The imposing edifice of the enormous house seemed to grow taller the more Ruth looked at it. With a deep breath and a nervous smile plastered on her face, she raised the enormous brass knocker and let it fall with a rather terrifying yet satisfying thump.
The door was opened a moment later. A very handsome young man wearing a finely pressed suit opened the door with a bright smile. "Hello," he greeted.
"Ruth Evershed. From the abbey. I'm to be the new governess, Sir Harry."
The man laughed. "Oh, I'm not Harry! God no, could you imagine? I'm Dimitri. Come on in, Miss Evershed. Harry and the children are expecting you." Dimitri held open the door for her to enter.
The foyer was grand and sparkling with the gleam of wealth. "Wow," Ruth breathed.
"I know," Dimitri agreed. "I sometimes forget how awesome it is. But then again, I'm the one who has to clean it."
"You are?"
"Yeah, I'm the butler. And cook. And janitor. All-around errand boy," he teased.
"But you don't watch the children?"
"No, Harry spares me that lovely chore," Dimitri replied with a rather dark tone.
Just then, a screech echoed through the whole house, followed quickly with a small voice shouting, "Graham, give it back! Stop it!"
Dimitri just sighed. "Well, welcome to the Pearce manor. If you wait here, I'll go get Harry. He'll want to give you a primer before we release the hellions on you."
Ruth was left alone in the foyer. The children were yelling indiscriminately upstairs. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. For the time being, she placed her small suitcase by the stairs and wandered into the open door to her left.
It opened into what seemed to be a study. The glass desk and terrifyingly neat stacks of paper did not interest her. No, what had caused Ruth to feel her heart skip a beat were the floor to ceiling bookshelves, all stuffed to the brim with volumes of every kind. Ruth immediately began to peruse the titles. The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam sparked her interest, and she immediately pulled it off the shelf in search of her favorite poem. The abbey library had nothing like this, and she'd missed the variety of literature from before she'd become a postulant.
"What are you doing?" an incredulous voice barked behind her.
Ruth whirled around, the book flying out of her hands and onto the floor. The second time she'd done that just that day alone. "Sorry!" she yelped. Her heart pounded from the shock but continued when she saw who'd interrupted her. Not too tall, not very young, not particularly handsome. But sheer power and virility came off the man in waves, emanating from his broad chest and shoulders, his finely made suit, his sparse but neat hair, his full lips, and his fiery hazel eyes. Ruth was so intimidated, she thought she might faint.
"So you're the governess that Ros sent, are you?" he asked gruffly.
"Ros?" she managed to squeak.
"Reverend Mother, I suppose you call her."
Ruth swallowed hard, trying to regain her composure. "Yes, Sir Harry."
He grimaced. "Just Harry. And you are?"
"Ruth Evershed."
"Ruth. Fine. Put that book back and come meet the children. And I trust you won't be as destructive with my things as they are?" Harry gave a slight chuckle at his own little joke as he turned and walked out of the study.
As quick as she could, Ruth reshelved the book, hoping to return to it another time, and hurried to follow Harry.