"See...your fans seem to really like the new you, Henrietta." I said as I showed her some of the posts that had been put up since my big idea became a reality. She was sitting on my lap in her school uniform, which had become her second skin during the week, and she did not seem to notice it anymore. She was still getting very tired after school, but that was because she was simply not used to studying. And all three girls were really behind where they ought to be for their age. But I did not care about that, and neither did her grandparents, because they were all behaving themselves and doing their best with their lessons. "I am told you have been enjoying singing with the choir, pickle?"
"Yes, Nanny...it's fun." She murmured sleepily, her stomach full of formula. "Our teacher is nice...she doesn't shout if we make a mistake."
"We are going to film your rehearsal tomorrow...and then post it on here...look, the picture of you in your uniform has two million likes, pickle."
"That's a lot, Nanny...but the studio won't like it..."
"Henrietta...that studio has no hold at all over you anymore...no one is going to bully you anymore, sweetheart...and you are only going to perform if you want to, I promise." I sighed as I kissed her hair.
"We like singing Nanny..."
"And you are very good at it, pickle." I reminded her, because they really were talented little girls, and I was beginning to realise that no one had told her that for a long time. It was nice to be back at work, and back in Meadvale. I felt so refreshed and eager to help all of my charges progress. Mrs Blackstone had sort of inspired me, I suppose, when she said that I had a different perspective on things to most people in the community. And I had been asked to take on the task of managing the social media accounts for the sisters, which was exciting and challenging as well as such good fun. The amount of interest there was in the girls was incredible, especially after the way they were treated by the studio finally became public knowledge. My job was to represent the girls and their new lives as they really were, as nurslings, to try and give a more positive image of the church than the one which had been promoted by Candy Wellman and her odious friends. And that night, after getting my lot tucked up in their cots, I uploaded a picture of the three girls and Caris fast asleep in their child-carrier on the way home. It was a cute picture, they all looked happy and comfortable. And I sat there watching the likes and the comments flood in, faster than I could read them.
Obviously, it was the internet, and not all the comments were positive. It was clearly unusual to see teenagers in a pushchair with pacifiers in their mouths, but the fact was that they looked quite content, and so adorable. The Church did not hide its beliefs, and would certainly not apologise for them at all, but we were able to use social media to explain the theory and the situation. I shared the school timetable, to explain why the girls were tired, and another picture of them doing their homework an hour after their impromptu nap, as well as an article written by one of the Pastors in Meadvale, talking about childcare and the Reformist doctrine. I did not know if everyone would take the time to read it, but I did know that a picture can say a thousand words. I had not meant to do it, but I was giving the church a very modern platform to explain itself to the wider world, and they needed to step up and take that chance, if they wanted to move past accusations of extremism. But that was up to them, actually. I looked up from my phone and glanced at the gown I had borrowed from Sheila, and ended up wearing home on the train, just to experience what it was like to be a Reformist, and to stand out for my beliefs against a world that thought I was a bit strange. My concern was the girls, and I wanted them to be able to use their talents and enjoy doing it, whilst having the family and the education they deserved. So, I posted one of the unseen still of the girls playing in California, laughing with their grandfather as he dropped the frisbee. And then I started to think about me, and my attitude to the church and Meadvale.
"What are you wearing?" Annie demanded, as I met her on the corner as arranged, an hour after dropping the kids at school, ready to catch the train into town for some retail therapy. She had changed out of her uniform into a tight, knee length wool skirt, and a padded jacket to ward off the cold, which was the sort of thing we both tended to wear when we were off duty. Jeans would not go down well in Meadvale, although we got more leeway than most because people knew we were not true believers, and we always tried to blend in. But that morning I had, on the spur of the moment, decided to wear my gown, and the warm cloak that came with it.
"Sheila lent me this to wear at Charlesfield...and she said I could keep it for a while...I wore it home," I explained, although Annie still looked surprised. "I quite like it...although the corset is a bit uncomfortable...Helen nearly cut me in two, but I do look about a stone lighter."
"You look...great...but you aren't a Reformist...are you?" My best friend asked, looking me up and down. She went to church with me every Sunday morning, ostensibly accompanying our litters, but she was right, that did not make as Reformists.
"No...I suppose not...but I really do like this community, and I really want to fit in...be part of it for real...so, I just thought I would see what it felt like...if that makes any sense?" I told her, as we linked arms as usual, and discovered that she would get my skirts wrapped all around her legs if we were not careful.
"You do look good...but I am not sure about the corset?" She laughed, disentangling herself and walking by my side.
"Neither am I...but Helen was really impressed this morning..."
It was a strange day, all in all, partly because Annie spent most of it teasing me, but mostly because people treated me very differently, just because of the way I was dressed. Clearly, the people we met knew all about Meadvale, because Dorking, the nearest town, was only a few miles away and Reformists shopped just like anyone else. So, I was not exactly stared at, and I am not saying that people were rude to me when I was dressed normally, but I was surprised to be called Miss by just about everyone, and to have men rushing to open doors for me, as if I was suddenly a delicate flower who needed to be treated with respect. And it was quite nice if I am honest, which made Annie laugh at me even more.
"It is because you look like a lady." Helen Hughes suggested, when I got back to the house to get ready for the school pick up. She was similarly dressed, as she always was, and she was really interested in my reaction to my experiment. "How does it make you feel?"
"Very elegant...although I am not sure I am moving very gracefully yet...and it does feel so right here." I replied, frowning as I really thought about it. "I am not sure I would be so relaxed somewhere further afield...but I feel part of this community, and I want to help the people here if I can...I hope that doesn't sound too arrogant?"
"Not at all...you are helping...Sheila Blackstone has been telling everyone that you are a real link between modern childcare principles and our more traditional approach...and you are brilliant with children...we all want you to be part of this community." Helen informed me, as she handed me a cup of tea.
"Oh, I need to change...or I will be late for the girls?" I said, checking the time.
"Sit and enjoy your tea, young lady...and collect them dressed as you are."
"But my uniform?"
"In Kensington, having a Norland nanny gives you boasting rights...here, you are already the nanny everyone wants...and I think it would be good for the girls to see you following the doctrine a little more..."
"You'd like me to dress like this for work?"
"If you want to help this community...and I know that you do...you need to be part of it, my dear...Colin and I will happily fund a new wardrobe for you...think of it as a bonus for a job so very well done...and let me find you a bonnet that goes with that frock!"
So, I met Annie in full regalia, with the addition of a bonnet, and she was laughing all the way to Deepdene. But nannying was just a job to Annie, and although she liked Meadvale and felt happy enough working in that environment, she was not as emotionally attached as I was to my girls. Nicola, Natalie, and Naomi were my first litter, and I had learned a lot with them over the summer, but once Caris came along it became much more than a job for me. And since then, I had got caught up in the family and the community, so I felt that it was right, for me at least, not for everyone. And the response I got at the school gates was incredibly encouraging because dozens of people made a point of coming up to me and commenting positively on my appearance, which had never happened before. People were always nice, smiling at us and saying good morning or afternoon, but all of a sudden people wanted to really talk. But then I had to concentrate on the girls, because they were all pouring out of the class paddocks.
"Nanny...they filmed our rehearsal, did you see it yet?" Henrietta said, running over to me as soon as she was released, too excited to notice my appearance.
"Nanny, you look really pretty," Caris chirped, arriving just after Henrietta.
"Not yet, dear...it will be emailed to me by your teacher...and thank you, Caris." I said, as both of them hugged me. No surprise with Caris, obviously, but Henrietta had certainly never done that before. "Did it go well, the rehearsal?"
"It was so good, Nanny...Caris did really well...will you let me...us...see it, later...please Nanny?" Henrietta almost begged, and I realised that it was the first time she had been excited about anything in a positive way since I first met her.
"I should think so...if all your homework gets done..."
Half an hour later, back in the nursery, with the girls all settled at their tables working through their prep, I took out my phone and caught up with some things. First of all, I checked the new Bethlehem Sisters accounts, and it was a good job that I had turned off notifications, because they were going mental. Every photograph was going viral, and again, although I only checked a few, the comments were mostly nice. Obviously, because they had always been promoted as nice Christian girls in America, to tap into the wholesome market, they already had a following of people who liked that sort of thing. So, the new look was not such a leap, and their existing fans seemed to like the new pictures. But then, I popped my headphones in and had a look at the video of the choir rehearsal, and I forgot all about likes and online comments. It was really brilliant, considering they had only been rehearsing for a few days, and the talent my three little angels had shone through, backed very well by their new friends and cousins. It was not really a Hollywood production, obviously, but the video was well done, and the sound seemed good too, so I think I immediately knew what I was looking at. With shaking fingers, really excited by the recording, I posted it, and then put my phone away and started to get seven bottles of formula ready for when my litter were finished with their schoolwork.