Chapter 1
When I'd been told I had the job in America I'd been really hyped!! I'd had just over 3 weeks to get my stuff organised & then I was there! Being a nanny was all I'd ever wanted to do ever since I saw Mary Poppins as a Kid! But as I unpacked my bags in my new room, in the huge house that was to be my home from now on, I started to think about the things I was leaving behind me in England. I'd been too busy & too excited before I left to really sit down & think about what I was giving up...my parents, my younger brother, my older sister & her kids, and then there was Mick. The guy I'd been seeing for just over 2 years, the man I'd fallen in love with at first sight.....the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. He'd supported me when I made the decision to leave England & put our relationship on hold, and he'd promised to wait for me no matter how long I might be away! I'd been in America for two hours & already I missed him like crazy! I wiped a tear from my cheek & finished unpacking my cases.
The house, Edbrook Hall, had taken my breath away when the cab had pulled up outside! It was the most enormous & most beautiful house I'd ever seen! Inside was equally impressive - everything was decorated & furnished in a grand style, like something from an old movie! I was sure I'd get lost in its vast amount of rooms!
I'd been introduced to my employers, the jamesons, & much to my surprise they were really nice people! I'd been so nervous when I saw the house & I thought they'd be way out of my league, but I couldn't have been more wrong! They were very down-to-earth & very welcomming! I was to look after their three children, Andrew who was 10 years old, Sophie who was 4 and the baby, Daniel who was only 18 months. They were adorable, but I could tell I was going to have my work cut out for me!
It was 2 days before I was officially due to start, so I decided to try to familliarise myself with my new surroundings! After I'd unpacked I took a walk around the enormous house I would come to call my home! It was like one of the old stately homes I'd visited on school trips back in England! A great big stair case adorned with huge paintings of long dead ancestors dressed in velvet & lace! A very large chandelier hung in the hallway & it was this I was staring up at when I bumped into something & landed flat on my ass!
"Oh I'm sorry! I wasn't looking! Let me help you up!"
I looked up to see a well toned outstretched arm, belonging to a rather good looking guy! I accepted his hand & struggled to my feet.
"Thankyou! And it was me who wasn't watching where they were going & I do appologise!" I smiled as I dusted myself off.
"That's ok....I guess we're both daydreamers then!" the guy laughed........and wow what a smile!! I seemed to be entranced by him for a few seconds.......until I heard a shout from behind me.....
"Hey hun!!" I jumped, startled out of my daydream & turned around to see a girl about my age running towards us. She threw her arms around the guy & kissed him.
"Hey girl! You ready to go?" The guy asked as he lowered her to the floor.
"Sure am!" she said & kissed him again, this time more passionately. I looked away, feeling alittle awkward, but I needn't have as it was as if I wasn't even there! They simply turned and walked away arm in arm. The guy turned back & looked my way before they went out of the door & raised his hand. I gave him a little wave back & watched them leave. I had no clue as to who either of them were - but I didn't have to wait long to find out!
"SARAH!!!" someone shouted form behind me. I turned to see a rather plump looking woman with greying hair pulled tightly back in a pony tail. She was wearing a white overcoat & waving a bunch of keys frantically! "Oh damn that girl!! She's always in a world of her own!!" I simply smiled. "Oh excuse me hello dear! You must be Rebecca the new nanny am I right?"
"Yes I am! And please, call me Bec!"
"Well Bec I'm Mary & I'm the housekeeper of this old place! Nice to finally meet you!" she smiled warmly & shook my hand. "The whirlwind that just went past you is my daughter, Sarah, although I doubt she'll ever be in one place long enough for you two to be properly introduced!"
"Oh that's ok! I could see she had...erm...better things to do than chit chat with me!" I laughed.
"Hmm...well enough said about that!!" Mary said sharply & I could tell I'd hit a nerve! "So, you must be starving after your long trip! You came all the way from England right?"
"Yes I did...and now that you mention it I am a bit peckish!"
"Well then you come along with me & we'll fix you something to eat!" She put her arm around my shoulders & ushered me into the kitchen. "Take a seat dear & I'll get you a sandwich - would that be ok until dinner?"
"Oh a sandwich would be great thankyou!"
"I suppose this is all a little overwhelming for you?" Mary said as she pottered around the kitchen making my snack.
"Well this house is certainly going to take a while to get used to! I lived in a tiny one bedrooomed flat back in England!"
"Oh don't you let old Edbrook phase ya! There's nowhere nicer to work....and the Jamesons are lovely folks! I assume you have been introduced?"
"Yes I have briefly & they seem very nice! Not at all what I expected, especially after I saw this place!"
Mary came over & placed a sandwich on the table infront of me, which I thanked her for.
"Ah well they weren't accustomed to this themselves when they first came here! This was Mr Jameson's inheritance see, he didn't live here until after his uncle died."
"Oh I see." I tucked into my sandwich & hoped Mary would continue the history lesson!
"Yeah they lived in New York before this lot fell into his lap! Worked in an office doing something too technical for me to understand let alone repeat to anyone!" She smiled, "that's how Mr & Mrs met as far as I know, at work."
"That's nice! Do they work now?"
"Well Mr J has his work cut out for him managing this estate, and althought Mrs J doesn't have to work, she still does! I suppose she likes to keep busy, I mean I wouldnt like to be rattling around this old place on my own day after day.......hahahahahaha....listen to me....that's exactly what I DO do!" I laughed along with her! "Ah well you know what I mean!"
"OOOOH Mary is there another one of those sandwiches going gorgeous?!" Said a man comming in throught he back door.
Mary sighed & got up from her seat, "I suppose so if you can behave yourself! We have company! This is Rebecca....sorry Bec!" she smiled, "...the new nanny! Bec this is Steve the driver....and the biggest pain I have in my ass aside from my hemmeroids!!" she playfully swiped Steve's hat from his head!
"She loves me really!" Steve winked. "Nice to meet you Bec!"
"Likewise! Oh Mary I meant to ask you, who was that guy in the hallway? he bumped into me & knocked me flat on the floor!" I laughed.
"Ohhhh don't mention the eeeeeevil boyfriend from hell!" Steve laughed & winked at me. Mary gave him a dirty look & turned back to making his sandwich.
"That would be Matthew, Sara's latest infatuation!"
"Oh sorry I was just wondering who he was."
"Oh that's alright, it'll be someone else next week knowing my sarah!" Mary sighed.
"Well I must be going! Nice to meet you both!" I said as I took my empty plate to the sink.
"If you need anything at all you just holler, you hear me?" Mary squeezed my hand.
"I will, and thankyou!"
As I walked back up to my room I couldn't help thinking about this Matthew guy....there was something vaugly famillar about him that I couldn't quite put my finger on!
When I'd been told I had the job in America I'd been really hyped!! I'd had just over 3 weeks to get my stuff organised & then I was there! Being a nanny was all I'd ever wanted to do ever since I saw Mary Poppins as a Kid! But as I unpacked my bags in my new room, in the huge house that was to be my home from now on, I started to think about the things I was leaving behind me in England. I'd been too busy & too excited before I left to really sit down & think about what I was giving up...my parents, my younger brother, my older sister & her kids, and then there was Mick. The guy I'd been seeing for just over 2 years, the man I'd fallen in love with at first sight.....the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. He'd supported me when I made the decision to leave England & put our relationship on hold, and he'd promised to wait for me no matter how long I might be away! I'd been in America for two hours & already I missed him like crazy! I wiped a tear from my cheek & finished unpacking my cases.
The house, Edbrook Hall, had taken my breath away when the cab had pulled up outside! It was the most enormous & most beautiful house I'd ever seen! Inside was equally impressive - everything was decorated & furnished in a grand style, like something from an old movie! I was sure I'd get lost in its vast amount of rooms!
I'd been introduced to my employers, the jamesons, & much to my surprise they were really nice people! I'd been so nervous when I saw the house & I thought they'd be way out of my league, but I couldn't have been more wrong! They were very down-to-earth & very welcomming! I was to look after their three children, Andrew who was 10 years old, Sophie who was 4 and the baby, Daniel who was only 18 months. They were adorable, but I could tell I was going to have my work cut out for me!
It was 2 days before I was officially due to start, so I decided to try to familliarise myself with my new surroundings! After I'd unpacked I took a walk around the enormous house I would come to call my home! It was like one of the old stately homes I'd visited on school trips back in England! A great big stair case adorned with huge paintings of long dead ancestors dressed in velvet & lace! A very large chandelier hung in the hallway & it was this I was staring up at when I bumped into something & landed flat on my ass!
"Oh I'm sorry! I wasn't looking! Let me help you up!"
I looked up to see a well toned outstretched arm, belonging to a rather good looking guy! I accepted his hand & struggled to my feet.
"Thankyou! And it was me who wasn't watching where they were going & I do appologise!" I smiled as I dusted myself off.
"That's ok....I guess we're both daydreamers then!" the guy laughed........and wow what a smile!! I seemed to be entranced by him for a few seconds.......until I heard a shout from behind me.....
"Hey hun!!" I jumped, startled out of my daydream & turned around to see a girl about my age running towards us. She threw her arms around the guy & kissed him.
"Hey girl! You ready to go?" The guy asked as he lowered her to the floor.
"Sure am!" she said & kissed him again, this time more passionately. I looked away, feeling alittle awkward, but I needn't have as it was as if I wasn't even there! They simply turned and walked away arm in arm. The guy turned back & looked my way before they went out of the door & raised his hand. I gave him a little wave back & watched them leave. I had no clue as to who either of them were - but I didn't have to wait long to find out!
"SARAH!!!" someone shouted form behind me. I turned to see a rather plump looking woman with greying hair pulled tightly back in a pony tail. She was wearing a white overcoat & waving a bunch of keys frantically! "Oh damn that girl!! She's always in a world of her own!!" I simply smiled. "Oh excuse me hello dear! You must be Rebecca the new nanny am I right?"
"Yes I am! And please, call me Bec!"
"Well Bec I'm Mary & I'm the housekeeper of this old place! Nice to finally meet you!" she smiled warmly & shook my hand. "The whirlwind that just went past you is my daughter, Sarah, although I doubt she'll ever be in one place long enough for you two to be properly introduced!"
"Oh that's ok! I could see she had...erm...better things to do than chit chat with me!" I laughed.
"Hmm...well enough said about that!!" Mary said sharply & I could tell I'd hit a nerve! "So, you must be starving after your long trip! You came all the way from England right?"
"Yes I did...and now that you mention it I am a bit peckish!"
"Well then you come along with me & we'll fix you something to eat!" She put her arm around my shoulders & ushered me into the kitchen. "Take a seat dear & I'll get you a sandwich - would that be ok until dinner?"
"Oh a sandwich would be great thankyou!"
"I suppose this is all a little overwhelming for you?" Mary said as she pottered around the kitchen making my snack.
"Well this house is certainly going to take a while to get used to! I lived in a tiny one bedrooomed flat back in England!"
"Oh don't you let old Edbrook phase ya! There's nowhere nicer to work....and the Jamesons are lovely folks! I assume you have been introduced?"
"Yes I have briefly & they seem very nice! Not at all what I expected, especially after I saw this place!"
Mary came over & placed a sandwich on the table infront of me, which I thanked her for.
"Ah well they weren't accustomed to this themselves when they first came here! This was Mr Jameson's inheritance see, he didn't live here until after his uncle died."
"Oh I see." I tucked into my sandwich & hoped Mary would continue the history lesson!
"Yeah they lived in New York before this lot fell into his lap! Worked in an office doing something too technical for me to understand let alone repeat to anyone!" She smiled, "that's how Mr & Mrs met as far as I know, at work."
"That's nice! Do they work now?"
"Well Mr J has his work cut out for him managing this estate, and althought Mrs J doesn't have to work, she still does! I suppose she likes to keep busy, I mean I wouldnt like to be rattling around this old place on my own day after day.......hahahahahaha....listen to me....that's exactly what I DO do!" I laughed along with her! "Ah well you know what I mean!"
"OOOOH Mary is there another one of those sandwiches going gorgeous?!" Said a man comming in throught he back door.
Mary sighed & got up from her seat, "I suppose so if you can behave yourself! We have company! This is Rebecca....sorry Bec!" she smiled, "...the new nanny! Bec this is Steve the driver....and the biggest pain I have in my ass aside from my hemmeroids!!" she playfully swiped Steve's hat from his head!
"She loves me really!" Steve winked. "Nice to meet you Bec!"
"Likewise! Oh Mary I meant to ask you, who was that guy in the hallway? he bumped into me & knocked me flat on the floor!" I laughed.
"Ohhhh don't mention the eeeeeevil boyfriend from hell!" Steve laughed & winked at me. Mary gave him a dirty look & turned back to making his sandwich.
"That would be Matthew, Sara's latest infatuation!"
"Oh sorry I was just wondering who he was."
"Oh that's alright, it'll be someone else next week knowing my sarah!" Mary sighed.
"Well I must be going! Nice to meet you both!" I said as I took my empty plate to the sink.
"If you need anything at all you just holler, you hear me?" Mary squeezed my hand.
"I will, and thankyou!"
As I walked back up to my room I couldn't help thinking about this Matthew guy....there was something vaugly famillar about him that I couldn't quite put my finger on!