wakes everyone in the city.”
While the argument over the influences of environment and heredity will rage forever, no one could possibly deny that Tobias Adamsfield Amberville was destined to grow up a monster. It was unthinkable that a child born to such an adoring father and a mother who regarded him as an extension of herself, a self to whom she denied nothing, could not be overindulged.
“It must be his Anderson blood,” his grandmother, Sarah Amberville, remarked. “The Protestant work ethic, you know.”
Lily, six months pregnant with her second child, laughed merrily. “He does precious little work yet, Sarah.”
“Look at him digging up the garden so seriously and methodically. You’d think he was getting paid by the shovelful. He hasn’t cried once since I’ve been visiting you, he goes quietly to bed when he’s supposed to, and according to Nanny, he gives her no trouble at all. He eats all hisvegetables, and even Zachary didn’t do that. I hope your next baby will be as easy.”
“The next baby is intended to be Tobias’s playmate. It’s bad for a child to be an only child, that’s why I’m bothering to have one so quickly. Otherwise I’d be very happy just watching my son grow up.”
Sarah Amberville said nothing. She still hadn’t grown used to her daughter-in-law and she never would. Actually she was rather frightened of her because she knew that if she got on the wrong side of Lily she wouldn’t get to see her grandson, or much of her son either for that matter. Minnie had been banished for months when she’d dared to comment on the fact that since perfectly good clothes for children were made in the United States it seemed a bit farfetched to have them sent from London, especially since Toby outgrew them so quickly.
“Look, he’s coming back. He must be ready for lunch,” she said to Lily.
“Wait till the gardener comes tomorrow,” Lily chortled.
“Will he be surprised?”
“Tobias has just dug up all the tulips, every last one. They were due to bloom next week. The gardener planted four hundred bulbs last autumn.”
“Dear, dear,” Sarah Amberville murmured. She hadn’t realized that Lily had known all along that Toby was harvesting tulips in full bud. She’d been sitting firmly on her hands for the last two hours, biting her lips and praying for courage to stay silent. Well, perhaps it was easy to find good gardeners in Manhattan. In Andover the problem didn’t present itself. Being a grandmother wasn’t somehow as much fun as she’d thought it would be. But what was?
Maxime Emma Amberville was about as unattractive a baby as Lily could imagine: something like a plucked chicken, without hair at all, a pair of bandy legs, and a heat rash that developed on the first day. She had colic, she screamed when she was hungry and she screamed when she wasn’t hungry. She was apparently the most difficultchild in the nursery as the supervisor of nurses confided in her.
“I hope you told that supervisor to go fuck herself,” Zachary burst out when Lily reported the remark to him.
“Zachary! I most certainly did not. The poor woman was at her wits’ end. I just assured her that the baby would be going home tomorrow. The thing I’m really worried about is Nanny. What if she leaves? She’s so used to Tobias.”
“Nanny is underworked and overpaid.”
“I called the employment agency and hired a second nurse. They have a very well-recommended woman, a Miss Hemmings, who specializes in difficult cases. She’ll be here when we leave the hospital, and take over immediately. Fortunately Maxime’s room is not right next to Tobias’s so she won’t wake him.”
“Jesus, Lily, the baby’s got ordinary colic, not leprosy. I happen to think the kid’s got a hell of a lot of spirit and I
like
the way she looks. She looks like me, damn it.”
“Darling, you’re too silly. You know you’re madly attractive.”
“You’ve never seen my baby pictures,” he said
While the argument over the influences of environment and heredity will rage forever, no one could possibly deny that Tobias Adamsfield Amberville was destined to grow up a monster. It was unthinkable that a child born to such an adoring father and a mother who regarded him as an extension of herself, a self to whom she denied nothing, could not be overindulged.
“It must be his Anderson blood,” his grandmother, Sarah Amberville, remarked. “The Protestant work ethic, you know.”
Lily, six months pregnant with her second child, laughed merrily. “He does precious little work yet, Sarah.”
“Look at him digging up the garden so seriously and methodically. You’d think he was getting paid by the shovelful. He hasn’t cried once since I’ve been visiting you, he goes quietly to bed when he’s supposed to, and according to Nanny, he gives her no trouble at all. He eats all hisvegetables, and even Zachary didn’t do that. I hope your next baby will be as easy.”
“The next baby is intended to be Tobias’s playmate. It’s bad for a child to be an only child, that’s why I’m bothering to have one so quickly. Otherwise I’d be very happy just watching my son grow up.”
Sarah Amberville said nothing. She still hadn’t grown used to her daughter-in-law and she never would. Actually she was rather frightened of her because she knew that if she got on the wrong side of Lily she wouldn’t get to see her grandson, or much of her son either for that matter. Minnie had been banished for months when she’d dared to comment on the fact that since perfectly good clothes for children were made in the United States it seemed a bit farfetched to have them sent from London, especially since Toby outgrew them so quickly.
“Look, he’s coming back. He must be ready for lunch,” she said to Lily.
“Wait till the gardener comes tomorrow,” Lily chortled.
“Will he be surprised?”
“Tobias has just dug up all the tulips, every last one. They were due to bloom next week. The gardener planted four hundred bulbs last autumn.”
“Dear, dear,” Sarah Amberville murmured. She hadn’t realized that Lily had known all along that Toby was harvesting tulips in full bud. She’d been sitting firmly on her hands for the last two hours, biting her lips and praying for courage to stay silent. Well, perhaps it was easy to find good gardeners in Manhattan. In Andover the problem didn’t present itself. Being a grandmother wasn’t somehow as much fun as she’d thought it would be. But what was?
Maxime Emma Amberville was about as unattractive a baby as Lily could imagine: something like a plucked chicken, without hair at all, a pair of bandy legs, and a heat rash that developed on the first day. She had colic, she screamed when she was hungry and she screamed when she wasn’t hungry. She was apparently the most difficultchild in the nursery as the supervisor of nurses confided in her.
“I hope you told that supervisor to go fuck herself,” Zachary burst out when Lily reported the remark to him.
“Zachary! I most certainly did not. The poor woman was at her wits’ end. I just assured her that the baby would be going home tomorrow. The thing I’m really worried about is Nanny. What if she leaves? She’s so used to Tobias.”
“Nanny is underworked and overpaid.”
“I called the employment agency and hired a second nurse. They have a very well-recommended woman, a Miss Hemmings, who specializes in difficult cases. She’ll be here when we leave the hospital, and take over immediately. Fortunately Maxime’s room is not right next to Tobias’s so she won’t wake him.”
“Jesus, Lily, the baby’s got ordinary colic, not leprosy. I happen to think the kid’s got a hell of a lot of spirit and I
like
the way she looks. She looks like me, damn it.”
“Darling, you’re too silly. You know you’re madly attractive.”
“You’ve never seen my baby pictures,” he said
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