Free Sample
Preview from chapter one
CHAPTER 2
A few minutes earlier, when Helena arrived in the kitchen to continue preparing lunch, she sat down and let out a long sigh. Her eyes drifted toward the pantry door. The ingredients were running low. She had no idea what to serve their unexpected guest — especially since the man claimed to be the grandson and new master of the manor.
“Helena, why do you look so down?”
Maria, the senior maid, stepped into the kitchen through the back door. She was Italian, with warm olive skin and dark brown curly hair that fell to her shoulders. Her hips were fuller than the others. Before coming to the manor, she had worked for a year in a city restaurant, married, returned to work briefly, then divorced six months later when her husband ran off with another woman. After two full years at the restaurant, she had been brought here to serve at the manor.
“I don’t know what we’re supposed to cook for lunch, Sist Maria.”
“Just cook as usual, with whatever we still have.”
“But we have a guest,” Helena said, her gaze empty. “A man who claims to be the grandson of the old master. He’s here to take the place of our master who died three months ago.”
Maria’s expression froze. She stared at Helena as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
“You’re not joking, are you? We have a new master?”
Before Helena could answer, Lucy and little Emily came in from the front yard, having finished cleaning the grounds.
“We have a guest?” Little Emily asked. “We saw a black van in the parking lot.”
“There’s a man who says he’s the grandson of the late master,” Helena repeated.
“What? A man? The old master’s grandson?” Lucy’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “What does he look like, Helena? Is he liking a prince charming in fairytales?”
“That isn’t important right now, Lucy,” Maria cut in. “What are we going to cook for lunch? We only have two hours left.”
“Oh no…” Little Emily looked worried. “What if we have to follow the traditional manor menus from the old book? Should we just use whatever is left in the pantry?”
“I don’t have any better ideas,” Helena admitted.
“We’d better wait until Mr. Thompson comes back from cleaning the west grounds,” Lucy suggested. “He’s the one who handles the manor’s money. Mrs. Henderson only keeps the books.”