Trouble With Harry by Katie MacAlister

never allow her to suggest romps that might prove to be unsuitable or dangerous. Now, however, she was in Cordelia’s position, and she felt sadly at a loss as to what she should and shouldn’t do with the children. After a morning’s concerted and uncomfortable thought on the subject, she had decided that she would be their friend, helping them, guiding them, mentoring them, without being too strict or having to dole out punishment.
    That was, after all, what a father was for.
    â€œJust so. However, you have more experience with them than I do, therefore you must have some idea how a bull was let into the house.”
    The woman named George—a misnomer if ever there was one, since a lovelier, more curvaceous woman Plum had never seen, not even her dull gray gown and stained apron could dim her charms—raised her hand. “Through the door?”
    Digger snickered. India rolled her eyes and looked bored as only a thirteen-year-old girl can look bored. Plum narrowed her glare onto them both.
    â€œYou wouldn’t have something to tell me, would you, Digger?”
    â€œSure I do, I have lots of things to tell you. Joshua is a friendly sort, kind of like Nash.”
    Nash, she knew, was the pheasant. She had made its introduction earlier, when she and Juan rounded up the nursery staff, footmen, and children. “Joshua?”
    â€œJoshua is the bull,” Digger said. “He’s friendly, see? He likes McTavish, so when we came in from hunting for Joshua’s tail—”
    â€œI found a bull tail!” McTavish said happily, holding up a withered black object that looked more like a dehydrated snake than a tail. “Can I have a kitten now? You said I could.”
    Plum raised an eyebrow at Digger and tipped her head slightly toward McTavish. Digger shook his head. She sent a silent prayer of gratitude that she would not be called upon to admire the replacement bull’s tail, and continued with her morning guidance to the children. “That explains how Joshua might have come into the hall, but how is it that he broke three very expensive-looking urns, and put his horns through the door to the necessary?”
    Anne and Andrew giggled, realized they were both laughing at the same thing, and changed their giggles to glares.
    â€œThe urns weren’t expensive, ma’am,” George said. The other servants nodded. “His lordship wouldn’t put anything expensive in the hall.”
    Plum frowned. “He wouldn’t?”
    â€œNo, ma’am. He knows, you see.”
    â€œHe does.”
    â€œYes’m. About the children.”
    â€œAh.” Plum added an extra point or two to her opinion of Harry’s intelligence, and moved on. “About the door—”
    â€œTavvy was in the necessary,” Digger—evidently spokesman for the children—said. India sat at the end of the blue sofa across from Plum ignoring them all, obviously pretending she was a thousand miles away.
    â€œNash had to use the pot,” McTavish said, teasing the pheasant with his dried snake cum bull tail.
    Plum successfully removed the image from her mind of a pheasant using a chamber pot, and bravely forged onward. “Since we are all friends here, we’ll let this morning’s incident go without further comment.”
    Several members of the staff sighed with relief and slouched back against the wall. Plum eyed them all. “I realize that I am a new member of the family, but I really must put my foot down about the entertaining of livestock inside the house. Henceforth, all animals that are not pets will remain outside. Animals other than cats and dogs are not allowed to follow you inside. Do you all understand?”
    â€œYes,” Andrew said, nodding.
    â€œNo,” Anne said, shaking her head.
    Digger shrugged.
    Gertie and George exchanged glances.
    Juan threw himself to his knees before Plum, one hand on his chest, the other