Dinner With the Von Eckermans

"Why did you invite the Von Eckermans over to dinner when mama still isn't feeling well?" Maggie marched with her father around the house.

"Not just them. A few others as well." George said walking past them.

"You really think this is a good idea papa?" Maggie continued to pester her father with questions.

"Master Richard, I need someone to do a quick grocery run. I'm missing a few ingredients for all the stuff I have to cook." Samantha said and took his other flank.

"Would you like me to invite the guests into the dining area first or into the entertainment room?" James walked by them.

"Papa!" Margot ran up to him and asked to be held and he picked her up.

"Sorry, I'm trying to get her changed but she keeps running away." Annabel took her from him and looked him up and down. "Are you going to wear that for this evening?"

"Is there a problem with it?" He asked, concerned that he didn't look good.

"Not at all, but I think it would be better if you went with the navy one. Change things up a little."

"You think so?" He looked down at the black tux he was wearing.

"I mean it's up to you."

"Navy it is then." He started making his way to his room.

"Master what about the groceries?"

"And which room should I bring everyone into first?"

"I still don't think this is a good idea."

"Everyone! This isn't the first time we've hosted a large dinner. You know what to do. Samantha get the driver to pick up what you need, quickly. James, the entertainment room. And Maggie, I don't want to hear it."

"But mama-"

"Mama! Mama looks fine. Plus, she'll be looking after the twins and Margot after they're done greeting everyone. She'll be up in the playroom all evening. You can go and sit there with here after socializing and dinner. Understand?"

"Yes papa."

Annabel finished getting the twins and Margot dressed and she was now working on styling their hair.

"Sam, no Sam! It looks good like that, why would you ruin it? Come here so I could brush it again."

"But mama you're not done with my hair." Tam pouted.

"Right, sorry. Sam, here's your brush. Please fix your hair." And she went back to putting Tam's hair up in a sleek bun.

"Annabel." Richard called from the door. He was focusing on his cuflinks and just couldn't get them to cooperate.

"Come here." She motioned for him to come closer and she got up from Tams bed and meet him halfway across the room.

"Is this one better?" He asked and closely studied her face as she grabbed his arm and got the buttons to work. He tucked a loose piece of hair from her braid behind her ear and glided his thumb over her cheek. She momentarily froze but continued doing up the buttons. Ignoring the fact that he was now tracing her eyebrow and jawline.

"Much, now, let me just," she smoothed down the lapels on his suit and straightened his bow tie. "there."

"Thank you."

She looked up into his blue eyes and lightly flushed.

"Right, well, Tam is all ready. I have to fix Sam's hair and Margot is almost done." She stepped away and went to brush Sam's hair.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us?" He asked, wanting to continue with the conversation and stay in her presence longer.

"I am not the daughter of aristocrats, so I wouldn't know how to act in such a  big and fancy social situation, I wasn't trained. Plus, all I have is very simple work dresses that will not suit this event. I will only be an embarrassment. I am also still not feeling my best from after that splash in the stream." She got up off her knees from doing Sam's hair and turned around to get to Margot, but Richard stepped in her way and she put her hand up on his chest so she wouldn't fully smack into him and he immediately put his hands on her waist.

"You're not an embarrassment and you'll look good in anything you wear. You could wear some of Marries clothes that are in the boxes. And you know I don't care about the different classes, else I would have hired someone of the upper class to look after our kids." He dipped his head slightly to show her his sincerity.

"Your flattery won't work on me Mr.Pelton, and wearing your late wife's clothes doesn't sit right with me. And you might not feel embarrassed but people talk. And it's not right for your children's nanny to attend these social events. Your family will be judged and mocked and I will not have that."

She made a move to side step him but he held onto her tighter and held her in place.

"Let go please."

But he didn't, he pulled her slightly closer and her breathing hitched.

"But what people-"

"You're a family I care about and I don't want to ruin your image. I'll be staying up here looking after the twins and Margot so they don't bother the guests too much, now excuse me Sir, but I haven't finished Margot's hair."

He let go and she went to Margot. Only then did he realise that he said our kids.

*

The twins and Margot were sent up to the playroom when it was time for dinner. Annabel sat and fed Margot when one of the maids brought food up for them ; the twins were able to eat by themselves.

"I need help washing my face!" Tam called from down the hall in the washroom.

"You two stay right there. I'm going to go help your sister." She got one of the maids running down the hallway to temporarily babysit them.

"You didn't have to make such a big mess Tam Tam." Annabel sighed and cleaned the spilt water and washed her face. "Don't worry about the water on your dress, it will dry."

They walked back to the playroom to find a very frantic maid.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Margot. I turned my back for one second and now she's gone. I don't know where she is!"

"She's missing?" Annabel groaned. "Stay here and look after the twins while I go look for her. I trust you won't lose them too?"

The maid nodded and Annabel searched the rooms on the top floor but found nothing.

"Please don't be in the dinning room, please don't be in the dinning room." She glanced in the dinning room where all the guests were seated and scanned the floor for tiny feet, but found none. "Thank god."

An overly obnoxious laugh caught her attention and she saw a blond, red liped women was sitting next to Richard and laughing very loudly.

"You are even funnier than what my father said!" She placed a hand on his arm that was resting on the table and for some reason that didn't sit well with Annabel.

She wanted nothing more than to rip the women's arm off of Richard and have him place them around her again.

Richard caught her eye and lit up at seeing her, completely forgetting about the women beside him.

"Excuse me, I'll be back shortly." He got up from his seat, eyes never leaving Annabel even when she sneaked away towards the library.

"What are you doing?" He whispered as to not startle her. She was looking behind the curtains and under the tables in the dark, unlit library. The only light provided was coming in from the moon. He didn't expect her to come down at all.

"Looking for Margot." She whispered back and continued to look.

"She's missing?"

"Ran away the second I wasn't in the room." She grumbled.

Richard helped look for Margot, they even began bribing her.

"Come out Margot, I'll give you some chocolate." He made kissing noises like he was calling a puppy.

"She's not going to come if you keep making those horrid noises!" Annabel whisper shouted at him.

"Yes she will, you just watch!" He whisper shouted back

"What are you two doing?" A female voice said accusingly and the lights were turned on.

Both Annabel and Richard banged their head from under the table they were looking in, in surprise.

"Who are you?" It was the women from earlier and she looked Annabel up and down in a very judgmental way.

"This is Annabel. My children's nanny and we're looking for Margot." Richard was clueless to the hateful glare being thrown Annabel's way that turned into a soft one once the women knew she was only just a nanny and not a threat of any kind.

"I see. Well, I am Rebeca Von Eckerman, pleasure to meet you."

"Like wise."

"Richard, let's go back to the table of unfinished food. You can't have us wait too long. You are the host." She gave Richard a sweet smile, grabbed his arm and tugged him towards the door.

"But my daughter, she's -"

"Well that's what the nanny is for, isn't she? She can look for your daughter herself. That is what you pay her for after all."

They walked out of the library and Richard gave Annabel an apologetic smile.

There was nothing wrong with what Rebeca just said. It was all true. But the way she said it humiliated Annabel a little bit. She loved her job and looking after the children, and she would even continue to look after them if Richard stopped paying her, because she loves them so much. So she doesn't understand why she felt humiliated and slightly embarrassed. There's nothing embarrassing about looking after kids.

She made her way back to the foyer in hopes of finding Margot roaming there.

"Excuse me Miss. Would you happen to know where the washroom is?" A well put together man that looked only a year or two older than her, spoke up.

"You'd find them down that hallway, second door to your right." She motioned to the hallway and was about to head back upstairs when he stopped her again.

"Miss, you don't, you don't work here do you? I mean you're not dressed like the maids." He took a few steps forward so he was standing in front of her.

"I do actually. I look after the children. In fact, I'm looking for one of them right now." She took a slight step back and began to turn when he spoke up yet again.

"I could help you look if you'd let me?"

"That's quite all right. I can look for her myself. Didn't you have to use the washroom?"

"Yes of course. I'll see you around Miss..."

"Annabel, my name is Annabel."

"I'll see you around Miss. Annabel." He took her hand, bent over and placed a kiss.

They both jumped in slight surprise at the sound of a high pitched feminine scream coming from the dinning room.

They shared a concerned look with each other and were about to make their way over when a fuming Rebeca marched out of the dining room. Dress ruined with food that had spilled all over.

She saw Annabel standing there and made her way over to her.

"It's all your fault!"

She did something no one expected. Not Annabel, not the man beside her, not Richard that had followed her while carrying Margot or the guests that followed behind to see the drama.

Rebeca slapped Annabel. Hard.

"What was that for?" The man stepped between the two women and held his hand out to stop any advances coming from Rebeca, slightly pushing her back.

"You're a horrible caretaker and you don't teach the kids any manners!" She then turned around to Richard and addressed him. "You listen well Richard, you get rid of her immediately and I will find you the best nanny there ever is. If this women continues to look after your kids, they will all turn into savages!"

Annabel brought a hand up to her burning cheek and she couldn't help but wonder how pathetic she looked in the eyes of the children that were watching the interaction.

Maggie's eyes were open wide and George's jaw hung open while Margot began to cry at seeing Annabel get slapped. She wiggled so much in her fathers hold, that he set her down and she ran to Annabel and hugged her legs. Sam and Tam were watching at the top of the stairs and tears gathered in their eyes.

"I may not be the best nanny on earth but I care for these children and am trying to help raise them in a way that will make them successful and beneficial to society. Margot is only a three year old and is prone to make mistakes and cause accidents. I apologise on her behalf for ruining your dress and I'm sure that in your big, kind heart you will find it in you to forgive the child."

She turned to look at Richard with slight hurt eyes at not having him stand up for her in the slightest.

"Since Margot has been found I'll head back upstairs and get the children ready for bed. I also hope you don't mind if I retire early tonight, Mr.Pelton?"

"Y-yeah of course." It hurt his heart to see her begin to tear up like that and that he didn't do anything to make her feel better. He wanted nothing more than to swoop her in his arms in a tight hug and brush the tears away, but he couldn't, it wasn't appropriate. Not now where there was watchful eyes and not ever, because she was only his children's nanny.

"Good night everyone." She picked up Margot and she immediately calmed down and snuggled into her neck.

Annabel turned around and headed upstairs. That seemed to conclude the drama and people started to make their way back to the dinning room.

Samantha handed Maggie a bag of ice and she ran after Annabel.

"Well done father. You didn't stand up for mama and you let Ms.Eckerman hurt her. Who does that to the women they love?" George harshly whispered to him.

Did he though?

Did he love her?

He couldn't possibly.

Even if he did, he couldn't allow himself to.

He had to do something to get his mind and heart off of her.

*

"Annabel, can I come in?"

Silence even though he knew she was awake because of the dim light coming underneath her door.

"Please?"

She unlocked the door and went back to her book on the couch.

He took that as an invitation to come in and opened the door and walked in.

"I wanted to apologise."

"What for?" She didn't look up from her book.

He sighed heavily, looked at the freezing ice bag in his hand and tossed it to her. Annabel wasn't looking and saw it in her peripheral vision at the last second before it made contact with her already stinging cheek.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm awfully sorry." Richard rushed forward and sat right beside her on the couch. One leg underneath him as he faced her and picked up the bag. "I didn't mean to hurt you even more. I thought you might have seen it."

He gently pressed the ice to her cheek and she lifted her hand and rested it on top of his to have him let go so she could hold the bag in place, but he didn't remove his and instead, he pulled his thumb from under her hand and rested it on top of hers.

"I brought you something. Hopefully it will help make you forgive me easier." He nudged the squirrel toy towards her and her eyes lit up and that brought joy to him.

She removed her hand, set the book aside and picked up the squirrel.

"You got this for me?"

He brought his hand, holding the ice, down and scratched the back of his neck in slight embarrassment.

"A while ago actually. It was when I took the kids to the carnival. I won it at a dart game. Never got a chance to give it to you until now."

"It's very kind of you, thank you, although I still don't know what you're apologising for."

"For not standing up for you and letting her talk to you like that. And for letting her drag me away while we were looking for Margot."

"You're not responsible for how people act and what they say."

"But I still should have said something. She said hurtful things and said that you didn't know what you were doing. It's not true. And Margot didn't do it on purpose, it was on accident, so it's not even a behavioural problem. She was wrong for saying that."

He sat closer and took both her hands in his.

"I'm really sorry."

"It's alright, I forgive you, although I still fail to see how this is your fault. You're not obliged to stand up for me. I think I handled myself pretty well, don't you think Mr.Pelton?"

"Richard, please."

"I can't, it's unprofessional."

"Then when we're alone. We don't have to be so formal with each other."

"Oh, I don't think we even are that formal sometimes." She looked down at their hands pointedly and pulled them away.

He looked down at his hands that were just holding hers and smiled.

"I guess not."