Nanny Diaries 2 - The New Litter

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"I must say, Miss Scott...you have lived up to your reputation and more." Mr Brewster said later that evening as he poured me a much-needed glass of wine. We were eating dinner, in the amazing kitchen, a meal provided by the cook he had kept on, after dismissing all the other staff that used to work for Mr Durante. Or the studio, as some of the people seemed to have been provided by them, as far as I could make out. Whilst I had been focusing on the girls, I was starting to appreciate that he had been dealing with quite a lot of business, and I felt a little bit guilty about reading him the riot act the night before. Neither of us really understood the world that Durante and his daughters lived in, I suppose. I could assume some things, because I liked reading about celebrities and had some interest in television and music, but I was still surprised by some of the things he was telling me. And he was completely out of his comfort zone, because, like most Meadvale Reformists, he lived inside a bubble. He did not watch any television, he told me, and he had no interest in modern culture. But even if we had both been a lot better informed, I think the reality of the situation would have shocked us. "And thank you for making my second meeting with the girls more...productive."

"I hope I did not overstep the mark, Mr Brewster?"

"No...you were concerned for your charges...and I was distracted by the circus that they had going on around them...not to mention my desperation to get them back home." He sighed as I helped myself to some salad, sipping his own wine. "I was a bit of a bull in a China shop, and I was not considering their feelings...not that I really know what they are feeling...I find them rather difficult to predict?"

"But you talked to each other?" I asked, because I had not stayed in the room with the four of them, when they talked. He had wanted me to, but I felt that it was family business, and at the end of the day, I was not family. They had to get to know each other, and if I was there, the girls would have been inhibited, I thought, or even more inhibited. They did not trust me, or Mr Brewster, so I was fairly sure that they would have been reticent with him. "Did you talk about their mother, Sir?"

"Yes...I took your advice...and I think it did help us connect...we are family. And I tried to emphasise that I wanted to be there for them...to do the best by them...but in their eyes, that seems to mean letting them go back to work...honestly, girls their age should not be worrying about work...should they?"

"I think it is the only thing they know...they started working as a singing group not long after your daughter died...Philippa was only six, Henrietta was nine. I think it is a long time since they had any sort of normal life...even by heathen standards." I suggested, using the word heathen as the Reformists did, to describe people who did not believe in their doctrine. "Right now, I think they are putting on a performance for us...an act...but to an extent, they have been acting for years. Working...bringing in the money...has become their life. They all seem very serious about it...and they have forgotten how to be children, maybe? But what concerns me most is their lack of reaction to their father's arrest...they do not seem to miss him, or to be unduly worried about him...do they?"

"No...I got quizzed about my comments about their money...they cared about that...but they just seem to think Durante will be let off...and I don't think he will be."

"Did you tell them that?"

"I said he was facing serious charges...and I tried to explain that I could not find any money in his bank accounts, or any business accounts he had set up for them. And I am not surprised about that...this place is rented, and it is eye-wateringly expensive. Team Bethlehem had nine full time employees, plus the cook, two maids and a gardener."

"What are the charges?" I asked, because I was curious. He made a face.

"I am told that they involve links to organised crime...but no details...and I have not told the children that...however, it is the reason I want to get them home. But the studio does have a contract...so, I am having problems with them...oh, excuse me, I better take this." He said, as his phone started to ring. I nodded, and started on my chicken as he got up and walked down to the other end of the long room, talking quietly. I was trying to keep calm, and be professional of course, but Mr Brewster had just mentioned organised crime. I found myself wondering if Durante was an Italian name, and asking myself if I wanted to be mixed up with people who got arrested by the FBI. But I reminded myself that I was there for the children, and that was all I cared about. I rather liked Philippa, Georgina and Henrietta. Our relationship was a little fractious, obviously. I was fairly sure that they did not like me. But I felt that I could help them and that was why I had always wanted to be a nanny, to help children like them make the best of themselves. Then Mr Brewster came back to the table, looking like he had just seen a ghost or something.