The Honeymoon of Nanny Kendal and Berjes

Berjes and Nanny Kendal got married by moonlight on the beach at Yelena and Kennedy's Twikkii Island vacation home.

Yelena and Kennedy had offered to give their former butler a big wedding at the Andropova-Cox house, but Berjes told them that Kendal had said she'd be embarrassed to be the subject of any fuss.

So, the couple got married in a very private ceremony on Twikkii island.

Yelena wanted to get Kendal a nice present (though Berjes had insisted that the loan for two weeks of the island house was more than enough of a wedding gift), and gave her daughter the task of finding out what Kendal wanted.

Yulia's approach was to ask Meadow, who knew her children's nanny well.

"Hmmm," Meadow hemmed, "I bet she could use some clothes. She and Berjes will be on Twikkii Island for quite a while, and I can't imagine that Nanny owns even one swimsuit."

So, Yelena gave the couple extravagantly generous gift certificates at several of the clothing emporiums on the island.

While his new bride was upstairs bathing, and changing into her negligee (or so Berjes hoped), Berjes gently uncorked a bottle of the Veuve Cliquot champagne he'd brought to the island.

When Kendal came downstairs in her nightgown to join him, Berjes thought to himself: "Wow--what a looker I've got!'

"To my exquisitely beautiful wife!" Berjes toasted. Kendal blushed.

It was a cool night in the islands, so Berjes lit a fire in the upstairs bedroom.

He and Kendal settled onto the small bedroom loveseat.

"My dear," Berjes told his new wife, "I could not be more delighted that we are now wed. Please let me know whatever I can do to make you happy."

"But my dearest Berjes," Kendal replied, "you have already made me deliriously happy by making me your wife."

"I never thought I would have this in my life," she continued. "I had become quite accustomed to being alone, and having my infant and toddler charges as my only source of affection."

"Well, you have my affection now, dearest," replied Berjes, and he led her to bed.

************
Kendal was surprised to wake up by herself the following morning,

but then smelled the delicious breakfast aromas wafting up from the first floor.

"Berjes!" she exclaimed. "How delightful that you have made me breakfast!!"

"As I plan to do every day of our marriage, my dear," her husband assured her, as he set down plates for both of them.

"Let's eat up," he suggested, "and then go for a swim, and relax in the gazebo, and I will make you lunch, as well."

"Berjes, dearest," Kendal stated, "I don't even own a bathing costume. I think we first have to take advantage of your former employers' generosity with the clothing gift certificates."

The couple went shopping at the Twikkii Island boardwalk.

Kendal managed to convince her new husband to buy some clothes for himself.

"I feel a bit silly in this, dear," he protested, coming out of the dressing room wearing cargo shorts.

"Nonsense, dearest," Kendal assured him, "those look simply splendid on you. And so much better than the old-man shorts you were previously wearing."

Kendal picked out quite a few outfits for herself, and changed into her favorite of them before resuming shopping.

'Now I feel like I'm on vacation,' she said to herself.

The couple spent the afternoon on the boardwalk, and ate lunch there, before returning to Brickstone Chateau for the evening.

Berjes invited Kendal out to the gazebo for another toast.

"More French champagne, dear?" she asked. "You're going to spoil me!"

"No more than you deserve, my angel," he replied. "Now, let us dance."

************
"Coming to bed, dear?" Kendal asked as she emerged from the bathroom.

"Absolutely!" Berjes answered enthusiastically, looking up from the computer. "What a lovely frock you have on, my dear. Is that new?"

"Yes, I purchased it today at the boardwalk," she answered.

"You are certainly making fine use of Madam's wedding present!" Berjes observed.

"Well, it was so generous that it will be quite difficult to spend all of it," Kendal responded.

'But I'm certainly going to try,' she thought as she plumped up her pillow.

************
'I married quite a clotheshorse,' Berjes observed to himself the following day, after Kendal modeled a new swimsuit while they built a sandcastle,

wore a new dress for their outing to South End Beach

(where Kendal realized that Yelena's gift certificates could also be applied to jewelry),

insisted that Berjes get another new outfit

("You look so distinguished, my husband!" Kendal flirted),

and changed into another new dress for dinner.

"I seem to have married quite the fashion plate," Berjes teased.

"Oh, as a young girl my dream was to have my own clothing shop," reminisced Kendal.

"But that came to naught, I'm afraid. No money."

"Perhaps my granddaughter and her husband could help you start a shop, if you wish," suggested Berjes. "They seem to be doing so well at their car dealership, and Randy certainly has a head for business."

"Oh, no," Kendal demurred. "I couldn't possibly accept such largesse. I'm happy just being your wife, and a nanny."

************
Several days later, Kendal was cleaning up after breakfast, and Berjes was out running errands.

"I could get used to this," Kendal sighed, as she put the breakfast plates into the dishwasher while wearing a $300 nightgown.

The phone rang.

"Hello, Andropova residence," Kendal answered, formally.

There was a momentary silence on the other end of the line. "It's Damian," a male voice said.

Kendal's heart skipped a beat. "How did you get this number?" she asked, her mind racing.

"Oh, I read about your 'impending nuptials' in the paper," the man answered smugly. "Yelena Andropova is big news, so anything that touches her is also big news. Even if it's just her former butler getting hitched to some local, 'well-regarded' nanny."

Kendal caught her breath. She had tried, via her tiny and extremely private island wedding, to avoid any publicity whatsoever.

"So," the man continued, "I called her husband's architectural office, and explained that I was your nephew, had been away on business in Singapore, and had only just gotten your message about the wedding--a non-existent message, as you and I both know--and that I was soooooo very sorry that I had missed it, and that you now seemed not to be answering your cellphone." He paused, and chuckled.

"I don't own a cellphone," Kendal responded.

"I know that," said the man. "But Kennedy Cox doesn't. He suggested that perhaps you didn't have cellphone coverage in Twikkii Island, and then he gave me this number--to his own vacation home. The unsuspecting sot," he laughed.

"He's a nice man!" Kendal said, panicked, though she was wary of angering her caller. "What do you want?"

"What do you think I want--I need more money," the man answered.

"I've given you nearly every cent I've earned in the last 10 years!" Kendal exploded. "I've lived in poverty because of you!!"

"We both know that was your choice on how to handle the 'situation'. But don't think I don't appreciate it," the man said, silkily.

"Damian," Kendal sputtered, "I simply cannot give you any more money. I am old, and tired. I finally have a husband, and I would like to live out whatever years I have left in peace."

"If you don't cooperate, I'll tell him," the man threatened.

"But you promised!" Kendal argued, horrified. "You promised years ago that you would never tell him!!"

"Situations change," the man answered, calmly. "The global economy is bad, and some of my more 'creative' investments haven't done as well as I'd expected."

Kendal heard Berjes coming up the front walk. "I have to go," she hissed urgently into the phone.

"Fine," said the man. "I'll call again--'Auntie'," he laughed, and abruptly hung up.

Kendal hastened to place the phone back in the cradle before her husband came through the door.

"I have the creme fraiche you wanted, and the sea urchin roe," Berjes announced gaily, putting his purchases into the refrigerator.

"I'll have you know I am expecting a splendid lunch, my dear!" He stopped short when he saw her face.

"Is anything wrong, my love?" he inquired.

"Oh, no, not at all," Kendal assured him. "I was just thinking about your idea about the clothing shop. I really think I'd like to undertake it, if you think your granddaughter and her husband would really be willing to help me get started. I'm just sure I could make money at it," she said, earnestly.

"Delightful!" exclaimed Berjes. "How wonderful it will be for us to have a project together!!"

************
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: To my great surprise, Nanny Kendal Lawson turned out to be a Fortune Sim, with an LTW of earning $100,000. Not to mention the other reason she seems to have for needing money....