Betsy ground her teeth together as she prepared her coffee. The dinner party had been extremely uncomfortable a few days prior but it had not deterred Nicholas's in-laws from returning to visit over and over again in the following days. Despite his reassurances that they would leave as abruptly as they had arrived, the couple appeared determined to stick around.

They were unbearable.

Nick had been kind enough to stay home on the days immediately following but a business trip had taken him away for three days. Three entire days in which she would have to deal with the frosty couple by herself. They hadn't said anything to her outright but their disapproval of her was shown in all of the little actions and gestures. She no longer offered to make them tea as she would for any other guest. It would just meet with refusal and a disgusted sniff.

"How are you holding up dear?" Ms Reed asked, placing a plate next to her coffee cup.

Inhaling the scent of the pastry sat on top of it, the blonde smiled for the first time that morning and let the tension seep from her body.

"I'm doing okay. I just wish they would stop treating me the way they do in front of the children." Betsy sighed. She wasn't upset that Nick's in-laws didn't like her. She could live with that. She just hated that they treated her like dirt in front of the kids.

"You should tell Nicky." Mabel stated firmly, pressing on the blonde's shoulder.

"I can't. It will just create more problems and Nick has more than enough to deal with at the moment."

"That is a ridiculous excuse. Nicky is no school boy. He cares for you. He would want to know."

"I'll think about it."

"And that means you won't be telling him. Don't try and lie to me," the older woman warned before releasing a sigh. "If you won't let Nicholas deal with the problem then you need to be willing to stick up for yourself. Their behaviour will affect the children. You need to speak up before Tommy and Delilah start picking up on it."

Betsy didn't immediately respond. Instead she focused on her coffee cup as she sought inspiration. No matter how much she wanted to avoid the issue, Betsy knew that she couldn't out it off for long. Yet Nick didn't need to hear it – at least not tonight. "I'll tell him when he gets back. He doesn't need any distractions right now."

"You know I could always cancel my plans and watch over the children. You could go and join him. I'm sure he would love to see you." Mabel offered with her wrinkled smile. "I can deal with old snooty pants."

Placing a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh, Betsy shook her head. "As funny as it would be to watch you having a showdown with her ladyship, you are not cancelling your plans. Nick would not be happy with you about it." She paused and looked at the older woman, the woman who had become a steadfast ally against the invaders. "I wouldn't be happy about it either."

Ms Reed waved my words away with a smile on her face. "Have it your way. You can call me if old snooty pants becomes too much. I have a mobile phone now."

Betsy smiled and pulled the older woman in to a hug. "Thank you. Now off with you. You should be gone by now. I won't be responsible for you being late."

"I'm going. I'm going."

As she made her retreat, the white haired woman stepped out of the way as Delilah and Tommy entered the kitchen with their grandmother in tow. With one last wave and a scowl at the 'snooty' woman's back, Ms Reed hastened away.

Neither of the children appeared to be particularly enthused at the presence of their grandmother. Instead they were a subdued version of their normal selves. It was awful. They were usually full of life and ready to cause some kind of mischief. Walking straight up to Betsy, the duo wrapped their arms around her and held on tight. Without a thought, her hands drew them closer before she smoothed her fingers through their hair. She could feel the other woman watching them but she focused wholly on the children.

Finally, when she could ignore the woman no more, Betsy raised her gaze and offered a forced smile.

"I'm going to take the children out for some lunch and go to the park." Betsy said civilly. She paused as the she watched the other woman and then made an offer she knew she was probably going to regret. "Did you want to join us?"

The woman backed up a step as if she had been slapped. Her features became pinched as her gaze moved between Betsy and the children clinging on to her tightly. And then her entire body drooped.

"I would like that," She replied shakily. "I would like that a lot."

Betsy grinned brightly, the first genuine smile in days. The older woman didn't return it but she didn't allow it to dampen her spirits. "Great." She glanced down at the children before her. "Did you hear that? Grandma wants to come to the park with us. Isn't that great?"

The children muttered words into her legs which were far from jovial. She ignored their tone. It was time to get this family back on track. The woman just needed to learn to be more open with her family. It was the only chance Carol was going to have at knowing have if she wanted to be a part of her grandchildren's lives. The woman was so cold she was already putting a divide between her and the children. And yet, despite how unwelcome she must feel, Carol still returned.

"I'll get the kids ready and let security know our plan for the day. And then we can go?"

Carol gave her typical haughty nod. Betsy bit back a grin. Acknowledgement from the other woman was progress.

An hour later they found themselves in a small restaurant down in the local town. There was a large franchise restaurant next door but the haughty woman had sniffed in disdain at the idea of eating somewhere so middle class. Betsy resisted the urge to roll hr eyes.

Instead they found themselves in a small but beautiful restaurant. The outside was unstated but as soon as they walked through the door, they were greeted with a clean and tidy interior with delicious aroma of freshly cooked food lingering in the air.

"Welcome to Ellie's. How many are dining today?" A tall curvy woman greeted with a kind smile on her plump face.

"Six please," Betsy replied instantly. Immediately the blonde felt several sets of eyes on her face, knew they were about to open their mouths in protest, but she just continued to smile at the woman before her. "Four adults and two children."

"Okay, if you'll follow me." The woman replied politely, picking up several menus, before winding her way through the restaurant.

They were seated at a large table near the back. Despite the protests of the two security guards who had shadowed their trip, the small group were joined at the table by the two black clad men. Betsy almost rolled her eyes about the clothing. There was nothing covert about their attire. In fact, in a room full of casually dressed patrons, they drew a lot of attention with their head to toe black clothing complete with black combat boots and sunglasses.

"See that wasn't so difficult." Betsy teased the men who had taken defensive positions at either end of the table and placed reluctant food orders.

Carol sat between the children, her face in that extremely pinched uncomfortable expression she loved so much. It looked painful to maintain. Yet, the woman made no attempt to relax and make get comfortable.

"Betsy. Miss Betsy." Tommy chanted over and over again drawing the blonde's attention to the small boy across from her.

"Yes Tommy," she replied, smiling softly at the bouncing boy.

"I need a wee." He stage whispered with both hands cupped around his mouth.

His voice carried loudly across the table. Delilah giggled behind her hand while the adults hurried to hide their grins.

Betsy leaned across the table, blue eyes twinkling, and whispered, "Okay sweetie." Pushing from the table she said loudly to the rest of the table. "We'll be right back. Tommy and I just need to go somewhere for a few minutes." One of the men moved to come with them but she pinned them with a stare and raised a brow. "Really? We're only going to be a moment. Sit down. We'll be right back."

After several long seconds, the red headed man grunted and nodded his head. "Fine. Just know I am not happy about this."

"Noted."

Following the signs, the blonde led Tommy down a narrow corridor and into a small bathroom. The small boy hurried into the cubicle, his feet doing a strange little jig, before shutting the door firmly behind him. With a shake of her head, Betsy walked over to the mirror as she waited. She groaned as soon as she saw her reflection.

Her hair, which had been in tidy curls before they left the house, now looked as if she hadn't seen a hairbrush in a month. Tutting, she pulled her hair up into a knot on the top of her head even she heard the door open behind her. Heeled shoes clicked across the floor.

"I'm not waiting. The other stall is free." Betsy stated, staring at the newcomer in the mirror. "Oh sorry, Carol. Tommy should be out in a moment."

"I actually wanted to speak to you." The other woman stated.

Swallowing past the dryness in her throat, Betsy turned and faced the other woman. She was dressed in a pair of pale pink trousers, a cream silk blouse, and a pearl necklace hanging around her neck. She was shuffling uncomfortably, her eyes focused on the floor.

"Okay. I'm listening." Betsy replied, leaning back against the sinks, her hands clutching the edge tightly.

"I wanted to say thank you," Carol muttered, her voice strained and her face tight. It was as if the words were being drawn out of her by force. "Thank you for treating the children so well and for not turning them against me. I know how easy it would be to make them hate me. They know and trust you more than they will ever trust me."

"I'm sure that will change. You're already starting to get through to them." Betsy reassured the woman though in her heart she wasn't so certain.

The older woman's smile was brittle. "Even after how I have acted towards you, you still try to comfort me. How can a person be so nice? What are you after? What do you want?" She folded her arms and set her hard state on the petite blonde. "Is it money? I can tell you now that you won't get very far with any of those tricks. The last one who tried to extort Nicholas met with little success."

Betsy stilled for a moment. She had heard stories of the previous housekeeper but she knew more about her by the lack of what everyone was saying. It appeared her predecessor was a real piece of work.

"I don't want anything like that. I only came for a job. I promise. And then –" Betsy paused, lifting a hand to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ears. "I love them both - Tommy and Delilah. I love them as if they are my own children. I'm not out to extort your family or to take advantage in any way."

Carol pressed her lips together, her eyes watching closely for several long moments.

"That remains to be seen." The woman muttered under her breath. She drew in a deep breath to steady her nerves and when she spoke again, her voice was loud though it still cracked over her words. "If you truly have no motives then help me. Help me get to know my grandchildren. They're the only part of my daughter I have left."

Betsy didn't even think about her answer. "Okay."

The quick acquiescence startled the older woman. Blinking rapidly, she glanced away just as Tommy emerged from the cubicle. Toilet tissue was stuck to his shoes, his top was half tucked into his trousers, and his hair was sticking up on his head. Oblivious to what had been happening just seconds before he smiled that innocent smile of his – the one which promised mischief was going to happen soon if he wasn't distracted from his mission.

"Look at you. Come on, let's get you straightened out. Then we can go and have some lunch. Doesn't that sound good?" Betsy asked the little boy, lifting her gaze to the stiff bodied woman behind him and offered a smile. "Grandma wants you to tell her all about what you are going to do at the park later. Isn't that right?"

The woman blinked rapidly and cleared her throat awkwardly. "Yes. Yes, I would like that very much."

As the trio left the bathroom, Betsy felt like they had managed to make some progress. Not a lot but it was a start.