It didn't take long to flag down one of the housemaids who kept running in and out checking on her to see if she needed anything.
"Do you have a small sewing box with maybe some matching buttons that are the size and shape of this eye?" She pointed to the toy.
"We can do better than that, Milady." The housemaid smiled. "We actually have the missing eye. It's just Devin has never let anyone touched that teddy bear so we haven't been able to fix it."
"Bring it to me. I actually got his permission to do this." She grinned and waved the raggedy thing at the housemaid.
For the next thirty minutes, while she sat next to him sewing on the missing eye, he continued playing with the blocks, making a bear cave with them.
As she worked, she talked to him about all sorts of things and he responded with his warbling babbles. Once she was done, she handed Ben back to Devin and he grabbed it from her hand, squealing with pleasure.
As the stormy weather raged and rampaged outside, Talia played house with Ben and the bear cave he created until they got tired of that.
Then she read him a few picture books from his small bookshelf until they got tired of that.
Then they ran around his room dancing and singing to his new favorite song 'It's Raining Wolves', even though the thunder and lightning had receded into the distance and it really wasn't scary any more.
In that manner, they spent the afternoon playing together until the housemaid interrupted them to announce that dinner was about to be served.
It was barely five pm. Talia had never eaten dinner so early in her life, but the lifestyles of the rich and famous must be completely different from her own daily life.
She wondered if they turned in for the night at 8 PM…
The dining room was not so much a room as it was a banquet hall. It took up an entire wing of the house.
For a woman who normally ate her meals in a tiny breakfast nook of her apartment, this was excessive beyond belief.
She sat where the housemaids told her to sit, with Devin right next to her in his high chair.
It didn't take long for Devin's brother to show up for dinner.
As soon as her eyes met his face, Talia's throat clogged up on its own accord and her heart thumped so loudly that she was afraid he would hear it from where he stood.
It was disturbing to Talia that a man could have such voluminous ash blond hair and shimmering luminous amber eyes with such full long lashes. His beautiful royal features belonged on a male model and his soft lush lips belonged on a young girl's face.
His long hair was tied back at his nape and on his tall muscular frame was a formal gray suit and crisp white shirt. The man looked like he just stepped out of Gentlemen's Quarterly magazine.
She didn't realize that the rich folks dressed up in such fancy outfits for dinner.
Talia looked down at her hands in confusion. She and Devin were both wearing tee shirts and soft cotton shorts at the dining table.
Cedric's low gravelly voice sounded across the table.
"I hope you had a fairly pleasant time with Devin." Cedric unbuttoned his jacket and sat down across the table from her. Behind him, Devin's father stood at rapt attention.
Talia looked up at the man in confusion. Why was Cedric's father standing as if he was Cedric's Butler?
"Ahem," the man cleared his throat. "Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Hubert Renfrey. I am Duke Blaxtone's Butler."
Talia coughed. Did she hear him correctly?
"Who's Duke Blaxtone?"
The blond hunk sitting in front of her stared directly at her, his amber eyes were clear and steady.
"My name is Cedric Blaxtone. I am the Duke of Faria."
"I see." She nodded. "How is it that your Butler's son look so much like you?
Hubert coughed. "He's not my son. He is Duke Blaxtone's nephew."
"But I thought you said…" Talia paused and looked at him in confusion. Why would this man say he was the boy's father and then afterwards said he wasn't?
Hubert shook his head. "You assumed I was the Young Lord's father. I didn't correct the assumption because you were leaving immediately afterwards and it was just easier to work within your assumptions."
Talia gave him a dry look. "Then why are you bothering to correct it now?"
"Because you won't be leaving this place for awhile since you're needed here to 'hug' the child and keep him safe."
"Pardon me?" Talia's eyes moved back and forth between the Duke and his Butler. "Did I just hear you say I won't be leaving this place?"
"You will remain to make sure that the boy does not run away." Hubert informed her with no hesitation.
Talia stared at him. "Mr. Renfrey. I'm a vet tech. I have a job I have to get back to."
"Whatever they pay you, we will double it." Hubert announced with ease.
"You don't even know what they pay me."
Hubert looked at her from half-lidded eyes.
"I am certain it will not be as much as the Duke is willing to pay you."
"But I don't have any formal training in early childhood education. I don't know anything about little kids."
Talia was starting to sweat. This was way out of her comfort zone.
The Duke sniffed. "All the ones who had that formal training have been summarily dismissed. A bunch of useless idiots."
He turned his flawless regal face towards Talia.
"You don't need any of that fancy useless training. You just need to sew eyes on his toys, read him books, hug him, and sing 'It's Raining Wolves'."
For a moment she thought he was joking. She gave a small laugh, but his bright amber eyes fixed on her with a steady gaze. This man was no joke.
"Were you spying on me? How did you know that was what we were doing all afternoon?"
"Do you honestly think I have the time or inclination to spy on you?" The Duke rolled his eyes.
The Butler coughed. "Ahem. We knew you were sewing the bear's eye back on because the housemaid went to get the missing eye and a sewing kit. We also knew you were reading and singing to the boy because we could hear you."
She sputtered, blushing to the roots of her hair.
"Are the walls that thin?"
"There is nothing wrong with the walls." The Duke informed her in a dry voice. "You and Devin just have fairly loud singing voices which can be heard all over the house."
She cleared her throat.
"Sorry."
"Please don't apologize," Hubert smiled. "We enjoyed hearing you and the Young Lord singing the song a dozen times. It gave us the happy comfort in knowing he is safe and happy inside the house on such a dark and stormy day."
"Twenty-seven." Duke Cedric spoke up.
"I'm sorry?" She turned to the Duke.
"I listened to you and Devin sing that song twenty-seven times."