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Melanie opened the envelope. On top of the sheaf of papers was a short note, signed and stamped with the Abara crest. Melanie read through it quickly:
Dearest Princess Melanie,
I wanted you to be secure in knowing that your dear son would be well taken care of during the hectic weeks of work ahead. Mademoiselle Mirza has my unhesitating endorsement to care for your precious boy.
Best regards, Queenie.
There might not beany hectic weeks of work, Melanie thought dejectedly, considering that she’d just attempted to murder the handyman.
The document beneath was a long and impressive resume, in which she learned several facts about Zanifa: Algerian by birth and French by citizenship, unsurprising considering the close historical and geographical ties the two countries had, and how dense the North African population was in the south of France.
Undergraduate degree in early childhood education with a master’s in experiential learning; certified in CPR, First Aid, and swimming. Speaks fluent Arabic, French, English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Green belt in karate.
She lifted her eyes to Zanifa’s smiling face. She barely knew what to say. “Thank you. Welcome.” She gestured at the doorway. “Would you like to come inside?” A thought struck her. “I’m not sure how this works. When do you start?”
“I have already started. I am your command.”
“Wow,” Melanie thought.
“Wow!” Rhys exulted.
Melanie asked hesitantly, still feeling adrift. “Do you sleep in?”
“Would you like me to?” was the immediate response. “I live only ten kilometers away and can set my hours as you desire. Should you need to go out at night, I would be happy to sleep over.” She addressed her next words to Rhys. “We can have movie nights, or gaze at the stars, or I’ll teach you how to make beignets. We will have a wonderful time.” Then she added, “And Madame Queenie has informed me that you love botany; this is true, yes?”
Rhys nodded so hard his head nearly fell off.
“You’re in luck. My best subject in high school was biology. Isn’t that perfect?” Zanifa clapped her hands together. “Bien. Then our first field trip will be the Jardin Botanique de Villeneuve. It is small,” she showed an inch’s worth of space between forefinger and thumb, “but it is oh, so much fun. We will have a wonderful time.”
With that, Rhys was in love.
Melanie glanced behind Zanifa at the car, wondering if it would be rude to suggest that Zanifa did some of her first nannying down in town, preferably at the nearest grocery store, and was about to suggest it when there was the sound of another car in the driveway. What now, she wondered.
Two women exited, blond-haired and freckled, who looked so alike she assumed they were sisters. They leaped out eagerly, looking around them in clear excitement. “Princess Melanie?” the elder one asked.
“Uh… yes.” Melanie shoved her hair out of her eyes and stepped down off the balcony and walked to the women, followed by Zanifa and her newest fan.
“We have brought you breakfast.” With a flourish, the other woman produced a basket covered with a towel and held it out to Melanie.
Consumed with perplexed curiosity, she lifted the clean kitchen towel and stared at the packages inside. The woman said helpfully, “Crepes: some with eggs Benedict and some with strawberries and cream.” She pointed. “Homemade yogurt and raspberry jam.”
Melanie felt her stomach rumble. Immediately, the conscientious voice in her head said, Strawberries and cream crepe: 200 calories. Crepe with eggs Benedict, two eggs, 700 calories.
A counter voice, her rational, hungry voice, snarled back: Who gives a damn?
She looked at the woman, puzzled. “But how did you… why did you…?”
The younger woman smiled. “It is the edict of the Queen,” she said simply.
Zanifa came to stand by her side, clicking open her phone. “Madame Queenie has tweeted. See?” She tilted the screen towards Melanie:
Queenie Abara@queenieabara 54 m
Princess Melanie and the young master are hungry. Is there anyone in Villeneuve du Lac who can help?
There were 170 responses,1,337 retweets and 9,440 likes.
Melanie staredfrom the basket to the smiling welcome wagon, but before she could fully wrap her head around the idea that Queenie had found a way to get them food, two more cars appeared.
