Baby of Convenience by Diana Whitney

Author:Diana Whitney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

“That woman is a lunatic.” Mrs. Wilhelm huffed to the coat closet and retrieved her handbag with enough force to dislodge several hangers. “Mad, she is, stark raving mad.”

Before Laura could shift her own evening bag from her shoulder, Marta appeared at the top of the stairs, her face white, her mouth clamped into a thin, angry line. “At least I don’t torture babies.”

“What?” Horrified, Laura practically sprinted to the stairs, only to find her access blocked.

Marta spared her a glance. “The child is fine,” she snapped. “No thanks to that sadistic old witch.”

Mrs. Wilhelm sputtered. “How dare you?” She spun like a top, shook a fat finger in Royce’s stunned face. “I didn’t agree to be abused, Mr. Burton. This will cost you double.”

Marta snorted. “Abused? Ha!” Pushing past Laura, the angry woman descended the stairs like an avenging angel, clutching her abdomen and shaking one fist. “I’ll tell you what abuse is. Abuse is being too blasted lazy to bring a crying child a simple drink of water.”

With a narrow glare and an indignant harrumph, Mrs. Wilhelm crossed her thick arms. “One never allows a child being toilet trained to drink water before bedtime. Anyone with an ounce of brains knows that.”

Laura swallowed hard. Apparently she didn’t possess that ounce of brains because she’d never refused her thirsty child a drink of water, not even when requested at bedtime. “This is probably my fault for not being more specific—”

“She took away Jamie’s sleep bunny,” Marta announced.

Now this was serious. Laura stared in horror at the frustrated sitter. “Jamie loves his sleep bunny, Mrs. Wilhelm. It comforts him.”

“It’s a crutch.” The woman puffed her cheeks until she resembled an angry toad. “Children must learn to do without such frivolous things.”

“You see?” Marta’s question was posed first to Laura, then repeated to Royce, who simply stared back with the benign bewilderment of a man who was clearly clueless as to what a sleep bunny even was, let alone cognizant of the significance. Then Marta added the coup de grâce. “Then that sadistic she-wolf turned off the night-light, just pulled it right out of the socket and let that poor baby weep in terror.”

Mrs. Wilhelm tossed up her hands. “Night-lights encourage poor sleep habits. The child was not frightened, for heaven’s sake, he simply wanted attention.”

“And you—” Marta stabbed a finger in the baby-sitter’s direction “—were being paid to give him that attention.”

“Perhaps I would have,” Mrs. Wilhelm snapped back, “if I could have gotten anywhere near him.”

Marta glanced away with a sniff of disdain. “Someone had to care for the poor child. It was obvious you weren’t up to the task.”

Turning to Royce, Mrs. Wilhelm continued to plead her case. “This maniac wouldn’t let me into the nursery. She just planted herself in the doorway and threatened to do me harm.”

“I made no threat,” Marta mumbled. “I merely offered a suggestion. I’m quite certain the object in question would have fit the orifice mentioned, and done you no harm at all.

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