Nanny Interview Number Two

JP with Jaxx and Cindy

May 12, 1889
Mid-morning
Liz's House

"Thank you, Miss Lavigne." Elizabeth nodded. "If you open the left drawer on the very top, you will find a button, please press that for me."

Only a moment after Lily pressed the button, Jordan walked in with the next candidate. This woman looked almost the opposite of the last one, dressed in a powder blue dress with little white flowers. Her whitish hair framed her soft wrinkled face, with gray blue eyes. She looked like a grandmother, the kind one would bake cookies with.

"Lady Elizabeth, may I present Nanny Jane Shapter." Jordan announced.

"Greetings, Lady Elizabeth." Jane greeted with a curtsey.

Elizabeth noticed that this Nanny was also British, not surprising, and that Jane greeted her prior to taking in her surroundings. Exceptionally polite.

"Please, Nanny Shapter, have a seat." Elizabeth said.

"Thank you," Jane responded, handing over her references before sitting down.

Elizabeth paused deciding what to ask first, this woman had to be getting near retirement age, maybe past it. So, out came her first concern. "I do not mean to be indelicate but, well, how is your health?"

"Oh, I get by dear. I can keep up." The Nanny responded.

"Do you know the story of the children you will be watching?" The Eldren asked.

"Oh, yes. Those poor dears, I feel for them. I was supposed to retire in about six months but I am willing to put it off to help them." The Nanny responded.

"What kind of activities would you do with the children?" Elizabeth asked.

"Play. Bake cookies. Teach the girls to cook, sew. Outdoor play is good for children. Let them use their imagination. Read to them." Jane responded.

Elizabeth nodded, "Do you speak French?"

"No, I only know English, I'm afraid. Is that a problem?" Jane sounded concerned for a moment

"Not necessarily," Elizabeth responded. She then motioned to Lily. "This is my private secretary Miss Lavigne, she is helping me conduct the interviews. Miss Lavigne, would you like to ask a question?"

Lily jotted her notes and, when asked for her questions, she looked up and smiled as she asked, "What disciplinary tactics do you use when a child is having a tantrum? and What are the major challenges of being a nanny and how do you overcome them?" Lily then prepared to write the verbal response as well as the response from her body language.

The candidate was attentive towards Lily. "Discipline should be given with love, never cruel. A tantrum is, in my experience over wanting something, the child just cannot have the item if they throw a tantrum over it. If a child is tired or hungry, then the issue is that and that is what needs to be addressed."

Elizabeth seemed satisfied with the response and didn't interrupt.

"The major challenge of being a nanny, well there is one big one that many younger nannies have problems with. Not overstepping." Jane was calm in her response. She seemed comfortable and confident but not overly so. "What I mean by that is I am aware that while being a guiding force in the children's lives I am not their mother. I will help but have no intention of trying to replace their parents. I overcome that by having the correct mindset for the job."

"How do you handle emergencies?" Elizabeth asked the woman.

"I have worked for two different families, one was a human family of 7 children. I had my share of emergencies that happened. I keep a calm head, that is important. I also know some basic first aid which is useful. I can handle smaller things, normal childhood maladies and injuries." Jane responded.

Elizabeth looked over towards Lily to make sure she had gotten everything down..

Lily wrote everything down as well as her physical responses. Then Lily asked, "If the children have a lot of energy will you be needing an assistant?"

"There are three children. From my understanding, is that correct? I am afraid I was not given their ages." Jane commented.

"Yes, there are three. The oldest is a boy 12, he works as a delivery boy for me. He is busy a good deal of the time and probably won't be in your care much. The middle child is a girl, a mature 8 year old. The youngest is also a girl of six, she is precocious and, likely, the one you will have to try to keep up with." Elizabeth explained.

"In that case, I would think an assistant would be of use." Jane responded with a nod. "I do wish I was younger, but time has a way of slowing down the body."

"Why did you leave your last job?" Elizabeth asked.

"The children grew up, I left when the last one no longer needed me." Judy replied.

"While I will be hiring a tutor for the children," Elizabeth began, "I am curious about how you plan on helping during that time."

"I would think keeping the child that wasn't being occupied with studies at that time would be the most important thing for me. I would help in whatever other way I could." The nanny responded.

Elizabeth turned back to Lily to see if she had any other questions.

Lily finished up her notes and smiled as she asked, "Are there any health concerns we should know about Nanny Jane?" Lily was concerned that Nanny Jane might over do it keeping up with the children.

"No, I have been thoroughly checked out and given a clean bill of health. Obviously, I realized my age might be a factor but I will do my best to keep up." Jane responded. She came across as honest, at least to Elizabeth.

"As you probably realize you would live here. What kind of schedule could you comfortably do." Elizabeth asked.

"I would prefer Tuesdays and Thursdays off but I am available any other time." Jane responded. "If only one day a week, then Tuesdays."

"Are you a Spiritualist?" Elizabeth asked, knowing Tuesdays was a day they had their gatherings

"Why yes. I am." Jane responded.

Elizabeth didn’t think much about that response either way, it was becoming a fairly common religion. She also knew Spiritualists weren't big on forcing their beliefs in others so she wasn't concerned about that. "Miss Lavigne, did you have any additional questions?" Elizabeth asked

Lily jotted her notes down and replied, "No ma'am." She smiled at Nanny Jane and then checked on her notes.

"I believe that is all the questions I have as well. " Elizabeth responded. "Did you have any questions for me?" She asked Jane.

The older woman thought for a moment, "Will there be an adjustment period allowed for the children to get used to me?"

"Of course," Elizabeth responded politely. "I would assume that will be necessary. The children have never had a nanny before and it will take sometime."

"Thank you, that was all the questions I had." Jane responded.

Elizabeth stood up and saw the older woman to the door. Once Jane had left, Elizabeth closed the door behind her and walked over towards Lily. "So, your thoughts on Nanny Jane?"

Elizabeth has her own opinion, but wanted to hear Lily's.

Lily replied, "She is a good candidate but hiring her means looking for a reliable assistant that would work well with her. At the very least she would be a good second tier choice. What is your take, Lady Elizabeth?" Lily was making some notes as they spoke.

"I agree with you. I do like her. Her age is definitely an issue, but she seems like she would definitely have the children's best interest at heart and she's worked for the Order for years, meaning she's highly qualified. Mark her as a possibility." Elizabeth responded. "I am getting rather parched. Would you like something to drink?"

Lily smiled and nodded as she replied, "A spot of tea would be nice. Are you feeling peckish as well, Lady Elizabeth?" Lily wanted to know if they needed a snack as well to raise her energy levels.