A Nanny in the Family by Catherine Spencer

Author:Catherine Spencer [Spencer, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 037311950X
Google: uoVaU0Kref4C
Goodreads: 2716104
Publisher: Mills & Boon (UK)
Published: 1997-01-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

“I DON’T believe Commander Pierce expects you to engage his guests in conversation, Miss Bennett,” Louise said coldly, assessing Nicole’s pearls. “I rather think he’d prefer it if you were to wait in the nursery until he’s ready to send for you.”

“You’re mistaken on two counts, Louise,” Arlene’s friend interrupted. “I’m the one who engaged Miss Bennett in conversation and I don’t think Pierce minds at all. Here he comes now, in fact, so why don’t we ask him?”

“That’s not necessary,” Louise began, but Arlene’s friend wasn’t easily stopped once she’d engaged gears.

“Pierce,” she called out, “I’m having a lovely chat with Miss Bennett. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Why would I?” His smile was charmingly relaxed. “Keep her down here as long as you can, Alice. She won’t believe me when I tell her she’s a welcome addition to the party, but she might listen to you.”

“But what about Tommy?” Desperate to escape, Nicole scanned the garden, looking for him. “I don’t see him anywhere.”

“He was heading for the house, the last I saw of him,” Pierce said. “Said something about checking up on Peaches.”

“Dear God! First the nanny, now the dog! What’s next, I wonder?” Louise muttered, sotto voce.

Distracted by a couple of late arrivals, Pierce appeared not to have heard. “Who invited the Mayor, for Pete’s sake?”

“I did, of course.” All smiles in less time than it took to blink, Louise slipped her arm through Pierce’s and drew him toward the newcomers. “He’s a powerful man to have in your corner, sweetie, should you ever need one, and I happen to know he’s also in the market for a new house.”

“And a good thing he showed up when he did,” Alice remarked dryly. “Our esteemed hostess was about to lose it at the thought of being upstaged by a dog.”

As if to give credence to Louise’s misgivings, however, Peaches came skidding out of the library just then. Delighted at being freed from confinement in the laundry room, the puppy charged madly across the lawn, weaving an erratic path between guests with Tommy in gleeful pursuit. Tables wobbled precariously, one of the maids serving canapes almost ended up wearing them, and there were subdued shrieks from more than one quarter at the trail of spattered champagne left in the duo’s wake.

“Please excuse me,” Nicole said to Alice. “I think I’d better take charge of this before things get really out of hand.”

“By all means.” Alice’s eyes were full of speculation—or was it certainty? “But we must talk later, my dear, when things have settled down.”

“Yes.” Nicole said, afraid Arlene’s friend had jumped to some all-too-accurate conclusions and knowing, if that were so, that she must be persuaded to keep them to herself, at least for the time being. “I think we must. Tommy goes to bed at seven and I’ll be in my suite as soon as he’s settled for the night. It’s the third door to the left at the top of the stairs, right next to the nursery.

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