I glanced up to find myself drowning in a pair of emerald green eyes ringed with thick, sooty lashes. Oh, lordy, I was a goner. I'd always been a sucker for green eyes, especially if the guy had dark hair.
I risked a glance higher up. Check. Dark hair, slightly curly and still damp from the outdoors. Yep, I was in big time trouble. My heart gave a little thud to let me know it was interested. Traitor. Didn't it have enough to do, dealing with Neil's betrayal? It gave another happy thud. Apparently not.
"S-Sorry," I stammered. "I, uh, overslept. I'm late. This is my first day. Crap. Sorry. I'm rambling. Crap. I swore. Sorry."
His laugh was a sensual rumble that sent shivers down my spine and straight to my lady parts. Apparently those were traitors, too.
"What's your name?" he asked.
I swallowed. "Anna. Anna Lucas. I'm the new nanny."
His smile showed off a single dimple on the left side of his mouth. I nearly melted then and there.
"Evander Cartwright," he said, his eyes so intense I felt like he could see through to my very soul.
I had to remind myself I was not here in London for a boyfriend. I was here for a job. And a new start. I did not have time for silly nonsense like falling for a guy so far out of my league, I couldn't even see his league.
Because if the smooth wool of his clearly expensive suit hadn't given it away, the fact that he was here in this posh mansion in Notting Hill would have. Besides, he was no doubt Bella's boyfriend or something. Last thing I needed was to poach on my boss's territory. I backed way up, quickly and literally.
"Cartwright? Like the twins?"
He nodded. "Their uncle. Their father was my older brother."
"Oh," I said softly. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you." His voice was equally soft, and his expression told me he truly appreciated I realized he might be grieving too. "Well, if you're looking for the dining room, it's this way," he said, gesturing opposite the direction I'd been headed.
"Oh, uh, thanks." I heard the clanking of silverware. The aroma of roasted meat tickled my nose, and my stomach gave an embarrassing rumble. Evander tried to hide his grin, but I caught the flash of dimple. Tilting my chin up, I marched into the dining room.
"Nice of you to join us." The woman, who must be Bella Talbot, sat rigidly in the chair at the head of the table. Every line of her slender body was so stiff, a strong wind might have knocked her over. She was dressed in a simple but exquisitely tailored pale-blue shift dress. Lucky her, she didn't have any odd lumps and bumps turning it into an unflattering mess. Instead she was almost too thin. And pale, as if she hadn't seen the sun in a while. Her light blonde hair was pulled back into a severe bun which made Viola's look messy.
Evander strode around the table to give her a perfunctory kiss on the cheek. "Sister, dear, give the girl a break. She just spent the last day travelling."
"I am not your sister," Bella said tightly in a low voice I didn't think I was supposed to hear.
"Close enough, now the rest of the family is gone," he whispered back.
"Uncle Evan! Uncle Evan!" Two little boys with dark hair like Evander's and pale blue eyes like Bella's bounced in their seats exuberantly.
"How are my two favorite nephews?" he boomed, swooping down to give them both hugs.
"We're your only nephews," one of the boys giggled.
"Please, Evander. You are disrupting the schedule."
"Ah, the schedule. Do forgive me, sister."
Her pinched expression grew more pronounced. Apparently she really didn't like him calling her "sister."
Coming back around toward me, Evander ushered me to an empty spot across the table from the boys and next to Bella. He pulled out the chair with a flourish and seated me. So weird. I wasn't used to proper old-school manners. I guess I was going to have to get used to it.
Once Evander seated himself at the foot of the table, Bella cleared her throat. "Boys. This is your new nanny, Ms. Anna. Anna, these are my nephews, Reece and Riley Cartwright. I'm Bella Talbot, and I see you've met my brother-in-law, Evander Cartwright."
"It's nice to meet you all," I said, smiling at the boys, who stared back at me with large eyes as if they'd just seen a giant green alien land at their dining room table.
"We will speak more after dinner." Bella gave me a pointed look. I guess she didn't want to discuss my duties or whatever in front of the twins. Fair enough.
"Of course."
Evander just grinned. "This should be interesting."
Bella opened her mouth but was interrupted by Viola charging through the kitchen door with a giant soup tureen in hand. "Dinner is served," she announced, quite unnecessarily. She gave me a sly look that clearly let me in on the joke. She was being deliberately over the top. I caught another dimple flash from Evander.
After doling out our soup, potato leek if I wasn't mistaken, she marched back into the kitchen, banging the door shut behind her. Bella cleared her throat as she picked up her spoon. The twins charged ahead, slurping and slopping their soup while chattering away about superheroes. Typical five-year-old behavior, in my opinion, but Bella looked horrified. Evander, on the other hand, joined in on the superhero talk, though I noticed he had better table manners than his nephews. I supposed Bella would insist on me fixing that.
My mind was a whirl of questions. Thanks to Sylvia, I knew the twins' parents had died in a car accident. Bella had inherited them, but why? Clearly she wasn't the maternal type. In fact—I slid a sideways glance her way—she appeared completely at a loss and not particularly fond of the
