There was also the possibility that the only reason Gretchen felt the need to sympathize with him was because she desired to take the place of his missing wife. Like every other spinster who showed up on his doorstep, this one was also most likely nursing the idea of becoming the lady of this house. Well, he was going to set her gold digging behind straight.

“That is enough, Miss Riverside!” He half yelled, hurling the tea cup against the wall. Gretchen flinched at the sound of the crashing cup and he watched as fear clouded her eyes. “That is enough! There shall be no further mention of Elizabeth's mother in this house! You shall care for Elizabeth, and you shall keep your opinion of her mother and your unsolicited sympathy to yourself. You shall only address me by my appropriate title —as is expected of every staff in this household— and most importantly, you shall discard every notion of taking Juliet's place as the lady of this house by forcing me to wed you because that is never going to happen!”

Something flickered in Gretchen's eyes but he didn't bother to wait to find out what it was before turning around sharply, and making his way out of the room, furious.

Chapter Six

Gretchen bit down on her lower lip to keep the obscenities that threatened to spew out her lips in. Fighting the urge to march after him and give him a piece of her own mind, she sat back and crossed her legs as her hands clung to the arm of the sofa, threatening to rip it.

Ethan simply had no right to speak to her that way! Sure, she had agreed to take on the job of being his child's nanny and she was a peasant of some sorts, but she was deserving of the respect that was due to every human being! Especially if that human being was a lady!

She rose to her feet and began pacing the length of the room. Everything in her wanted to go in search of Ethan and turn down the job offer, but common sense told her she needed this job. It wouldn't do for him to kick her out with no option of where to go to. Also, she was beginning to fall in love with Ellie and while Ellie's father turned out to be an arrogant bastard, she couldn't punish the poor child for her father's insanity.

So, she'll stay. She'll stay in this house run by the lord of arrogance —Lord Ethan Williams— and would simply avoid him as best as she could, for it was all she knew to do if she was going to survive under his roof.

**