of her, Peter trumpeted. That’s what I do. Take care of weak women.
Jaycie repositioned herself on her crutches, the pink hippopotamus head bobbing incongruously near her armpit, her forehead furrowing. “He . . . he sent me a text and told me he didn’t want Lisa up here anymore. To have them hold the mail in town until he could get to it. But Lisa’s been bringing up groceries every week, too, and what am I supposed to do about that? I can’t lose this job, Annie. It’s all I have.”
Annie tried to be encouraging. “Your foot will be better soon, and you’ll be able to drive.”
“That’s only part of it. He doesn’t like kids here. I told him how quiet Livia is and promised he wouldn’t even know she was around, but she keeps sneaking outside. I’m afraid he’ll see her.”
Annie shoved her feet into the sneakers she’d brought with her. “Let me get this straight. Because of Lord Theo, a four-year-old can’t go outside to play? That’s not right.”
“I guess he can do what he wants—it’s his house. Besides, as long as I’m on crutches, I can’t go out with her anyway, and I don’t want her out there by herself.”
Annie hated the way Jaycie kept making excuses for him. She should be smart enough to see him as he really was, but after all these years, she still seemed to have a crush on him.
Kids have crushes, Dilly whispered. Jaycie’s a grown woman. Maybe it’s more than a crush.
This is not good, Scamp said. Not good at all.
Livia came into the kitchen. She wore her corduroy pants from yesterday and carried a clear plastic shoe box–size container of broken crayons along with a dog-eared pad of drawing paper. Annie smiled at her. “Hi, Livia.”
The child ducked her head.
“She’s shy,” Jaycie said.
Livia brought her drawing supplies to the table, hoisted herself up onto one of the chairs, and set to work. Jaycie showed Annie where the cleaning supplies were stored, apologizing the whole time. “You don’t have to do this. Really. It’s my problem, not yours.”
Annie cut off her apologies. “Why don’t you see what you can do about his master’s meals? Since you let me down with the rat poison idea, maybe you could find some deadly mushrooms?”
Jaycie smiled. “He’s not that bad, Annie.”
So untrue.
As Annie carried dust rags and a broom into the main hallway, she eyed the stairs uneasily. She prayed Jaycie was right and that Theo’s appearance here four days ago had been an anomaly. If he found out Annie was doing Jaycie’s work, he really would find another housekeeper.
Most of the downstairs rooms were closed off to conserve heat, but the foyer, Elliott’s office, and the dreary sunroom all needed attending. With her limited strength, she decided to make the foyer her priority, but by the time she’d gotten rid of the cobwebs and wiped down the dusty paneled walls, she was wheezing. She returned to the kitchen and found Livia alone there, still busy at the table with her crayons.
She’d been thinking about Livia, and she went into the mudroom to find her backpack with Scamp inside. Annie made most of her puppets’ outfits, including Scamp’s rainbow tights, short pink skirt, and bright yellow T-shirt with its sparkly purple star. A headband with a floppy green poppy held her crazy orange yarn curls in place. Annie slipped the puppet over her hand and arm, then positioned her fingers on the levers that operated the puppet’s mouth and eyes. She held Scamp behind her back and returned to the table.
As Livia peeled the paper from her red crayon, Annie took a chair catty-corner to her. Instantly, Scamp poked her head up over the side of the table and peered at Livia. “La . . . La . . . LA! ” Scamp sang in her most attention-getting voice. “I Scamp, otherwise known as Genevieve Adelaide Josephine Brown, declare it a beee-u-tiful day!”
Livia jerked up her head and stared at the puppet. Scamp leaned forward, her wild curls tumbling
Jaycie repositioned herself on her crutches, the pink hippopotamus head bobbing incongruously near her armpit, her forehead furrowing. “He . . . he sent me a text and told me he didn’t want Lisa up here anymore. To have them hold the mail in town until he could get to it. But Lisa’s been bringing up groceries every week, too, and what am I supposed to do about that? I can’t lose this job, Annie. It’s all I have.”
Annie tried to be encouraging. “Your foot will be better soon, and you’ll be able to drive.”
“That’s only part of it. He doesn’t like kids here. I told him how quiet Livia is and promised he wouldn’t even know she was around, but she keeps sneaking outside. I’m afraid he’ll see her.”
Annie shoved her feet into the sneakers she’d brought with her. “Let me get this straight. Because of Lord Theo, a four-year-old can’t go outside to play? That’s not right.”
“I guess he can do what he wants—it’s his house. Besides, as long as I’m on crutches, I can’t go out with her anyway, and I don’t want her out there by herself.”
Annie hated the way Jaycie kept making excuses for him. She should be smart enough to see him as he really was, but after all these years, she still seemed to have a crush on him.
Kids have crushes, Dilly whispered. Jaycie’s a grown woman. Maybe it’s more than a crush.
This is not good, Scamp said. Not good at all.
Livia came into the kitchen. She wore her corduroy pants from yesterday and carried a clear plastic shoe box–size container of broken crayons along with a dog-eared pad of drawing paper. Annie smiled at her. “Hi, Livia.”
The child ducked her head.
“She’s shy,” Jaycie said.
Livia brought her drawing supplies to the table, hoisted herself up onto one of the chairs, and set to work. Jaycie showed Annie where the cleaning supplies were stored, apologizing the whole time. “You don’t have to do this. Really. It’s my problem, not yours.”
Annie cut off her apologies. “Why don’t you see what you can do about his master’s meals? Since you let me down with the rat poison idea, maybe you could find some deadly mushrooms?”
Jaycie smiled. “He’s not that bad, Annie.”
So untrue.
As Annie carried dust rags and a broom into the main hallway, she eyed the stairs uneasily. She prayed Jaycie was right and that Theo’s appearance here four days ago had been an anomaly. If he found out Annie was doing Jaycie’s work, he really would find another housekeeper.
Most of the downstairs rooms were closed off to conserve heat, but the foyer, Elliott’s office, and the dreary sunroom all needed attending. With her limited strength, she decided to make the foyer her priority, but by the time she’d gotten rid of the cobwebs and wiped down the dusty paneled walls, she was wheezing. She returned to the kitchen and found Livia alone there, still busy at the table with her crayons.
She’d been thinking about Livia, and she went into the mudroom to find her backpack with Scamp inside. Annie made most of her puppets’ outfits, including Scamp’s rainbow tights, short pink skirt, and bright yellow T-shirt with its sparkly purple star. A headband with a floppy green poppy held her crazy orange yarn curls in place. Annie slipped the puppet over her hand and arm, then positioned her fingers on the levers that operated the puppet’s mouth and eyes. She held Scamp behind her back and returned to the table.
As Livia peeled the paper from her red crayon, Annie took a chair catty-corner to her. Instantly, Scamp poked her head up over the side of the table and peered at Livia. “La . . . La . . . LA! ” Scamp sang in her most attention-getting voice. “I Scamp, otherwise known as Genevieve Adelaide Josephine Brown, declare it a beee-u-tiful day!”
Livia jerked up her head and stared at the puppet. Scamp leaned forward, her wild curls tumbling
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