"Did I just hear you talking down at me?" Talia responded without hesitation. "Since when does an uninvited guest get to have an opinion? Go back to where you came from!"
Talia stood there holding onto Devin in protective arms as she looked up at the tall woman and tried not to choke on the overwhelming smell of her perfume.
Who the hell was this nasty witch?
The woman reached out with her hand and swung at Talia.
Seeing her arm come up, Talia turned her body so that the boy would be shielded from the woman's arm.
In less than a second, Hubert had caught the woman's arm and twisted it behind her back.
"Aaaaahhhh!!!" The woman screamed as Hubert applied pressure.
"Pardon me, Lady Evelyn. Lord Devin must not be hurt by your careless movements."
He turned to Talia. "Milady, if you don't mind, please return to the dining room and continue with breakfast. You and the Little Lord have not yet finished your meal."
Talia nodded and gave him a grateful smile.
"Thank you Hubert."
With head held high, she carried Devin back to the breakfast area and sat Devin on her lap.
The housemaids closed the door between the dining room and the Great Hall where the woman was still standing, arguing with Hubert.
As if nothing bizarre had just occurred, they continued with their job of serving Talia and Devin, pouring hot coffee and refreshing the milk that Devin had spilled everywhere.
As she tried to coax Devin to eat a few more spoons of his cereal, she caught muffled sounds of them talking in loud voices.
Talia shook her head. This was not going to be a fun couple of days if the Duke wasn't here and she had to deal with this woman by herself.
Talia had infinite patience with animals and small children. She had almost zero patience with adults who acted churlish and overbearing. If this woman continued to piss her off, it was not going to end well.
Devin seemed inordinately disturbed by the woman's presence and began to get agitated. Sensing that the rest of breakfast was not going to get eaten, Talia rose from the table with Devin.
"Thank you for breakfast." She said to the serving maid. "It's too noisy in here, and I think Devin's had enough breakfast. I'm going to go upstairs and change his clothes."
"Yes, Milady. Would you like for me to bring something small for mid-day snack since the Little Lord didn't finish his breakfast?"
"That's a good idea. Thank you."
Talia took Devin up the stairs and away from the noise of the Great Hall, leaving Hubert to deal with the unpleasant woman.
She remained in her suite, playing with Devin for awhile until it was time for his nap. By the time the wonderful aroma of the midday meal was starting to waft upstairs, Devin woke up.
As she was getting Devin ready for lunch, Hubert knocked on her door.
"Talia." He entered the room and closed the door behind him.
"Hi Hubert," she smiled. "Is everything okay?"
Devin warbled something unintelligible at Hubert. He looked at the boy and smiled with affection.
"Please remain in your suite for lunch today."
"What's wrong? Is that woman giving you trouble?"
Hubert cleared his throat.
"Not at all. The Countess is currently downstairs in the dinning area being served lunch."
"Hubert. Who exactly is she?" Talia asked, although she had a pretty good idea who the woman was.
"She is the Countess Evelyn Larabee, the Duke's long-time fiancée."
Talia sighed. A fiancée arriving unannounced. This was not going to end well.
"How long will she be staying?"
Hubert shook his head. "I'm not sure, Talia. Until the Duke returns, I cannot say for certain."
"I see." Talia smiled. "So Devin and I are going to be held hostage in our rooms the entire time that she is here?"
"Not at all. I simply thought you and Devin would have a more enjoyable lunch without her presence."
"You're right. We would. But somehow, I feel that we have suddenly been bullied and pushed aside to accommodate an uninvited woman and her entourage while the Duke is away."
Her eyes narrowed. "Somehow, I don't think Duke Blaxtone would be too happy that Devin has been treated so poorly."
Hubert took a deep breath. He couldn't argue with that.
"While I do not want you to feel as if you are being held hostage, I also do not want to place you or Lord Devin in any danger, implied or otherwise."
Talia stood up. "Hubert. What do you think the Duke's reaction would be if he knew that woman raised her hand to strike me while I was holding onto Devin?"
Hubert blanched. He knew exactly what the Duke's reaction would be.
Devin was priceless to the Duke. There would be no doubt what Duke Blaxtone's reaction would be.
The fact that the Countess Evelyn was not aiming for Devin but Talia would not matter. Devin was in the way of deliberate harm and the Duke would not take kindly to that fact.
"Devin and I will have our lunch up here in the suite for this afternoon, but we will be having dinner downstairs in the usual manner."
She stood there staring up at the Butler with fierce blue eyes.
"Don't forget who you are supposed to be protecting. Along with the Duke, Devin is also the rightful Lord of this house. He should not be treated in such a shabby manner."
Hubert nodded. "Understood, Miss Talia. I will figure out a way to keep everything as calm and safe as possible for you and the Little Lord."
Talia looked at the Butler. Now was the time to exert what little power she had as Devin's Nanny, before she became overwhelmed by the Countess and her band of suited thugs.
"I know you're stuck between a rock and a hard place Hubert, but I want her out of the house before dinner." She turned away. "I don't care how you do it. She is a threat to my charge, and Devin should not feel scared or threatened in his own home."
For a moment, the Butler stood there without saying a word. Finally, he gave a nod.
"Let me see what I can do." Hubert turned and exited the room.
Talia stood there, shaking with rage.
The woman was truly idiotic if she thought she was going to be able to bully everyone in such a manner.
Fiancée or not, Talia was not going to put up with it and if the Duke had an issue with that, he could simply fire her.
Then Devin and that woman would be his problem to deal with and she would be on her way back to her old happy-go-lucky life being an animal nurse and taking care of her little sick fur babies.