Chapter 6 / Epilogue


Harmony's Lesson 7: LISTEN TO YOUR HEART


Vancouver had warmed up a lot in the past couple of months. The bright yellow sun shone happily upon them as Mr. Brown sat outside in the garden with his eight children and nanny. He looked up from his journal to see her bottle feeding little Renee.

The Brown family had gotten some animals in the meantime as well. There were a few geese, chickens, rabbits and pygmy goats running around on the property. Christianna had really wanted another donkey, so there was one running around somewhere as well. There were pot-bellied pigs in addition to that, like the ones back in England; eight to be precise, one for each Brown child. Eight disgusting little pigs for as many wonderful children.

"Nanny McPhee?" Chrissie's happy voice suddenly sounded.

Harmony looked up from feeding the youngest child, noticing little Chrissie with a blue and green colored rope in her hand. She smiled. "Yes, sweetheart?" She had slowly gotten used to calling them by different pet names now. Somehow, her living with them felt different now unlike last time. She did more than just taking care of the children now. She happily managed both household and cooking, and according to the always empty pots and casseroles, she managed to do it all well, too. It wasn't truly awkward that all of the children preferred her cooking over their father's, though. She no longer took Sunday afternoons off either, for one reason or another.

"Would you please hold the other end of my rope? Lily doesn't want to. She's reading."

"Of course," Nanny McPhee smiled. "I shall be there in a minute, after I'm done feeding your little sister."

"Yay!" Chrissie exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement, yet patiently waiting until Renee had gotten to empty her bottle. Nanny McPhee slowly got up to hand Mr. Brown his baby daughter, then quietly accepted one end of Chrissie's jumping rope while oldest sister Tora slowly took the other.

The long colorful rope stretched as both walked further away from one another, then slowly started swinging it back and forth, low to the grass. Chrissie jumped over the green and blue colored rope each time it passed, giggling loud.

Mr. Brown eyed them with amusement, wondering where the rest of his children could be hiding, just when he could hear loud bleating, then saw one of the goats racing by with Eric and Simon after it. "Boys!" He said, but neither could hear him anymore, for both the white and brown pygmy goat and his sons had already disappeared in one of the bushes again. He calmly eyed Lily sitting under the large apple tree with one of her little romance novels. She seemed to be reading to Agatha, that was sitting on her lap. He assumed that Sebastian would be inside trying to find something edible and sweet in the kitchen.

"Come on, Nanny McPhee!" Chrissie yelled. "Jump!"

And like no one would have anticipated, Harmony chuckled, and joined in with Chrissie. She didn't trip when switching hands and turning around while jumping to look at Chrissie, giggling at least as hard as she did.


"Nanny McPhee? I really liked your spaghetti tonight. Are you making again soon?" Sebastian sounded that evening before going to bed.

"Really soon," Harmony promised, leaning in to kiss his forehead briefly. She couldn't quite recall how this had ended up to be a ritual, but it felt like it had been one since forever. She always leaned in to give Simon a good night peck on his forehead as well, but he simply turned away every single time. She could easily force him to let her just by one tap, but it wasn't within her nature to do something like that. Simon would accept her one day as well, she hoped. He had surely become less hostile already, but something invisible still seemed to strain him in liking her the same like the others did. Maybe he couldn't as easily put his mind off things? He somehow had always looked more troubled with changes than the others.

So, for the very first time, she only said good night to him and turned around to leave the boys' bedroom. She could hear his mattress creak behind her. "Nanny McPhee?" She slowly turned around on her heels to look at him, slightly turned towards her. "Aren't I getting a…?"

She slowly walked back towards his bed, sitting down on its edge. "I thought you didn't want one."

"I do."

She smiled at him kindly, briefly leaning in to peck his forehead for good night. He smiled back at her faintly, watching her get up and move in the direction of the open doorway. She turned around to whisper them good night in general, before switching off the light and disappearing.

Harmony slowly walked into the girls' bedroom, noticing all of them under the covers, except for Chrissie that was jumping up and down on her bed. Harmony chuckled, catching the third to youngest Brown daughter within her arms. She hardly still carried her wand with her. "Are you still jumping now?"

Chrissie giggled, but didn't protest as Nanny McPhee tucked her in. "Thank you for rope skipping with me this afternoon," she whispered. "I love you," she said, not really waiting for an answer, but leaning up to kiss Nanny McPhee's cheek. All of the children still called her Nanny McPhee, but she wasn't really seen as a nanny anymore; more like part of their family, although it wasn't really obvious for anyone which role she should take.

Neither of the children nor Mr. Brown had wondered precisely why she had come back, since she had always said that when she wasn't needed anymore, she would have to go. Maybe all of them were just too happy to have her back with them?

Sure, Mr. Brown and some of the children had wondered how, but since Nanny McPhee always appeared to have a way of ignoring that question, it had just become one of them things you wonder about forever, but won't ever get any answer to. You just accept them. Some parts of Nanny McPhee could be compared with the question of the chicken or the egg sometimes.


"Oh... Nanny McPhee, what are you doing up?" Mr. Brown's voice sounded lightly surprised behind her.

She calmly turned to look at him with a cup of hot milk in her hands, noticing him nervously fastening his robes again. "I could ask you about the same," she said, slowly sipping from her cup.

"I couldn't…" he started, words suddenly trailing off as moonlight washed over her dark blond hair, some strands having come down from their usual bun. Something within the darker blue of her eyes looked more twinkly than he remembered, too. Before he really thought about it, he whispered, "I never before… truly noticed… just how… stunning you actually are."

Nanny McPhee giggled girlishly. Thank goodness for the darkness hiding most of her now tickled pink cheeks. Cedric slowly moved in, taking the halfway empty mug from her and setting it down on the counter next to them both.

He tenderly tucked some of Harmony's curly locks aside, softly whispering her name. She surely seemed to be even prettier that near. Something bubbled up inside him, something warm that brought his lips down on hers, only finding Nanny McPhee's response after that one instant in which he had thought to have made the mistake of his life.

Of course, she had been pretty reluctant at first, because something so crucial relied upon it. Yet, from that moment their lips had met, Harmony Jo McPhee had known immediately that she wouldn't soon regret exchanging for the magic of Love.

Both adults broke apart at once, though, when suddenly Lily's shriek sounded from the doorway. "Nanny McPhee and Papa have kissed! Unbelievable!"

Yet, oh so much like Lily's romance novels described.