The Nanny of House Herzen - Chapter 36
Evelyn bit her lip, her eyes welling up with tears. Seeing her fear-stricken face, Hannah clucked her tongue in sympathy.
If she recognizes the name Celsius so quickly, she must be a noble.. Hannah could only imagine what hardships had led this girl, with her delicate hands that had likely never held a broom and her beautiful golden hair that money couldn’t buy, to cut off her hair and end up in this small town.
Trying to ease Evelyn’s distress, Hannah spoke slowly.
“I can write you a recommendation letter. They will think highly of it. You can start as a tutor after being a nanny. The Herzen family is a good one, and after that, you can go to school…”
She was about to suggest getting a recommendation for school, but tears began to fall from Evelyn’s blue eyes and her slender shoulders trembling.
“….Do you hate it that much? You don’t like Herzen?”
Her little head nodded vigorously.
It made sense; no one would come to a strange town without a painful story behind it. Hannah realized she might have been too hasty, her sympathy nearly reopening Evelyn’s wounds.
Hannah reached out and pulled the trembling girl into her arms. She softly patted her back.
“….Alright, you don’t have to go. Stay here, live with me, and grow old on the meager wages I can offer.”
Evelyn cried bitterly, and Hannah apologized repeatedly, soothing her for a long while.
However, the next day, an unexpected visitor from Herzen arrived.
* * *
“Lady Celsius.”
Hannah glared at the young nobleman kissing her hand.
‘Just like his father, grown up to match his looks.’
She recognized his face from his childhood but was surprised he had come in person instead of sending someone.
“It’s been a while, Your Grace,” she responded coolly.
The young Duke didn’t show any annoyance at her rude demeanor. Instead, he greeted her with the respect one might show to a returned mother.
“I apologize for the sudden visit, Lady Celsius. I heard that someone of mine is indebted to you…”
Hannah replied without hesitation.
“If she was important enough for you to come personally, it’s a pity. She has left.”
The well-dressed Duke seemed to stagger for a moment. He licked his lips before asking,
“When… Where did she go?”
Hannah, having no need to mind Herzen’s concerns now that her son held the title, pointed towards the door with her chin.
“Just hearing the name Herzen made her burst into tears. So, I sent her far away. Very far.”
The black eyes, a symbol of Herzen, roamed aimlessly. The Duke’s unusually red lips opened and closed several times.
An uncomfortable silence settled between them.
Hannah observed the Duke struggling to contain his emotions. To her seasoned eyes, he wasn’t a nobleman lamenting a lost servant, but a man mourning a lost lover.
Hannah ground her teeth in her mind.
A married man pining for another woman! These noblemen with their wandering eyes made her blood boil. Hadn’t her late husband been just like that?
While she reached this conclusion, the Duke, having regained his composure, spoke again.
“If you could just tell me the direction…”
“Planning to send people to find her?”
Hannah asked. The Duke nodded slightly.
“….Yes, I believe I must find her.”
“Why is it so important to find her?”
“Because with her…”
The Duke’s excuse was peculiar.
“I don’t need to hunt.”
Hannah sighed deeply.
So that’s why Evelyn had been looking over that ‘The Art of Hunting’ book for days. If it was because of the man standing before her, then what had Evelyn been running from?
Perhaps the Duchess?
After some contemplation, Hannah asked.
“In what capacity are you looking for her? As a lover? A nanny? Or are you planning to take her as your mistress?”
Carius looked at the old woman with newfound curiosity. Aside from his deceased parents, he had never encountered anyone so bluntly disrespectful in his life.
Yet, there was a palpable affection for Evelyn in the old woman’s anger. He had no other clear leads on where to find Evelyn either.
Swallowing his rising frustration, Carius explained.
“….If I may, I am a widower. I seek her as a companion, though if she prefers, I would ask her to be a nanny. She is fond of… the child.”
Hannah felt a bit awkward as she pressed her lips together.
The fact that the Duke of Herzen had been widowed was news to Hannah. She had previously addressed her letters to the lady of the house and received no special reply, leading to her misunderstanding. It seemed she was truly becoming a relic of the past.
“The Duke has been widowed? But you… married your cousin.”
Casually bringing up the family’s dirty laundry, the Duke, who had maintained his dignified facade finally snapped.
“Hestina is dead. To be precise, she died giving birth to a child that wasn’t even mine. Do you need more details, or will you return Evelyn to me now?”
His languid tone was rather chilling, and Hannah cleared her throat. It was, indeed, characteristic of Herzen.
During their conversation, the Duke must have guessed that Evelyn hadn’t really left. After all, if she had truly gone, Hannah wouldn’t have any reason to engage in this face-to-face conversation with the Duke.
