Chapter 164: Nora
Lying on the most luxurious bed of his life, Isaac couldn’t help but reflect on how he had ended up here. It was clear that Eleanor held his mother in high regard. Over the years, he had met several of his mother’s former students from childminders and families she had worked for as a nanny... but none had shown her the level of respect Eleanor did.
His mind drifted to events nearly thirty years ago. Back then, he was a college student, and his father had just passed away. The cost of his father’s treatment had nearly drained all their savings. All they had left was the house... no funds to support his education, no income to rely on.
His mother had left her job as a childminder to care for her bedridden husband. After his death, she found there were no job openings left. With no source of income and two mouths to feed, she began cleaning houses and washing cars in the neighbourhood, desperately searching for a proper job.
Then, a neighbour mentioned that Lady Langford was looking for a full-time nanny. Though she lived in Manchester, she was hiring someone from Birmingham. The Langford family had a good reputation there. They were not arrogant like other nobles, and were known for helping the poor.
His mother decided to contact Lady Langford. But what she received was the most unusual job offer in history... she was to serve as a nanny in Manchester for thirty years, and all her wages would be paid in advance, even before the child was born.
Isaac vividly remembered the night his mother pondered the proposal. Ultimately, the advance payment meant he could attend a boarding school for better education while she worked in Manchester. With the house empty, they could also rent it out for additional income.
The next day, when his mother accepted the job, Lady Langford sent a man to their house... with a full thirty years of salary in hand. The man also informed her of the expected birth date of the child. From that moment, her employment will start.
His mother joined her post exactly on the scheduled date of childbirth. But the child had been born prematurely, and Lady Langford had already passed away. That was when his mother understood... the Lady had foreseen her own death and arranged for someone trustworthy to raise her daughter.
Though her heart was heavy, she fulfilled her duty.
But a few years later, she returned to Birmingham. The child’s father and stepmother no longer wanted her around... and the child herself had rejected her. Even then, she never looked for another job. Having already been paid, she felt employed still, waiting in quiet hope for the day she might be needed again.
That day eventually came... but under very different circumstances.