A/N: SSorry for getting a month mixed up in the previous chapter. Have changed it now. It should say "unusually cold March" - not April.
I hope you enjoy this part! :-)
Chapter Text
Miranda returned to the car, carrying a parcel of books she intended to give the girls when they set off on their journey to America. Harris opened the door for her and Miranda handed him the parcel, and prepared to step inside. She opened her mouth to say something to Miss Andrea when she saw that the girl was asleep again, this time leaning against the cold window. Miranda owned one of the few models that boasted a closed rear, and yet, the car was still a cold way of transporting people. At least they were out of the wind.
Miranda frowned. It couldn't be good for her to sit like that. Grabbing one of the blankets Harries kept in the back of the car, she tucked it around Miss Andrea.
"Mm?" Andrea turned her head away from the window but didn't open her eyes. "Home?"
"Not yet. Soon." Miranda sat down and just like before, Miss Andrea shifted and ended up with her head back on Miranda's shoulder. "Dear God." Miranda glanced at the rearview mirror but didn't think Harris would be able to see Miss Andrea unless he turned around and looked right at them.
Deciding—again—to let Miss Andrea rest, as there was bound to be mayhem at the house when the girls learned they were back. Caroline had sulked for not being able to go, and Miranda could picture her asking all kinds of fashion-related questions.
Again, Miranda could sense a faint scent of roses coming from Miss Andrea. She could have sworn it originated from her hair. Perhaps the girl had some special rose-scented concoction. No matter what, it tickled her senses, and she inhaled the soft scent greedily.
Harris was a good and safe driver, and he couldn't be blamed for potholes in the road. The car bounced several times, and the fourth time it happened, Miss Andrea began to slip. Miranda put out her arm in front of her to stop her from falling forward and risk smacking her face into the partition between them and Harris who was only protected from the elements by a small protruding part of the roof.
Andrea's upper body pressed against Miranda's arm, which made her wake up. Seeming disoriented at first, she didn't seem to notice that Miranda's arm rubbed against her bosom when trying to keep her from falling.
"Easy. The road is notoriously bad around here. We'll be home shortly." Miranda tried to sound matter-of-fact, but it wasn't easy when she could feel the outline of Miss Andrea's breasts through her coat sleeve.
"Good. Wait." Miss Andrea snapped her eyes wide open. "Oh, no. Not again. I'm so sorry, Milady." She tossed herself back into her corner, closing her eyes hard for a moment before she dared look at Miranda.
"Don't be dramatic, Miss Andrea. Compose yourself as we indeed are close to home. The girls will be eager to hear about your adventure at Madame Tatiana's. They too have new dresses for spring being made there, but they've already done their final fitting."
"Dresses. Yes. Of course. Dresses for spring." Miss Andrea shook her head a little. "I don't know why I'm so prone to dozing off. I'm never this way otherwise." She shifted and grimaced. Clearly still in pain.
"The shock from the accident, the injury, the journey across Scotland and England, and then acclimatizing in a new household where a child glued you to a chair. Not to mention being in that buffoon's path today. I find it perfectly reasonable to me that you'd be exhausted. Once we get home, we'll have lunch with the girls, and then I suggest you rest some before you accompany them for a walk. If you're up for it, of course. If not, it can wait until tomorrow—or Monday."
"Thank you," Miss Andrea whispered. "I'm sure a walk will be good for all of us. I mean, the girls and me."
"I rarely have time to indulge in walks. I have to work this afternoon to make up for lost time." Miranda wondered why she explained herself to Miss Andrea, as this was not her habit. In fact, she insisted that people take her word at face value and just do her bidding because she paid them to. She paid Miss Andrea too, and yet Miranda found her vocal cords and lips form one word after the other, simply because she found it easy—and she wanted to.
Reeling herself in, she focused on the people they passed in the street. She was so lost in thought, she flinched when it turned out Harris had stopped outside her townhouse. He performed his usual duties and Miranda stepped outside, quickly glancing behind her to make sure the young governess got out of the car in one piece.
"Mama! You're home!" Caroline came running down the stairs that led down to the pavement. "Did you bring any of your dresses home yet? And what did Miss Andrea get—oh, look. A new hat. I saw Miss Andrea's old hat this morning and I'm glad you bought a new one, Miss Andrea, because the old one was hideous."
"Caroline. Calm down. First of all, we don't criticize anyone else's wardrobe." Miranda sensed how Miss Andrea jerked and turned to stare at her in disbelief. "I know I do, when it comes to anyone representing this household. You're not that person, not were you able to help Miss Andrea to find and procure a better-looking hat. It would have been pointless critique, don't you agree, dearest?"
"Yes, Mama. I apologize, Miss Andrea. For what I said about your old hat." Caroline looked up at Miss Andrea in earnest.
"It was an ugly hat, that's true," Miss Andrea said. "It doesn't have any bearing on who wears it, though, no matter if it was me or someone else. It might simply be what this individual had access to."
"Exactly." Miranda walked up the stairs and found Kipling and Cassidy waiting just inside the door.
"Hello, dearest," Miranda said and kissed Cassidy's forehead. "Almost time for lunch."
"Yes, I know," Cassidy said and gazed past Miranda at her governess. "Hello, Miss Miranda. Did you find a new dress instead of the one I ruined?" She was subdued still, which Miranda took as a sign that she was truly contrite.
"I did. Several, thanks to Lady Miranda's generosity. I will get the ones replacing the one I lost early next week. The spring dresses will take a little longer. If you're curious what they'll end up looking like, I can draw them for you later."
"You can draw clothes?" Caroline gaped. "I would love to see that, Miss Andrea."
"Of course you can." Miss Andrea smiled gently at Caroline.
Miranda studied Miss Andrea closely. That could explain some of her sense for details regarding Miranda's dress. Was she a trained illustrator perhaps? The McKellars hadn't mentioned any of this, but perhaps little boys weren't too interested in drawing clothes. Miran2da promised herself she would investigate some while they had their lunch.
"Miss Andrea's dresses won't take very long," Miranda said as she removed her coat and gave it to Kipling together with her hat. "We're traveling soon, and we will need to bring them with us as we're going to be gone a while."
"How long, Mama?" Miranda's daughters gaped. "We didn't know you bought the tickets. Did you get them already?" Caroline did a perfect pirouette.
"Not yet. They're in the mail, though. We will leave for Southampton on the third of May." Miranda watched Kipling help a pale Miss Andrea out of her coat. When she raised her arms to remove her pin and take off her new hat, Miranda could see she couldn't raise her left arm.
Not about to let Kipling remove a lady's hat, pin and all, Miranda stepped closer. "Allow me." She pulled the pin out and removed the quite stunning hat. Inserting the owl pin into the hat again, she slid her index finger over the bejeweled bird. "And heirloom?"
"Yes. It was my mother's." Miss Andrea straightened the ends of her sleeves.
"The emeralds make this unique and quite expensive, I would imagine." Miranda placed the hat on the table in the center of the hallway. "Kipling, keep a close eye on Miss Andrea's hat pin."
"Of course, Milady." Kipling took the hat and placed it inside one of the cabinets where the outdoor clothes were stored.
"Excuse me, Milady, but did you say emeralds?" Miss Andrea blinked repeatedly. "Real emeralds?"
"Oh, absolutely. Surely you must know this?" Miranda raised a deliberate eyebrow.
"No, Milady. I…I had no idea." Miss Andrea looked indeed stunned.
"Well, now you do. I would imagine you were always careful with it as it is an heirloom from your mother, but it should be worth quite a bit, so now you have one more reason to not leave it sitting on a table in a shop." Miranda turned to visit one of the powder rooms. "Go wash your hands girls. We eat in ten minutes." She sent Kipling a glance and he nodded. "Lunch is on time, Milady."
"I will beat you, Caroline!" Cassidy seemed to have recovered from her bout of contriteness. The girls rushed in the opposite direction, heading for the powder room closer to the morning room.
"You can join me, Miss Andrea. There are two powder rooms over in this corridor. She pointed to on door and then chose the one on the opposite wall herself. Entering, she let the water run, not minding the cold right now as she had felt flustered on and off all day. All this extra planning since adding a governess to their journey had been a spur-of-the-moment idea. Three weeks ago, she had never heard of Andrea Sachs and considering of the all-overshadowing drama that had kept going on since she arrived—even before she arrived, Miranda was surprised that she hadn't cut her losses and waited until they reached New York before she hired governess.
Stepping out into the corridor, she found Miss Andrea waiting for her. "Are you ready?" Miranda tilted her head and considered the strange juxtaposition between the austere dress and the warmth Miss Andrea exuded and the way her soft hair twist framed her face. That combined with a hint of irreverence and strength, made Miranda press a hand to her stomach.
"Yes, Milady," Miss Andrea replied and started walking half a step behind Miranda.
"I much prefer if you fall into step with me." Miranda lowered her voice. "After today, I think we can both agree that the submissive servant act doesn't suit you."
"Eh-excuse me, Milady?" Miss Andrea nearly fell behind again but lengthened her stride. "I don't understand."
"You were self-assured enough when you critiqued my dress. You fell asleep on my shouldertwice." Miranda glanced at the now flustered Miss Andrea. "And when that idiot in the street nearly took out us both, you managed to save me from being hit by slamming into the side of my car. You're no sensitive greenhouse flower, are you, Miss Andrea?"
Miss Andrea was quiet for so long, that Miranda was certain she wasn't going to reply, but then she said, "I suppose not. That doesn't mean I don't know my place, Milady."
"You wear a hat pin worth hundreds of pounds. It suggests you come from a different home than what the McKellars suggested in their letter." Miranda stopped just outside the mourning room. "We will address this later. For now, let's spend time with the girls and finally get something to eat."
"Very well, Milady." Miss Andrea took a deep breath, and Miranda could see her clench her teeth. "Let's."
Oh, the girl showed she could get annoyed as well. Miranda shuddered and did her best to hide it.
#
Andrea sat next to Caroline and across from Cassidy. Lady Miranda sat at the head of the table, regarding them all with great interest, as it seemed.
"Please, Miss Andrea," Miranda said slowly. "Now Caroline and I are dying to know how you have become proficient in drawing clothes. Or are you perhaps a talented artist om general?"
"I'm not sure I'm talented, but I can draw garments, and I take great joy in it." Andrea dabbed her lips with her napkin, knowing full well she wanted to hide behind it as much as she could. She did not enjoy being put on the spot—again. After what Lady Miranda had said to her in the hallway, she was half expecting a literal interrogation.
"All garments? Like hunting clothes, ball gowns, bathing suits, and lingerie?" Cassidy asked, her eyes glittering. Andrea had a feeling the little rascal was trying to trap her.
"I can't say I have tried to draw all of those clothes, Cassidy, but some. The principle should be the same. Drawing is about putting together basic shapes after all."
Lady Miranda blinked. Perhaps Andrea's answer surprised her.
"I would love to see samples of what you have drawn in the past, Miss Andrea," Lady Miranda said, a faint smile now playing on her lips."
Andrea measured every breath she took, to keep from hyperventilating, something she'd been known to do when feelings of panic struck her. She counted to three every time she inhaled and then paused, only to repeat the same when she exhaled.
"I wish I could draw," Caroline said longingly. "I would love to be able to draw horses and people."
"You can learn, Caroline," Andrea said calmly between breaths. "Our hands have muscles that can be taught to draw what our eyes see. If you are truly interested, I can teach you the basics." Catching herself, she added quickly, "If Lady Miranda approves of course."
"Do you, Mama? Do you approve of Miss Andrea?" Caroline looked pleadingly at her mother.
"By all means, Caroline, if it makes you hapapy." Lady Miranda sent Andrea a searing look. It was obvious that Andrea was stacking up several different things that Lady Miranda meant to 'address later'. Shuddering, Andrea cut into her pork chop with more interest in avoiding Lady Miranda's gaze, than any real hunger.
"What are we doing this afternoon, Mama?" Cassidy asked. "Or…are you working again, which means we have to take a walk in this cold weather?"
"I had planned to, but I can cut my work hours in half if you are good girls and take a nap after lunch. Yesterday held to much excitement for you and Miss Andrea. I think you should all take the time to rest a couple of hours, and then I'll be ready to join you in the study. We could play board games or perhaps charades."
"Oh, yes, charades," Caroline said and clapped her hands. "Now that there are four of us, two in each team." She smiled broadly, and even Cassidy seemed excited.
"What do you think, Miss Andrea? Does charades in the afternoon before the children's tea sound agreeable to you?"
Andrea could not believe that Lady Miranda was asking her, a lowly employee. She put on a show to annoy Andrea and endear herself to her children. That was what she thought, but two could play the make-believe game. "I remember enjoying charades when I was younger, and sometimes we'd play it at the McKellars. Their little boy was very good at it."
Both twins look at each other and wordless communication had never been louder. It was obvious that Caroline and Cassidy were going to outsmart and outwit any little boy that Andrea had ever taken care of.
Once they'd finished their lunch, Lady Miranda excused her children. "Go on up and rest, girls. You're big enough not to need tucking in during the daytime. I'm sure your governess will look in on you before she retires too for a few hours.
"Of course, Milady," Andrea said.
Once the girls had left after kissing their mother's cheeks, Lady Miranda stood, which meant that Andrea did too. "About today." Lady Miranda tapped her lower lip as she walked over to where the valet had put the coffee pot and poured herself a cup. "Do you want some?" She held up the pot.
"No—no, thank you, Milady." Andrea stood with her hands folded in front of her, hoping her face showed no emotion at all right now. Beneath the surface, her feelings rushed around in her bloodstream, causing havoc.
"I think I've barely scratched the surface with you, Miss Andrea. Every time I think I've figured you out, and I pride myself at being a good judge of character, you say or do something that…well, doesn't alter everything, but enough about you to make me wonder who is meant to join us on our trip and take care of my children."
"Excuse me, Milady. I heard something about traveling before, but am I to understand I'm expected to go on an extended journey?" Andrea wasn't sure why that had been her assumption, but clearly, she was wrong.
"Extended journey. I'd say so. We're saling on the Titanic on May 10th, to New York. I plan to write my upcoming two novels there, and then I'll see how the girls like it—or if they'd rather return to London."
Andrea gaped. "M-Milady…what? New York?"
"I have a house there. I haven't been there since before my husband died. I'm taking my lady's maid, my housekeeper, Kipling and you, with me. I want continuity for the girls, and I want people I can trust to set up the house in New York." Miranda spoke slower. "The McKellars assured me you were completely unattached and had no living relatives and would have no issues with leaving London for a few years."
The McKellars. What? "The McKellarstold you I had nobody left?" Andrea was furious, but she tried to keep her breathing calm and even calmer. How could the McKellars know that? They were a nice family, but they regarded servants and employees much more traditionally. Invisible, annoying, practical. And they had the gall to pretend they knew anything about her life…Andrea stopped herself before she hissed these words toward Lady Miranda, but perhaps some of her ire showed in her eyes because she looked close to being shocked at Andrea.
Before Andrea could harness her anger, Lady Miranda stepped closer, well within her personal space. "This is unexpected. I didn't think you could look more beautiful."
_
Continued in part 5.