In Good Company (28 page)

“Maybe you should do it,” he said before he took a step away from her.

“You don’t have to stay here with me.” Her hands fumbled against the knot, until finally, with a breath of relief, she got herself free.

“I’m going to teach you how to swim.”

Whatever she’d been expecting him to say, that had not been it.

“Lucetta did a fair job of that, so there’s really no need.”

“You couldn’t have learned very well while tethered to a rope.”

With shoulders drooping just a bit, Millie met Everett’s gaze. “Why is it so important to you that you teach me how to swim? I am, as you’ve pointed out numerous times, only the nanny. Are you afraid that I really will end up letting one of the children drown?”

For a second, she didn’t think he was going to answer her, but then he reached out and took her hand in his. Even though another disturbing bolt of something shot up her arm, she didn’t seem to have the will to pull her hand from his.

“You would never put the children in harm’s way, and no, that’s not why I want to teach you to swim.”

“Then I must admit I’m a little confused. You’ve been avoiding me like the plague this past week or so, but now . . . you want to spend your precious time teaching me how to swim? Don’t you have some tea or croquet game on that schedule Caroline made for you that demands your attention?”

Everett blew out a breath. “Keeping to my schedule is not really that important to me at the moment, but what is important is setting matters right with you. I cannot apologize enough over how I’ve treated you this past week. My actions have been reprehensible, and you must know that nothing you did brought about my surly attitude.”

“I thought perhaps you’d gotten disgusted with me because I got stuck up in that tree.”

“What?”

“I wasn’t very brave.”

Everett considered her for a long moment. “You’re not serious, are you?”

“I’m also scared to go out into the ocean without the rope around me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that before you took it off?”

“I didn’t want you to lose what little respect you might have left for me.”

He moved closer to her, so close she could feel the heat from his body. “Honestly, Millie, you’re being completely ridiculous at the moment. Why you would feel I’ve lost respect for you is beyond confusing, especially since I believe you’re one of the most accomplished women I’ve ever met.”

“I’m hardly accomplished, since I’ve had little to no formal education.”

“I would have to disagree with that,” Everett said softly. “You’ve managed to survive a childhood set in the meanest of slums when the odds were certainly never in your favor. Then, you carved out a living by embracing your love of children. I have to imagine many of those children benefited tremendously from having you in their little lives, even if you didn’t always remain employed in their households for long.” He smiled. “Truth be told, I find you to be quite extraordinary.”

With knees that had turned distinctly wobbly, Millie found she could only stand there, in the cramped confines of the bathing machine, with her heart beating so hard it felt as if it was going to pound right out of her chest.

“What’s wrong with you?” she finally whispered.

“I have no idea, but before you truly begin to question my sanity, and before I do something I know I really shouldn’t, let me teach you how to swim. It’s the least I can do to make up for my churlish behavior of late, and I believe you’ll enjoy not being afraid of the water.”

“What’s the something you know you really shouldn’t do?” She couldn’t resist asking even as Everett tugged her through the door and then lifted her up and . . . dropped her right into the water.

Sputtering as water shot up her nose, she found her feet but didn’t have a second to question him further because he hauled her close to him, smiled, and . . . flipped her on her stomach, the surprise of that sending more water up her nose.

“I thought you were supposed to be trying to teach me how to
keep
from drowning,” she finally rasped when she caught her breath.

“The first thing I’d like you to do is show me how good you are at floating.”

“I can’t very well float when I’ve sucked down so much of the sea.”

She felt Everett’s hands underneath her stomach as he held her up, and not particularly caring for the sensations that was causing, she set about the daunting business of learning to float properly.

Five minutes later, after much prodding and insults from Everett, she was floating on her own. Five minutes after that she was managing a clumsy stroke and was completely delighted about it.

“I did it,” she said, paddling her way over to Everett, who was beaming back at her.

“You’re doing a great job, Miss Millie.”

She wasn’t certain, but she thought Everett let out a grunt right as Davis, her favorite footman, waded up to join them. She smiled at the man, until an incredibly disturbing thought hit her. “Good heavens, Davis, what in the world are you doing out here? You can’t swim.”

“It’s not too deep quite yet, Miss Millie, but the tide is coming in and Mrs. Hart sent me out here since she didn’t think you’d noticed. Johnson is bringing the horse around, and we’re going to tow the bathing machine back to shore.”

Millie turned back to Everett. “Since you were kind enough to teach me how to swim, I’m now going to swim to shore.”

“And since I do believe you’re doing remarkably well with that swimming, I’m going to let you swim back to shore on your own, but . . . only because it’s shallow and you can touch.”

“You’re not coming with me?”

“I’m going to send Davis back with you, since he can’t swim and the tide is coming in.” Everett nodded to his footman. “I’ll help Johnson get the bathing machine hitched up, but . . . I do think it might be a good idea, going forward, for everyone on staff who doesn’t know how to swim to learn. I’ll look into hiring an instructor after the ball.”

Millie found herself smiling at Everett, seemingly unable to help herself. “You’re acting rather oddly today. You do realize that, don’t you?”

Everett’s response to that was a grin, before he waved her away, waved Davis away as well, and then began wading toward the bathing machine.

Swimming somewhat clumsily to shore, she finally reached the spot where small waves were breaking, and accepted the hand Davis held out to her. Before she could take so much as a single step onto the beach though, she looked up and found Elizabeth running across the sand, and then the young girl threw herself into the ocean.

“Daddy!” Elizabeth screamed as she began swimming right out to sea.

Millie caught a glimpse of a yacht sailing past before she saw Everett take off after Elizabeth, his strong arms cleaving through the water so fast they were a blur. He caught up to Elizabeth in no time, but then, once he grabbed hold of her, she began fighting him, kicking and screaming as she tried to get away, even as he hauled her back to shore.

“Let me go, let me go. Daddy’s come back for us.”

Not relinquishing his hold, even though Elizabeth had taken
to sinking her teeth into his bare arm, Everett finally reached Millie and sent her a look that had despair written all over it. Stumbling out of the surf with Millie keeping pace right beside him, Everett moved up on the beach, then sank down on it, still holding Elizabeth, who was now sobbing in his arms.

“You have to . . . let me go. You have to. It’s my daddy,” Elizabeth got out between sobbing breaths. “I’ve been good. I’ve been so good lately . . . not getting into any trouble, and being friendly and all. I’ve been . . . praying . . . all the time . . . and I know God finally heard me. He saw I was being good. And because of that . . . God’s sending Daddy and Mommy . . . back to us.”

“
Shh
, darling,
shh
,” Everett whispered as he began rocking Elizabeth back and forth. “It’s not your daddy, honey. It’s not.”

“It’s his boat. He . . . always flew that bright . . . pink flag. Mommy made it for him, and it has my handprints on it—Thaddeus’s and Rose’s too. It’s really big, so we’d always be able to tell which boat Daddy’s was.” Elizabeth lifted her head and struggled to get an arm out from underneath Everett’s. “Look, you can still see it. You have to let me go. I have to get to my daddy.”

Millie heard Abigail let out what sounded like a sob, and when she looked that way, she found Abigail standing beside Lucetta, who was holding a crying Thaddeus in her arms, while Dorothy was standing on the other side of Lucetta, cradling a crying Rose. Turning back to Everett with tears now falling freely down her cheeks, Millie swallowed past the large lump in her throat and moved forward.

“You can give her to me, Everett,” she said softly, but Everett didn’t move. Instead he kept rocking Elizabeth, whispering something in her ear, something Elizabeth obviously didn’t want to hear.

“They’re not gone. I told you. I promised God I’d be good, and I have been good, so He’s sent them back to me, I know He has. That’s my daddy’s boat.”

Everett lifted his head. “It might be your daddy’s boat, darling, but your daddy isn’t on board. He’s not coming back, sweetheart, even though you and I really wish he could.”

Elizabeth tipped back her head and stared at Everett for what seemed like an eternity before she began to sob, harder than before, and buried her head against Everett’s shoulder. No one spoke as the child sobbed as if her heart were breaking in two, but then, after quite a few minutes had passed, Reverend Gilmore stepped forward.

“Give the child to me, Everett.”

Everett looked up, the despair on his face evident, and shook his head. “She needs me now.”

“She needs you always, but I think right now you need to give her to me so that you can go after that boat.”

Elizabeth stilled and moved just a little away from Everett, although her hand was still gripping his arm. “You’ll find out who that is riding in my daddy’s yacht?”

“I will, but not until I’m sure you’re ready for me to let you go.”

Elizabeth drew in a shuddering breath. “I’m ready.”

Everett helped her to her feet, and then, reluctantly it seemed, he led her to Reverend Gilmore, who took Elizabeth’s hand in his as he leaned down and wiped the tears from her face, smiling rather sadly at her.

“I think you and I should go for a stroll, my precious child.”

“Are you going to tell me why God took my parents away and won’t bring them back?”

Millie raised a hand to cover the sob she’d almost let escape.

Reverend Gilmore shook his head. “I don’t have all the
answers, Elizabeth, but I promise you this—I’ll explain God and His loving ways, and where I believe your parents are, and maybe then you’ll find some peace.”

Elizabeth stared at him for a long moment, but then she nodded. Turning, Reverend Gilmore led her down the beach, his soothing voice trailing behind him.

Abigail turned and took Thaddeus out of Lucetta’s arms. “I think you and I, Dorothy, should take Thaddeus and Rose up to the cottage,” She nodded at Everett. “You did well, Everett, very well . . . and . . .” Abigail stopped speaking as her voice cracked, her eyes filled with tears, and with a nod to Dorothy, the two ladies turned and began walking away.

Millie moved closer to Everett and took his hand in hers. “Abigail was right. You did well with Elizabeth.”

Everett locked anguish-filled eyes with hers. “I never realized until just now . . . how much those children have lost.” He brushed tears that had fallen out of his eyes away with his free hand. “I never truly mourned my friend, never thought about how his death really affected his children. Why were they taken? Fred and Violet were good people, good parents, and . . . those children didn’t deserve to lose them.”

“They have you,” Millie whispered.

“I’m not good enough to raise them.”

“You will be,” Lucetta said, stepping up to join them with eyes that were rimmed with red. “Don’t sell yourself short, Everett. You’re much more than you think you are, but right now . . . you have a yacht to find.”

Everett squeezed Millie’s hand. “I hate to ask this of you, but would you consider coming with me? I have no idea what I’m going to find, and you have an amazing ability of keeping your head under disastrous situations, even when mad peacocks are running amok, and . . .”

“You don’t need an explanation for why you want me to come with you, Everett,” Millie interrupted. “I would have insisted on doing just that if you hadn’t invited me.”

He smiled just a ghost of a smile and nodded to Lucetta. “You’ll come as well?”

“This really isn’t one of those moments where you have to be polite, Everett,” Lucetta said. “I wouldn’t have been offended if you hadn’t invited me.”

Everett’s ghost of a smile turned into a genuine one. “I wasn’t asking you to be polite, Lucetta. I don’t know if Millie ever mentioned this to you, but she has suspicions about Fred’s death—something I really should have taken more seriously—and . . . you’ve been known to addle gentlemen’s minds when you simply step into a room. That might just come in handy today if the person riding on Fred’s yacht turns out to be a little questionable and . . . a man.”

“Be still my beating heart,” Lucetta said, raising a hand to dash a stray tear off her cheek before she smiled. “I hope you won’t take this the wrong way, Everett, but I actually like you—not that I’m exactly sure why.”

“He doesn’t get addled in your presence,” Millie pointed out.

“Hmm . . . You’re right, he doesn’t,” Lucetta said as her lips curled and she nodded to Everett. “That’s exactly why I like you, and I do thank you for that. Although, let us hope, if we do run a scoundrel to ground today, he won’t be immune to having his wits addled by me.” She stepped closer and took Millie’s other hand in hers. “Shall we get out of these wet clothes and then be on our way?”

Squaring her shoulders, Millie squeezed Lucetta’s hand, and then, with Everett still keeping a firm grip of her other hand, they turned as one and headed for Abigail’s cottage.

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