he was happy his daughters had been excited about the day’s plans. Still, the house seemed much too quiet and he had a feeling he wouldn’t settle down to work until his girls were back home.
* * *
By the time Georgia put the girls down to nap, she was feeling better about accepting the position as their nanny. She’d been very pleased with how well behaved they were at Rebecca’s. And she was happy that they got along so well with Jenny. The girls had played outdoors while she and Rebecca caught up with each other. Their families had been friends for a very long time back in Virginia, and Georgia felt blessed that she’d been able to reunite with Mrs. Heaton’s family when she’d moved to the city.
“How do you think you’re going to like being a nanny?” Rebecca had asked as she’d poured them some tea.
“I don’t know just yet, but I’m going to try to do well at it. The girls have had so much to deal with—I believe they’re still grieving the loss of their mother and missing the nanny who’d cared for them since they were born. I pray I can help them adjust to living in America.”
“I’m sure you will, Georgia. You’ve always had a way with children.”
“I hope I can live up to your expectations, Rebecca,” Georgia said. “I would like to be able to help them and their papa.”
“He’s very handsome, isn’t he?”
“Yes, he is,” Georgia said. Much too handsome, in her opinion. And she was more than a little disturbed by the amount of time she’d spent thinking about him. She’d become adept at pushing thoughts of men— especially handsome ones—out of her mind. She did not intend to give her heart to another. Not after Phillip Wilson. The one man she’d