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“Darling, don’t worry about it. Let me make you a cold tea. I always do regular tea when someone is upset, but today, it’s too hot for that,” Mum said.
“What happened? You’re not taking the Tube from now on. I’ll make the car available.” I wanted to take her in my arms and comfort her, but how could I in front of my family?
“No, it’s nothing to do with that … It’s my mother. She’s sick.”
Chapter Seventeen
Laura
I shouldn’t have come, but I didn’t want to disappoint Maja. Before I left, I’d popped in to see my parents in Greenwich. Mum still worked as a teaching assistant, and my father was retired. I hadn’t spoken to them since the last phone call when I’d told them that I’d started working for Spencer Banks and felt quite guilty that I had neglected them for so long.
Everything was fine until Mum served brunch. My father was silent, so I knew then that something was wrong because he was never so subdued. He liked talking and being engaging. He’d seemed so excited when I mentioned I was looking after the Prime Minister’s daughter. Apparently, he’d voted for Spencer, which I found pretty funny because he normally voted for the other guys.
“All right, come on, tell me, what’s the matter?” I’d finally asked.
“Nothing, honey, we are just tired. It’s been a long and busy weekend. Tell us how you are getting on with your new boss, and Maja? I hope he’s treating you well,” my mother had said, avoiding my question.
“Everything is great. Maja and I get on really well,” I’d replied, then prodded, “Mum, can you tell me what is going on?”
“We didn’t want to worry you, but my liver is failing. The medication has stopped working.” She’d dropped an unexpected bomb.
Now, I was standing in the Banks’s kitchen, trying to keep it together, but how could I? I would have politely backed out from this invite were it not for the fact that Maja was excited for me to meet the rest of her family. Spencer’s mum gasped and drew me in for a hug.
“How long has she been sick for?” Spencer questioned, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“She’s had liver issues for years, but her meds aren't effective any longer and she’s going into liver failure … Maybe I should just go. I don’t want to ruin your family dinner.” I wanted to disappear.
“No.” Spencer and his mother caught me off guard.
“We would like you to stay, and I don’t want you to worry about your mum. She’s going to be all right. She’s in London. I’ll make sure that she’s treated by the best doctor in the country,” Spencer assured.
Just then, Maja made a run for me.
“Laura, you came! Come on. I want to show you my princess castle in the garden. Uncle Rupert built it for me.” She was full of excitement as she pulled me towards the doors leading to the garden.
I mouthed ‘sorry’ to Spencer’s mother and went with her.
I could still sense his eyes on me when I walked outside, following Maja and passing two other men who were eyeing me intensely. I suspected them to be Spencer’s brothers; there were four of them altogether, and one of them, Andrew, was a famous actor. I smiled nervously, trying to get it together, but both of them gave off intimidating vibes.
The house was three stories, and the garden at the back was huge. Maja showed me her mini castle. She had two swings and a climbing wall, too. She was lucky. Downing Street Gardens were pretty impressive, but the playhouse at her grandparents’ home seemed like every kid’s dream. Lost in my thoughts, I nearly bumped into someone. He steadied me as I glanced at him, realising it was the guy who’d shown up with Spencer at the club.
“Uncle Rupert, this is Laura, the nanny. She came to see my castle.” Maja tugged his hand.
“Hello.” I smiled to be friendly.
“Maja, why don’t you bring Laura the princess outfit from your room? Then you both can play inside,” Rupert suggested, his gaze narrowed on me.
His body language showed that he was not happy to see me here at all. I wished I hadn’t seen Veronica’s viral TikTok video because now I was right in the middle of this drama, and I wasn’t sure how to act.
“Oh yes, I've all the princess dresses upstairs. Let me get them.” Maja left Rupert and I alone.
His expression remained cold and distant when he took a step towards me. He was as tall as Spencer, but he had olive eyes and lighter hair.
“So, Laura, you’re Spencer’s nanny, right?”
“Yes, I've been working for him for over two months.”
“What exactly do you want from him, Laura? First, your roommate seduced me in Greece, and now she’s trying to ruin my business by posting that video on TikTok. How convenient that you accidentally stumble into my brother’s life as a fake escort girl,” he spat.
