She chuckles as she picks up a feather duster and begins to dust the dresser. “Why is that?”
I blow out a defeated breath. “Willow hates me, Mr. Masters is only tolerating me, and I just can’t seem to do anything right.”
Her eyes hold mine and she smiles softly. “Finally.”
I frown. “Finally?”
“Finally, an honest nanny.”
My face falls. “They all leave, don’t they?”
She nods.
“Because of Willow?” I ask.
“Among other things.” She dusts for a moment as she thinks. “They are a lovely family, dear, just a little dysfunctional.”
“Does Willow hate everyone?” “Yes.”
“How long have you been with them?”
“Five years. I came to work for them the week after Alina died.”
“Alina?”
“The children’s mother.”
“Oh.” I stay silent, thinking carefully about what to say next. “I think Mr. Masters is going to fire me tonight.”
“Why?”
“I got caught in his room this morning. I was smelling his aftershave, and then I forgot to wake the kids up and lied about it, and then I had a raving row with Willow and dropped the F-bomb on her.”
Janelle bursts out laughing. “Oh my… you are honest.”
I roll my eyes. “Yeah. It’s my biggest fault.”
Her eyes dance with delight. “Fault? I think it’s a virtue.” She dusts a little more. “One that is not shown around here often, unfortunately.”
I scowl. “What do you mean?”
She shrugs as she continues to clean. “It’s really none of my business, dear.”
I watch her for a while. “But if I’m going to try and make this work any information you have could be helpful. I don’t want to fail.”
She bends down and cleans the skirting board, her back to me. “Well, for what it’s worth, here’s my take on it.”
I listen intently.
“Mr. Masters has a broken heart and Willow reminds him of his late wife. They hardly speak, unless she is getting disciplined for something, and Samuel over compensates their lack of relationship with too much sweetness to make up for his sister’s cold front.”
My face falls. “Mr. Masters shuts her out?” I whisper.
“That, and she won’t let him in now. She won’t let anyone in. The damage has been done. You’ll soon know that she’s very difficult to get along with.”
Oh, that poor girl. Sadness fills me. She’s still only a baby. Suddenly I feel guilty for being horrible to her this morning. No wonder she’s snarky, and what an asshole he must be for shutting his only daughter out after her mother died.