The Patricia Kiyono Christmas Collection (51 page)

But it appeared his plans were for naught.
She was no longer his peer; she was far above him. With her
inheritance she could hire him. He was truly happy for her. Her
good fortune meant she would never have to work again. It meant a
change of plans for him, but he would carry on.

Why did the thought hurt so much?

A half-dozen
hackneys
picked up the
invited guests at the foot of the steps of St. Paul’s and carried
them to the Bartlett’s townhouse. Most had never ridden in a coach,
and the novelty was thrilling. For them, it was an evening not to
be forgotten. The coaches took them to the door where a footman
assisted them down to the street and up to the door, where Utley
greeted them. Much to the children’s delight, the butler ushered
them to the entrance of the large sitting room, announcing each
child like royalty.

At the opposite end, Phillip and Amelia
Peartree, Duke and Duchess of Bartlett, received their guests. Some
of the little ones started to run toward her, but most stopped
short and bowed or curtseyed. The parents followed suit, having
watched the lessons Robert and Jeanne had taught. Amelia praised
them and chatted with each child, begging them to tell her all that
had happened since she’d last seen them.

Footmen floated about, carrying drinks and
snacks until Utley announced dinner was served.

The duke and duchess led the way into the
dining room, and the guests filed in just the way they had been
taught: the tallest pupil and his father, the next tallest and her
parents, and so on. At Amelia’s request, Robert and Jeanne joined
the students and their parents at the table.

At previous Christmas dinners, the Bartlett
cook had sent the dishes to the church. But that was far different
from dining in the formal dining room. Jeanne was thankful Robert
had insisted that each step of the meal be practiced. The guests
waited patiently as the napkins were placed on their laps and the
food was served. They waited until the duke picked up his fork
before picking up theirs. And they ate quietly — well, relatively
so. A few of them struggled with using the knife and fork to cut
their meat, but in general, they did admirably.

It was during the second course that Utley
entered the dinning room, his normally placid expression a bit
strained. He leaned down and spoke quietly to the duke, who nodded
and rose. “Mr. Townley, would you come with me?”

Curious, Robert followed the duke to his
study. His eyes widened to see Ralph Wilcox.

Ralph nodded at Robert then turned to the
duke.

“
Your Grace, I apologize
for interrupting your dinner party. I have a special delivery for
your valet, Mr. Townley.” He stepped aside, revealing the wide-eyed
child.

“
Andrew!” Robert was unable
to contain his relief and knelt before the boy. “I’m so glad to see
you. Please forgive me for not coming for you sooner.”

“
Mr. Townley, I waited for
you, I did. I knew me mum was dead, but I stayed with her because
you said you’d be back. Those men, they made me to go the big
house. And it was scary there. I got food every day, but the bigger
boys, sometimes they would take mine and eat it before I
could.”

Robert’s heart bled for the poor lad. He
took Andy’s hand and squeezed. “I’m so sorry you had to endure
that. I promise you will never have to go to that house again, not
as long as I live. I want you to be my ward, if… if you like.”

The boy’s eyes widened. “Truly? Like I’ll be
yer boy?”

“
Yes.”

“
I’ll do whatever you say.
I’ll learn how ta read and write and work hard, I will. So you
won’t haf ta beat me.”

“
I won’t beat you. Ever.
That is a promise I know I can keep. I have never raised a hand to
a child, and I don’t expect I ever will.”

“
Never? Papa said I’d never
grow up to be a man if he didn’t toughen me up.”

Robert wished he could have a few moments
alone with the boy’s father to see how tough he would be when
dealing with someone closer to his own size. “I don’t agree with
him. There are ways to become tough, and when you’re a little
older, I’ll show you how my father helped me. But right now there
is a delicious dinner being served, and I think we ought to get
some for you.” Remembering Ralph, he rose, intending to thank his
friend, but he had gone. Stepping out of the study, Robert heard
Utley letting the man out.

“
Utley, will Mr. Wilcox be
back? I need to thank him.”

The elderly gentleman shook his head. “I
believe the duke took care of that.”

He thanked Utley and took his new charge to
the dining room. Jeanne was the first to spot them. She leaped out
of her chair and raced to them, her arms outstretched.

“
Andy! You’re safe.”
Heedless of the rest of the dinner party, she held the little boy
to her breast and sobbed.

Several of the other children got up and
started toward Andy, but they stopped suddenly and looked at
Robert, remembering his admonition to remain in their seats until
they had been dismissed. He nodded, understanding their excitement,
and soon Andy was surrounded by his friends.

An extra chair was pushed up to the table
and another plate filled. The boy sat, but his wide eyes kept going
from the mound of food on his plate to the grandeur surrounding
him.

After everyone ate their fill, the duke led
the party into the sitting room. The children took their seats on
the thick wool rug in front of the fire while the duchess read a
special Christmas story by A. P. Worthington. While some listened
intently, Robert noticed a few were more intrigued by the rich rug
they sat upon, fingering it with awe.

After Amelia finished reading, she and
Phillip, who’d been sitting in a chair opposite her, rose as a
servant brought two enormous baskets of gifts. A large bundle was
handed to each child: a warm blanket, a book, and a scarf and hat
knitted by the duchess herself. Robert nodded with approval each
time a child accepted his or her gift and voiced their thanks
clearly and sincerely. Sarah had been right. They just needed to be
taught the expectations, and they would behave accordingly.

Andrew stayed close to Robert’s side. After
the rest of the guests left, he turned frightened eyes to
Robert.

“
Where do I go
now?”

Robert’s heart ached. Would the child ever
be able to trust him again? He took Andy’s hand. “You’re not going
anywhere. We’ll have to arrange a proper bed for you, but tonight,
you can have mine.” They headed toward the servants’ wing.

“
Mr. Townley,” Jeanne
called. “I would like a word with you. Tonight, if at all
possible.”

He hesitated but then nodded. “I must settle
Andy into bed first. I’ll come down to the library shortly.”

Exactly fifteen
minutes
later, Robert entered the library
to find Jeanne pacing. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her so
agitated. She planted herself directly in front of him and he
braced himself for… whatever she did.

“
Andy told me you were
going to be his papa,” she began.

“
I said I would be like a
papa. I can’t quite adopt him if his father is still alive.” His
brow dipped and he added, “Although I’m not certain I want to find
the man. I’m likely to let my fists do the talking if I ever see
him again.”

She scoffed. “That man doesn’t deserve to be
Andy’s father.”

“
True. But I mean to see
that Andy has a safe, stable home from now on.”

“
You’ll be wonderful for
him.”

He studied her for a moment. It seemed her
words were genuine. “Thank you. I hope he comes to feel safe with
me.”

“
He will. But you will have
to be both mother and father to him… unless you have plans to
marry.”

He shook his head and
stared at his hands.
I once hoped she
would fill that role.

“
Well then, I shall have to
volunteer.”

His head snapped up. “I beg your
pardon?”

She took a deep breath and
squared her shoulders.
She’s quite
fetching when she’s determined.
He stifled
a smile and listened to what she had to say.

“
If you are taking on the
task of being Andrew’s father, I would like to be his
mother.”

“
His mo—”

“
No one else knows him like
I do. No one else cares for him as I do. You couldn’t find anyone
better for the job.”

“
Of co—”

“
Don’t you argue with me,
Mr. Townley. You know as well as I do that what this boy needs is a
woman to make sure he’s eating right, has clean and properly
fitting clothes, and behaves like a gentleman.”

“
But I—”

“
Hear me out. Now
that
grandpère
has
found me — or rather his solicitors have — I am free to leave the
Bartletts’ service and take care of him.”

“
You’re going to — to
leave?”
She plans to take Andy away, and I
won’t be able to see either of them. How will I go on?

“
If I am to do a proper job
of raising a child, I can’t very well be taking care of the duchess
as well. Oh, you shan’t pay me. I don’t see myself as a nanny, just
— a mother figure. Someone he can come to with questions. Someone
who is there for him while you are seeing to the duke’s
needs.”

Pay her?
His heart lifted as he realized Jeanne didn’t want
to take Andrew — she simply wanted to help raise him.

A picture of the three of them as a family
once again formed in his mind.

She paced again, waving her arms as she
spoke. Was it possible his Jeanne was nervous?

“
I’ve thought about what to
do with
grandpère’s
money. I want to use most of it to hire someone to find my
brother. Even if he’s no longer living, I want to find out what
happened to him. And with the rest, I thought I would find a small
comfortable place to live near the Bartlett estate. I should be
able to live comfortably, if I’m careful.”

Robert waited until she paused. “Are you
quite finished?”

She bit her lip and nodded.

He stepped toward her. “I can’t think of a
better woman to care for Andrew than you. I’m honored that you wish
to help me raise him. But there is one adjustment I would like to
make to your proposal.”

“
A-a-adjustment?”

“
I agree Andrew needs a
mother as well as a father. I don’t remember my mother; she died
when I was quite small. If Andrew is in need of a mother’s hand,
perhaps I am, too. I need someone to provide some gentleness to my
life. Someone who understands my shortcomings and is willing to
take me to task when I don’t treat another person with due respect.
Someone who will bring warmth and beauty to my rather drab
existence.” He watched her carefully as he added, “Perhaps we could
agree to a partnership.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What sort of
partnership?”

He stepped even closer, and
a tinge of scarlet blossomed on her cheeks, but she didn’t back
away.
So she’s not averse to idea.
He grew bolder. “A very… close partnership. One
that might require a visit to the vicar.”

She blessed him with a tremulous smile. “A
legal partnership, Mr. Townley?”

“
Absolutely. I believe
Andrew might benefit from learning to cooperate and look after some
younger children. Besides, he’d likely get lonely if he’s the only
child in the house.”

Her smile widened. “Undoubtedly. Er, when
would this partnership begin?”

One more step, and they were nearly abreast.
Her eyes sparkled, and he knew he wanted to gaze into them for the
rest of his life. “As soon as the banns can be read. If it’s
agreeable to you.”

Just before their lips met, he heard her
breathless, “Oh yes.”

About the Author

In a previous life,
Patricia Kiyono
taught
elementary school students by day and changed diapers at night. Now
she teaches college students part time and changes diapers only
when she’s taking care of grandkids. She loves to do anything that
doesn’t involve exercise. Right now her favorite activities, in
addition to writing, include scrapbooking, sewing, and making
music. She and her husband live in southwest Michigan, near their
children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.