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“Of course!” he finally managed to spit out, but he had not meant it to come across quite so enthusiastically. He immediately felt himself blushing, but when he met Anne’s eye, he was very pleased to see that she was not put-off by his enthusiasm. Instead, she seemed delighted by it.
“I’m very glad to hear that,” she said honestly. “I was worried that you might be in the middle of something and that I would not get to tell you about my ideas that I’ve been thinking about all day. To tell you the truth, I’m very relieved to hear that you’re now in charge of me as I guide the children’s education, as before, I had very little assistance from anyone in the household. I’m not sure if you’ve had this experience, but I find it so difficult to continue to be excited about something that no one else seems to care about.”
Robert stared, dumbfounded for a moment. He could not believe that Anne could articulate the way he felt about so many things in his life so perfectly.
“I... I absolutely do,” Robert said honestly. “Please, come sit by me, and we can be excited about teaching the children together. I would be overjoyed to hear the plans that you have for them, as I was so impressed by your teaching this morning. I can only imagine the wonderful things that you have planned for them.”
Anne came and sat with Robert, looking bashful as she did. “Were you honestly impressed by me, or were you just saying that to make me feel better about myself?”
Robert could hardly believe his ears. “To... to make you feel better about yourself? Miss Watkins, are you not aware that you are a masterfully skilled teacher? Has no one ever commended you for the splendid job that you are doing teaching those children?”
Anne looked out the window to their right and did not say anything for a minute. When she looked back at Robert, he could see that there were tears in her eyes, but she was trying to hide them.
“While everyone in the household has always been very kind to me and nothing but welcoming,” Anne said quietly, “I don’t believe I have ever actually heard anyone compliment the work that I do. I am constantly worried that I am not tending to the children well enough, or that I am scolding them too harshly, or that I am not teaching them at an appropriate level.”
Robert looked deeply into Anne’s stunning eyes and felt an undeniable urge to reach out and hold her hand. Before he could stop himself, he went ahead and did just that. Anne seemed to stop breathing when he did, but he went right on ahead and said what he wanted to say. He could not let another moment pass where Anne thought that she was not as brilliant as she was.
“Anne,” he said softly, taking note that he had addressed her by her first name but soldiering on regardless, “I cannot stress enough how absolutely remarkable you are with those children. They worship the very ground that you walk on, and I am not exaggerating when I say that they would not have been nearly the extraordinary children they are today if it were not for you. Do you think that if you weren’t a talented teacher that all the children would be speaking to me as though they were adults themselves? I don’t believe that I’ve ever had nearly as interesting conversations with my own friends as I have had with those three children. They are absolutely extraordinary, and it is only because of your work with them that they are that way.”
Robert continued holding Anne’s hand and making direct eye contact with her until he was sure that his words had got across to her, and then he let go and leaned back in his chair. By now, she had, of course, resumed breathing and stopped crying, but he still was not sure that he had done the right thing at that moment.
“Was that all right? Did I make you feel uncomfortable? I do apologize for taking your hand; I know that was improper, but I felt that the situation called for it,” Robert tried to explain himself.
Anne, however, suddenly looked horrified. “No! Oh no, that was absolutely fine,” she reassured him. “Any look that I have on my face is simply because I am overwhelmed by your kind words. I have a hard time believing any of what you are saying could be true as I constantly doubt myself, but I trust you. Thank you very much for saying that, and I apologize for allowing my own insecurities to bleed into our conversation about the children.”
Robert had to stop himself from physically rolling his eyes. “Do not apologize, Miss Watkins. We must be able to speak freely about our feelings to each other; otherwise, how will we survive as members of the staff?”
Anne giggled, which delighted Robert, but then she became quite serious. “You referred to me as Miss Watkins again. I much preferred it when you called me Anne that time. Might I call you Freddie?”
Robert was momentarily confused as he forgot his fake name, but he nodded emphatically when his mind caught up. “I would be honoured if you were to refer to me as such.”
Anne smiled charmingly at him, and then Robert could hardly focus on what she was saying for the next minute or so because he was so overwhelmed by his feelings for her. He knew that he had to concentrate on what she was telling him about her plan for the children, however, as he had to remind himself that they were employees of the same household.
And as you are both employees, you certainly cannot continue falling for this remarkable young woman! You must pull yourself together, fellow!
But Robert knew that he would very probably be unable to do that. Anne was bewitching him, heart and soul, and he wouldn’t be able to disregard his feelings for her for very much longer.
