A/N: I don't know about you, but I love a little possessive/ protective jealousy ^ ^

Enjoy!

With summer ending and Oscar's business concluded, the Hockley's and Gantry's returned home. Pittsburgh welcomed them with a quiet calm compared to the liveliness of New York, but the demands of society and work were waiting and wasted no time before pulling Cal back into the thick of it. He regretted that in order to secure certain crucial trade opportunities that he'd lined up in Manhattan, certain social gatherings now required his presence. This arena was where he once thrived, capable of charming any potential business partner with either his wit or his wealth. Fortunately, both were still as strong as ever, it was the will to wield them that was lacking. It was a rough transition at first, but after his third dinner party, Cal found himself slipping back into the familiar character. One evening, as the cigars were passed and the brandy was poured, he cracked a sly remark that gained the chuckling approval of his host and Cal wondered to himself, 'Was this ever who I was or was I always pretending?' The whole interaction felt so fake to him now, and he marveled at how greedily they devoured it. Driving home afterward, Cal felt certain he'd secured the deal, grateful that this necessary performance would soon come to an end.

The windows of his home were glowing against the dark blue of a September night. As the Packard slowly approached, Cal found himself relieved with anticipation for the people he knew were inside. It was late, and Evelyn would have been put to bed hours ago, but he wondered if he might find Ada still awake -that is to say, Ms. Kruger. She sometimes took tea in the conservatory before bed and, having had the pleasure of running into her there once or twice since their return, he hoped he'd have the same good fortune tonight. The presence of another car in the driveway, however, told him otherwise.

The Packard's headlights illuminated the vehicle as it slowly pulled up behind, revealing Eli Blum and, to Cal's surprise, Ms. Kruger. He watched as she stepped down from the car, accepting the bodyguard's help and softly smiling up at him as they stood facing one another. A familiar feeling stirred inside Cal and without a second thought he exited the elegant cab.

His approach drew their attention, causing Ms. Kruger to drop Mr. Blum's hand. Upon recognizing their well-dressed employer, the bodyguard smiled and removed his hat.

"Good evening, Mr. Hockley. Beautiful night, isn't it?" He greeted cheerfully.

Cal did not return the man's bright demeanor, keeping his expression stoic as he assumed a commanding posture. "Tolerable, I dare say." Turning his gaze to Ada he said, "Ms. Kruger." and gave her a nod in greeting.

She returned the gesture, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. "Hello, Mr. Hockley. I hope your evening was a pleasant one."

"As pleasant as these affairs can be." His attention returned to Mr. Blum, a controlled yet commanding scrutiny behind his eyes. "It's a bit late to be escorting Ms. Kruger home, wouldn't you say, Blum?"

The bodyguard checked his watch, his eyebrows rising. "I'll be, we must have lost track of the time! There was a charity raffle at the community hall, you see, and I asked Ada to join me. Had I realized it was this late I would have had her back sooner, but the band kept on playing." He laughed, his infectiously good demeanor a stark contrast to Cal's.

Despite this, Caledon smiled back at him, his perfect grin hiding his true intentions. "It happens to the best of us. But tomorrow is Monday and Ms. Kruger has responsibilities in the morning. I trust you won't make this a habit."

"You have my word, Sir." Eli said, squaring his broad shoulders.

Instinctually, Cal straightened his posture and raised his chin in response. As tall as he was, there weren't many men who could look him straight in the eye. Eli Blum was one of them, a fact Cal hadn't noticed until now. Practically standing face to face, they were roughly the same height, one man smiling genuinely, the other wearing his smirk like an iron mask.

"Good." Cal said cooly. Casting his gaze once more to Ada, he nodded again. "Have a good evening, Ms. Kruger." and walked up the steps of his home. The butler opened the door in anticipation of his arrival, taking Cal's hat and coat in silent obedience. Without acknowledging the man's assistance, Cal made his way to the master bedroom, leaving the door slightly ajar to listen for any activity in the hallway as he got ready for bed.

Of his many faults, jealousy was his most severe. There was nothing to be jealous of, Cal reminded himself irritably. Ada was his employee -they both were technically- he had no claim over her in that way. And it was understood that members of the Hockley household were allowed their free time on Sundays. Fraternizing with one another was generally frowned upon however, and Cal wondered if he could use that to discourage further outings between them. But once again, Ms. Kruger's status as a citizen of the in-between complicated things. She wasn't a servant, and neither was Mr. Blum for that matter, so the same rules didn't exactly apply. But he was still their employer. Surely that gave him some control over the situation.

Cal undid his tie, sliding it off with slightly more force than necessary. Perhaps it was time to relieve Eli Blum of his service. As anticipated, the press had pulled back significantly since spring. They barely came by the house any more, and Ada hadn't mentioned anything about ongoing harassment for her or her father. But after tonight's encounter, if he suddenly terminated Blum's contract, the reason would be all too obvious and he couldn't have that. Not after he gave Ada his word.

For some foolhardy reason, Cal thought it'd be easy, limiting his interactions with Ms. Kruger to only necessary exchanges. But after coming home, it was just the three of them alone in the house again. He saw her every morning and every afternoon, caring for his daughter with a kindness and radiance that made her impossible to ignore. She slept just down the hall from him, for God's sake! She strolled through his gardens. She was raising his child. More and more Cal caught himself starring, watching how patient she was with Evelyn, how gently she'd learned to correct the little girl's mistakes without inflicting blame. He firmly believed that this attention to care and encouragement -more than anything the elocutionists were able to achieve- was the sole cause for Evelyn's improvement. Under Ms. Kruger's tutelage, his daughter had grown from a terrified toddler to a bright and curious little girl, and it made his heart swell with pride to see just how far she'd come.

There was so much Cal wanted to say to Ada, to acknowledge her achievements, to thank her for the level of care she gave Evelyn that far exceeded what her salary required. And then there were his feelings; gratitude for one, that began that night when she pulled him from the bushes and tended his wounds, a gratitude that hadn't stopped growing since he saw her the morning after and realized she'd kept her word and hadn't left him…them…. hadn't left them because of his reckless actions. There was fascination too, a growing desire to know more about her. Who was Ada Kruger outside of her role as a governess? Cal feared if he stayed true to his promise, he'd never know. And now, cruel and unexpected, there was jealousy. Jealousy at knowing Eli Blum was crossing lines that Cal himself had sworn to respect. Blum was paid to be her bodyguard, escort her from one location to another and stop any journalist from interfering -that was it! What right did he have to take Ada out, to enjoy her private company, to hold her hand and receive her smile?

Cal forced himself to stop this internal tirade, closed his eyes and let out a frustrated breath. This was mad and pointless. If he was smart, he'd forget having seen them and carry on as he had before…as if it were that easy.

His eyes opened at the sound of Ada's footsteps down the hall. Cal listened closely…hearing only her soft foot falls on the carpet as she checked on Evelyn before retiring silently to her own room for the night. Realizing he'd been anticipating the sound of someone with her, Cal ran a hand wearily across his face. The ghost of paranoia from his recent betrayal had Cal reaching for a bottle of cognac, pouring himself a generous night cap as he retreated to the bedroom balcony.

An hour later and the drink had worked its charm, easing Cal's nerves as a gentle night wind beckoned the weariness from a long, demanding day. Perhaps there's a way to get to know her without disturbing the status quo, Cal mused sleepily, his feet propped on the ironwork railing as he swirled the remainder of his drink. If the bodyguard can escort her on an outing, surely I can. So long as Evelyn is there and requires her attention, what's the harm in my tagging along? But what type of situation was appropriate? What would she like to do? That was the problem, apart from attending lectures, he had no clue what Ada enjoyed. And given how restless Evelyn could be, Cal was confident that asking his daughter to sit still in a quiet auditorium was simply not an option. Besides, he didn't want to fall back on something as plane as that. There must be something engaging they could all do together, but what?

Cal chuckled to himself as he rose from his chair, the thought having occurred to him that the only person he could ask who knew Ada was Evelyn. It was a silly idea, but the last to occupy his mind before sleep overcame him. And so it was that the next morning over breakfast, Cal asked his daughter -as subtly as he was able- what she knew about Ms. Kruger and the things she liked to do.