Contract marriage with Mr. Knight

2. First day at Knight Mansion

Isabella

I woke up early since it would take almost forty-five minutes to reach the Knight's Mansion. I did my chores and prepared breakfast for everyone and left home immediately because I don't want to start my day hearing curses from aunty. I went to a nearby bus station and I was just in time to catch the next bus. I wanted to arrive there early because it was my first day and I want to make a good impression.

1978 Kight Circle, located inside of Knight's Estate was an incredible modern Mansion. It is one of the wealthiest suburbs of Newyork.

My first impression of the mansion was 'awesome'. It was huge and I had to take a cab from the gate to reach the front of the mansion. The security guard checked my ID then allowed me to go inside. There was a beautiful garden filled with lots of flowers and in the center, there was a fountain. When I reached the main door a girl about my age came and welcomed me inside. I found out she is a servant and then she led me to Mrs. Knight. On the way I admired the interior of the mansion, it was superb. The decor and furniture were modern with strong lines to complement the linear architecture. Strong graphic rugs add feeling and texture to the rooms, which are a great contrast to the solid architectural surfaces.

I was in awe seeing the elegance of the mansion. To my knowledge, only Mrs. Knight and baby Nyra are staying here. Besides their servants. But this is too much luxury for two people. I sighed thinking about rich people and their lives...

I was lost in thought when the girl told me to go inside the room. There Mrs. Knight welcomed me with a pleasant smile.

"Good morning Mrs. Knight..."

"Good morning Isabella, You came early for your first day.."

"Yes Ma'am, it is about a 45-minute journey from my home. And I wasn’t confident in the correct timing for the bus. I didn’t want to risk coming late on my first day."

"That is very thoughtful of you. Nyra woke up early today. She is in her room, so you can start your job now. And all the best..."

"Thank you, Mrs. Knight, Have a good day..."

I left the room. The previous girl was waiting for me outside. Thank God, otherwise, I would have gotten lost in this huge mansion. She introduced herself as Cindy, she has worked for the Knight’s for more than two years. According to her 'Mrs. Knight is a nice warm person. And Nyra is a bit naughty and stubborn. She is about 10 months old. Nyra's father is in London and visits her on weekends. His nature is just the opposite of Mrs. Knight. Cold and arrogant. So we must be careful around him. '

Thank God, I will never have to face him since I have weekends off. Cindy is a very outspoken person. I like her.

Cindy continued 'Mrs. Knight was personally taking care of Nyra till now until she started having some health issues. Nyra is very selective about who is around her and she won't accept anybody easily. That gave Mrs. Knight a hard time because she wouldn’t get attached to any nanny she provided. She often cries and has trouble eating.'

After reaching the front of Nyra’s room Cindy wished me good luck on my first day. Today's performance will predict my future here.

When I went in, baby Nyra was playing with a teddy bear. She looked in my direction and tried to stand up but failed. I took her to my arms and asked her how she was doing. I know she may not understand what I am saying but during this time we must communicate often with children because soon they will start trying to speak or respond. And most importantly babies feel more comfortable with a person who communicates and spends time with them.

We seem to get along very well. And she didn't give me a hard time. We played for a while then I took her to the garden. I told Cindy to bring Nyra's breakfast there. Cindy was hesitant at first because Mrs. Knight may not like it. But upon my request, she gave me breakfast in the garden. Nyra looked very happy to be in an open space rather than inside the mansion. I showed her flowers, the fountain and fed her in between.

Then Mrs. Knight came to see Nyra, and then Cindy started to get nervous. I told her that I will take the responsibility for this if Mrs. Knight got angry. Seeing Cindy nervous made me a bit nervous too. But I know I made the right decision. I may not know about rich people's lifestyles, but children must be free to do these things. They must get to know what is outside too, not just what's inside. The beautiful flowers...its smell, velvety grass...its touch, the wind, sunshine...everything… As soon as I saw Mrs. Knight approaching, I cursed myself and my stupid brain for its rebellious behavior and spoiling my first day. But to my surprise, she was very happy.

"Looks like Nyra is having a great time..." she told me. I smiled at her.

As soon as Nyra saw her Granny she showed her hands towards her. Mrs. Knight took Nyra into her arms and kissed her.

" Mrs. Knight, I'm sorry for not asking for your permission…to feed her outside."

"No dear, the most important thing for me is Nyra's happiness... I think you did very well in making her happy ... Yesterday I made the best decision by selecting you as Nyra's nanny."

"I will do my best for Nyra..." I smiled at her.

She asked me about my family. I didn’t want to lie, so I told her about my situation.

"So you're a solo warrior, I like your confidence and your attitude. You're fighting your battles on your own, many people don’t dare to do so. I'm impressed by you, Isabella..."

I felt pride from hearing that, and I thanked her for her kind words.

I like her very much, she is a caring person. She doesn't have any dramatic behavior like all the other super-rich people have, or at least the ones I’ve come across with.

Then she asked me,

"Isabella, do you mind staying here and working?? You're far from here and every day you have to travel back-and-forth, that must be hard for you. Nyra is so comfortable with you, this is why I ask. If you're interested we can revise your salary too, if you stay here full time."

The offer was tempting, but I couldn't leave my sick Granny alone.

"Sorry Ma'am, I have to take care of my Granny as well. So..."

"It's ok. And by the way, you can call me Helen. And I will call you Isa ok??"

" Yes Ma'am, I mean Helen. Those who are close to me call me Isa. You can also call me that."

After a bit more chatting I left the mansion. She is an interesting person. She is like an open book. We haven't known each other for very long, but I’m very comfortable with her.

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Helen

Isabella seems like really a genuine person. She treats Nyra well and makes her happy. It was a tough job finding a person who Nyra can accept. Isa is a fighter. Through all her difficulties she will fly high. She is smart and has a good heart. I can see a bright future for her. I will help her as much as I can. She’s a good listener, otherwise, I wouldn't talk with such ease with her. I miss Angelina very much, and in some ways Isa resembles her. Not by the looks, but by her character. She was a fighter too...

After Angelina's death, it was tough for me to handle tiny Nyra. She didn’t like getting into another person's arms. Even my son Arthur finds it difficult to handle her. I think she got the stubborn behavior from him. He worries about Nyra, as he could only visit her on the weekends. He wants to live with her. But he can't come to Newyork and manage his business from here. His main business is there in London, and he wants me and Nyra to move in with him. But I could never agree to that. I have a sentimental attachment to this place. This is where I met my husband for the first time and we got married here. The most important step of my life happened here. And my husband rests here, I can't leave him here alone. I will live here until my last breath and then lay rest beside him.

I’ve gotten to know that our business rivals The King's group, who are trying to destroy our business. This rivalry started decades back with my Husband and Mr. King. And now it is getting even more personal. That is why Arthur gets more and more easily frustrated these days. They want something that we can't ever give to them. Arthur refuses to let them take it from us. I trust my son to not give in.