Chapter 3

Max and Isabel walked into the sitting room; Max anxiously making sure his sister was situated.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'd feel better if you stopped hovering, baby brother." Isabel smiled at him.

"I have to, you have my nephew in there."

"Max!" She blushed wildly.

Liz straightened when she heard them enter the room. "Excuse me." She said and turned to leave the room. She held the dust rag behind her back.

"Miss Parker!" Max greeted with a smile. "This is my sister."

He could not be introducing her. Servants went unnoticed. She shouldn't have even said anything.

"My pleasure, Mrs. Whitman." Liz mumbled before turning around to leave.

"Wait, Miss Parker."

Would he just let her leave? She wasn't a maid to be summoned, she cleaned and served dinner, and if he wanted something he should call someone else. "Yes, Mr. Evans?"

"Why don't you join us?"

"Max, I'm sure she has plenty of things to do with her time." Isabel told her brother pointedly.

"Yes, Mr. Evans, if you will excuse me, we have a lot to prepare for." She waited for leave.

"My apologies." He mumbled and signaled his permission to leave.

"Mr. Evans, Mrs. Whitman." Liz said fully embarrassed.

Max chided himself, he didn't know what had gotten over him. He knew better than that. One never asks a servant to join. He had done nothing but cause suspicion, on both his part, and Liz's. He had embarrassed Liz.

Standing to look out the window he startled when he heard Isabel's voice.

"Max, what has gotten into you?" Isabel asked.

"Nothing." He said and looked out the window. Liz had carried a load of sheets out. Setting them on the table she tied on her apron. She threw one over the line, and then stood on tip-toe to put the pin on. She was so short. He smiled as he watched her stretch time and time again.

"You're obsessed with that little servant girl."

"No." He shook his head.

"You are." Her brother had always been a stickler for propriety. "You would never have made a blunder like that. What is she to you, Max?"

Max didn't like what his sister was implying, at all. She scowled at her. "Nothing." She brushed off a sheet that had fallen and he could imagine her soft voice reprimanding herself. She set the sheet aside and picked up the basket. She turned and looked up at the house, caught sight of Max and stopped all movement. They stared for endless moments and then Max remembered his sister was still there. "She means absolutely nothing to me."

Liz felt Isabel's eyes on her at dinner. What she must think of her. She kept her hands steady as she carefully laid each dish on the table.

"It looks wonderful, Miss Parker." Isabel casually remarked.

"Thank you, I shall give your thanks to Mrs. Higgins." Liz said, trying not to let her see her hands fumble.

Conversation continued on around her. Liz looked at the clock and realized she would get home later, which meant she would have to walk home after dark. She had told Kyle that she was expected to stay late and not to worry, but she knew he would anyway.

"Miss Parker." Mrs. Higgins called from the kitchen.

Liz looked up and walked to the side door.

"There is a young man waiting for you at the side door. He insists he talk to you. I'll take over for you here, dear."

"Thank you." Liz hurried through the door.

"Lizzie." Kyle called.

"Kyle, what are you doing here?" Liz asked surprised.

"I came to walk you home."

"I won't be off for at least another two hours, Kyle."

"I know, I'll just wait here for you until you're off."

"Kyle, Serena and Cassidy are at the apartment by themselves, you need to go to them."

"I'm not going to let you walk home by yourself, Lizzie." He said and took a seat on the step. "I'll wait here, you go on and do your job, Mama is with them, you don't have to worry about it."

"What was that all about?" Mrs. Higgins asked.

"My brother is a bit of overprotective." Liz told her as she returned to the dining room.

"That's sweet of him to wait for you." Mrs. Higgins said. "I'll tell him to come in and make him something to eat in the kitchens."

Liz rolled her eyes and returned to her post at the sideboard.

Liz slipped her shawl around her shoulders and waited for Kyle to join her.

"So there was a party tonight?" Kyle asked as he swung an arm around her.

"The oldest daughter from upstate came home for a week, and so there was a celebratory dinner."

"So you're going to be working late every night this week."

"Yeah." Liz said. "It's extra pay."

"That's wonderful." He smiled. "You can put that towards nursing school."

Liz beamed "I'm so close to my dream Kyle. Just a few more years and I'll be able to go."

"I wish we could get you there sooner."

"We're trying." Liz said. "And we're doing better than most. And Cassidy doesn't have to work." Liz said happily. "I'd work as a servant girl for the rest of my life as long as our children can stay out of the factories."

"I know, Liz." He shuddered. His life as a bricklayer was preferably better to the early days in America as a factory boy.

"Aunt Liz!" Cassidy said when Liz stepped out the back door at the Evans' house the next evening.

"Cassidy, where's your mummy and daddy."

"I'm here." Kyle said standing up. "Serena's at home with Logan."

"Logan?" Liz asked. Then her eyes widened with happiness.

"My new brother. Mummy brought him home today." Cassidy said excitedly.

"Did she?" Liz stroked her hair as she held her. "How is she doing?"

"She's tired, but she's doing well." Kyle beamed proudly. "Baby too."

"I'll tell Mrs. Higgins to give me a few days off so I can help with Cassidy."

"No." Kyle said firmly.

"Kyle." Liz set Cassidy on the ground and turned to go speak with Mrs. Higgins.

"Mrs. Higgins." Liz said quietly walking into the kitchen.

"Is there something you needed?" The old woman looked up startled.

"Actually, my brother's wife just had their second child, today, and they have a four year old. Is it possible that I could take a few days leave to help care for the young girl?"

"She's four you say?" Mrs. Higgins asked.

"Yes." Liz nodded.

"We're tightly pressed for help right now, with Isabel being home." Mrs. Higgins sighed. "Is she a good girl?"

"Yes. Cassidy is the best one could ask for." She said.

"You could bring her to work with you. If she's as good as you say, and she heeds the orders of adults she won't do any harm here." Mrs. Higgins smiled.

"Would you like to meet her first?" Liz asked. "She's here now."

"That would be nice."

"Cassie, come here." Liz called through the door.

Cassidy came running forward.

"How would you like to come to work with me?" Liz asked.

"Could I?"

"If you're really good, and listen to your aunt."

"I will, I will." Cassidy nodded quickly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Higgins." Liz said quickly.

"It'll be fun to have a little one in the house again." Mrs. Higgins said. "Don't worry about being a little late tomorrow." She called.

"We won't be late." Liz promised. And dashed out the door to tell Kyle the good news.

Max watched the young girl that had the same color hair as Liz and whose greeting wasn't that of a stranger. He could see how her entire face lit up when she saw her. Who was she, sister, cousin, niece?

She returned the smile just as easily and looked quite cozy with her. He wanted to be that familiar with her, to be the one to cause her laughter.

How could he be jealous of the life that she lived? He had the world at his feet and he was jealous of the ones who bowed down to him? He shook his head as if to clear the unwanted thought.

It wasn't fair that someone as pretty as her had to work so hard. She should have someone catering at her feet. She deserved it.

How did he know if she deserved it? He didn't even know her.

His heart sank as he turned from the window.

Liz sighed when she heard her parents inside. "Papa came home tonight?"

"He has a job." Kyle rolled his eyes as he came up the stairs with a sleeping Cassidy in his arms.

"Since when?" Liz pushed the door open.

"He came home today with a new contract, we couldn't exactly turn him out could we?" Kyle said. "Mama's ok with it. As long as he has a job he can stay, and he has to leave Serena and Logan alone."

"Hello, Papa." Liz greeted him as she took off her cloak. "I heard you have a job."

"Shut up girl, and get started on supper." He snarled at her.

"You never change, do you Papa?" Liz walked to the kitchen, not liking her father's changes since they moved to America. It was supposed to be the land of dreams, but it had become a nightmare.

"Serena, I've come to see my new nephew." Liz entered their only bedroom. "How are you?"

"Great." Serena held up the tiny bundle. "He's strong, and hungry."

"I'm glad, oh, he looks like his Daddy." Liz smiled.

"I know." Serena said proudly.

"Do you want anything?" Liz asked her sister-in-law.

"No, Mama's been taking really good care of me." She said. "Or until Papa came home. They've been fighting since four and it's given me a headache and it keeps waking up Logan. I don't like to complain, but I think I'm entitled."

"I know, I'll see what I can do, although Kyle had them quieted down." Liz said.

"I'm starting to think Papa's scared of him." Serena said proud of her husband.

"He has to be, the apartment is in Kyle's name. He has no where to go without this." She smiled, also proud of her brother. "Kyle's come a long way from what we were back in Ireland."

"I know." Serena said. She had come over later than Kyle but when he had found her wandering lost on the street they had fallen instantly in love. "He's wonderful, Liz. I hope you find someone like him."

"Me too." She sighed, and wondered what kind of man she would end up with.

"Serena, when you met Kyle how did he make you feel? Did you know he would be the one you would marry?"

"Well, no." She said slowly. "Not right then. I was lost, frightened and alone when I had found Kyle—or rather he found me. Marrying was the last thing on my mind, but he did make my heart go a fluttering. I suppose I had taken a liking to him, but not the marrying sort. But now, I know it was always there, I just didn't recognize it."

Liz was silent and tried to recall what her feelings for Max were. He was the son of one of the richest men in America, and she his mother's servant girl.

"Is there someone you're feeling for?" Serena asked quietly.

"No." She shook her head a little too quickly.

"It's better for you if you admit it, honey, if you don't you might lose him."

"I'll not lose him," she whispered to her sister in law in Gaelic, "I'll never have him." She stood abruptly and exited the room.

TBC