Nothing But Time (13 page)

“Awww!” Nathan whined in that age-old way little boys did when a bath was mentioned.  “Must I?”

“I’m afraid you must.
”
Harrowby smiled down at the boy and Kate could see the
warmth
in his expression.
“Give your thanks to
Miss Kallastad
and hurry along
now
.”

Nathan turned to her.  “Thank you, Kate
or rather Miss Kallastad
.  May we go fishing again soon?”

“We’ll see,” Kate prevaricated.  “I have to work, you know.  I’m a maid in your house but as soon as I have another
morning
off, we can if it’s okay with your uncle.”

Nathan cast pleading eyes up at Harrowby who said only, “As
Miss Kallastad
says, we’ll see.  Run along now.  I’ll bring your gear up with me.”

The boy trotted off
with a wave
,
leaving Kate and the earl alone at the side of the pond. 
The earl watched him go, affection clearly stamped on his face. 
Kate shifted awkwardly from foot to foot for a moment before bobbing a curtsy.  “
I’m sure i
t’s about time for me to get back to work myself.  Don’t want
the Wicked Witch of the West catch
ing
me goofing off.”

The earl caught her arm as she moved past him. 
“A word if you would, Miss Kallastad.”

Kate cringed and swiveled back to face Harrowby trying to keep her gaze focus
ed
on the ground but her eyes just kept creeping upward of their own accord. 
Even as conservative as the earl appeared in his beige linen suit with his neatly done tie and fully buttoned striped waistcoat, he was devastating to her
equilibrium
. 
It had been a week since she’d talked to the earl in his study and several days since she’d seen him even from a distance.  Just moments back in his company and already she could feel the magnetic pull that had drawn her to him that first night in the library.

It was startling to realize that she’d missed him, as silly as that sounded.  They’d really had but one
conversation that
had started out pretty stiffly,
but
Brand had loosened up after a while and
Kate had genu
inely liked him, appreciated his
honest admissions regarding his responsibilities.  Perhaps it was just because he was male and she had so few friends here.  All her life, the bulk of her friends had been boys and men, probably due to her tomboy upbringing, she’d simply always gotten along better with them.  Though she liked Marta and the other maids, their chattering brand of friendship didn’t fu
lfill
what she needed from her companions the way twenty minutes in Harrowby’s company had.

But now, she had crossed the line once again and was likely to get sacked for being so familiar with one of the earl’s family – a no-no according to Marta.
  “
So, a
re you going to fire me
this time?” she asked.

After a long moment of silence, the earl snorted.  “Why is it you always think I’m on the verge of sacking you?”

“Because I’m insubordinate?” Kate offered
,
feeling the edge lift at his teasing.

“That you are,” he agreed
, a slight smile softening the words
.  “I can think of no one else on this staff or any of my others who would have dared approach my nephew in such a way.”

“I’m…”

“
Please, d
on’t say you’re sorry,” he stopped her words
with a raised hand
.

“So, if you’re not planning on firing me,” Kate said when he remained silent
,
looking down at her with that solemn expression that he’d worn since coming upon them, “what do you want?”

He was thinking very hard about what he wanted to say, that much was clear and Kate grew curious.
Finally, he spoke,
“
I know you
previously
stated
that
you are well-educated in the sciences, chemistry and such. 
Are you educated in history as well?”

That certainly wasn’t what she was expecting. 
Kate
’s brows rose at the question
wondering why it was important.  She had taken required course
s
in many different subjects over the course of her life, so she answered with a shrug.  “
I’ve taken classes, but it’s not my best subject.
  Why are you asking?
”

“Mathematics?”

“
Much better
.”

“Literature?”

“
Brand?
”

“Languages?”

Kate sighed but just shook her head.  “Just Spanish.  Why?”

“Spanish?” he said
with
evident
surprise
,
still not answering the real ques
t
ion.  “Why would you learn Spanish before any other language?”

“What do you mean?  What’s wrong with Spanish?”

“Ladies learn French, Italian, Greek
,
perhaps even Latin.  You learn Spanish?  Why?”

How to explain to him the multi-cultural blend of
twenty-first
century America? 
He wouldn’t understand that
it would probably be necessary someday, when the minorities became the majority, for everyone in America to speak the language
of their neighbors to the south.
  “Our housekeeper was from Mexico.”  True enough and probably
an
answer that would keep further questions at a minimum. 

She was wrong.

“You had a housekeeper?” he asked.  “I would have assumed that given the remote location of your Minnesota that there would be few families…
”

“My parents did pretty well for themselves.  My mom was a VP at Pillsbury and my dad was a Dean at the William Mitchell Law College before he retired.  He’s a state senator now.”  Kate knew she was bragging, inappropriately so, but just couldn’t seem to help herself in the face of his surprise as if a family in the wilds of Minnesota couldn’t afford a housekeeper.
Probably harder to believe, would be
the fact that all the Kallastad
s considered
their housekeeper,
Milena
,
to be more family than employee.

“I thought you said your family was gone?”

“I thought I asked you what this was all about,” she shot back
, not wanting the conversation to drift back to topics
that
she didn’t want to lie to him about
.

“In good time,” he answered
, knowing he was leaving both their questions unsatisfied.  With a low grunt of displeasure, he reverted
to his previous line of questioning
.  “How about art
?”

Kate sighed
again
,
getting a little frustrated with all his questions
. 
“Do you mean ‘art’ as in
‘
can I do it
’
? Or ‘art’ as in
‘
do I know about it
’
?”

“Both.”

“Oh, then, no…
to both.”

“Why didn’t you just say so when I asked?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Just tell me.”

“Well, just so you know this about me right off, I really hate to admit that there are things I cannot do.”  A flush of embarrassment darkened
Kate’s
face.  “I come from a long line of over-achievers.  The simple fact that my older sister is a housewife causes no little controversy in our home.”

The term ‘over-achiever’ puzzled Brand for a moment but he acc
epted her self-effacing comment,
a smile
finally softening his stern expression
.  “I will try to remember that.
  How about music then?  Playing, not composing,
of course
.”

“I play the guitar
pretty well
. 
I did play the
cello
the high school orchestra but it’s been years since I’ve picked one up.”

T
hrown off stride by her curious phraseology,
Harrowby
’s thought processes ground to a halt with her latest revelation.  There were so many things about it that confused him
about Kate, about the things she said,
that he almost didn’t know which one to focus on.  ‘High school’
in his experience was a Scottish
institution
and almost certainly couldn’t be the same
establishment
she spoke of.  But more than that, he
was st
r
uck
by
her admission of playing two instruments that were
rarely
played by
wo
men.
Ladies simply did not p
lace an instrument between their
spread thighs.
Again, like her education, she seemed to have had training that was not typical of her gender.

“
Once more,
w
hy are you asking me all this
, Brand
?
” Kate asked.
 
“I can’t think why you’d need to know all that.  I
t goes beyond the
required skill-set of a maid, I think.
”

Recalli
ng himself to his purpose, the earl
directed himself to the subject at hand.  “
Young Nathan is in need of a t
utor.  As you may have heard
, his father – my sister’s husband – died
many
months ago and they will be staying with me for the time being. 
Also, h
e is my heir apparent until such time as I produce a son of my own.”

My, how clinical he made the production of a baby sound, Kate thought, then turned those thoughts to what he was really saying.  Harrowby was asking her to tutor his
nephew.  Everything she’d learned
ab
out England in the 1870
s told her that the nobility did not h
ire women for such a position and she told him as much adding, “So why ask me?  Doesn’t he already have a tutor?”

“Mr. Scott has had little success with Nathan
and has asked to be released from his position
,”
the earl answered
cr
y
ptically.

“I find that hard to believe,” Kate said.  “
He
seems to be a bright enough kid to me.”

His face wore an expression of confusion for a second before he continued. 
“Nathan is in need o
f a friend as well as a tutor
.
  His nan
nies serve him well but I believe
they distance themselves from him in deference to his station. 
So I ask you, d
o you feel up
to the task?
”

Oh, she was up to it all right.  Kate stifled an eager grin at the thought of getting her first promotion in her new life.
“
I suppose you might be able to talk me into it.”

“
Very well, i
f it pleases you
, I will try,” the earl offered
gravely,
clearly
not understanding the innuendo of her words
. 
He folded his hands behind his back once more and regarded her
soberly
. 
“
It is a position of much more prestige t
hat the one you currently hold with a
greater compensation. 
You would be answerable only to myself, my sister or my mother rather than to Mrs. Hendricks who I believe you so kindly referred to moments ago as the wicked witch of the west.”  Again
,
amusement lifted the corner of his mouth just the tiniest bit.  “The position would also allow you more free time in the even
ings and an extra half-day off each
week.  You
will need a wardrobe appropriate for the position however.”
  He looked her up and down with raised brows as if he were surprised to find her dressed as finely as she was. 

Her blue lawn gown
, while not terribly
high quality
, was new and moderately fashionable.  “
I
t seems you already possess suitable clothing for the position.”

Kate could see the questions whirling through his mind.  He was wondering about the quality of her clothing in comparison to her need for employment. 
The two things did not mesh in his
mind.  “What else?”

“
Y
ou would need some tutoring as to the correct forms of address and other social nic
etie
s as I previously mentioned,” Harrowby
added.

“I can do that,” Kate replied
,
confident that she could pick up any mannerisms he required
.  “What about the other
staff
though?  I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes here.”

“I doubt there are others here with the education and speech to hold the position.  Your
accent
will make you a curiosity but shouldn’t
hold
negative
connotations
.  As to any rivalries here in the house, you would also be moved to a chamber of your own
near
the nursery
on par with those held by
Mrs.
Hendricks,
Geoffrey, the
butler and my personal valet
, Timson
.”
  Harrowby considered her seriously for a moment before adding, “Is the offer sufficient to ‘talk you into it’ as you so quaintly put it?