The Scandal in Kissing an Heir by Sophie Barnes

Author:Sophie Barnes [Barnes, Sophie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Historical romance
ISBN: 9780062245106
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2013-12-30T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

The sounds and smells that greeted Rebecca were not entirely unfamiliar. When her parents had been alive, she’d been forbidden from venturing below stairs for two reasons: first, because proper ladies never entered the servants’ domain, and second, because her parents hadn’t wanted her to get in anyone’s way. But, being the lively child that she’d been, such rules hadn’t been enough to stop her, and she’d many a time snuck into the kitchen to steal a freshly baked bun or two. Later, at Roselyn Castle, she’d entered the kitchen only once. After accidentally knocking over a bucket of water, the cook had yelled at her to get out, and her aunt had later punished her by sending her to bed without supper—the first warning of the sort of treatment she would come to expect from her relative.

Hesitant about what awaited her in the kitchen of Avern House, Rebecca allowed Daniel to lead the way. The rich aroma of meat mingling with spices drifted toward her, teasing her senses. When she finally entered the room itself, heat coming from a massive oven in the corner embraced her. She stepped forward and glanced around, taking in the vast array of copper pots that hung suspended under the ceiling alongside bunches of dried herbs. A middle-aged woman dressed all in black and with a rather shapely figure came into view. Rebecca stared as the woman grabbed a spoon and poured some liquid, which Rebecca suspected might have been wine, into one of the pots on the stove. Somehow she’d drawn the conclusion that all cooks were of the more plump variety, as had been the case both during her childhood and at Roselyn Castle. Clearly she had been mistaken and was only grateful that the woman she was now looking at was past her prime and unlikely to catch her husband’s interest.

Rebecca shook the thought away. What was she thinking? That Daniel would actually try to seduce the help? Even she knew that he was better than that, yet the thought had entered her mind without restraint, reminding her that she still worried about his ability to remain faithful to her, more so now that she’d actually given herself to him. The trouble was that she feared it wasn’t just her body he’d conquered on their wedding night but her heart as well.

“Rebecca,” Daniel said, taking her by the hand and leading her forward. “May I introduce you to Madame Renarde? A fine cook if I may say so.”

Of course she would be French, Rebecca mused. She smiled at the woman, who was also quite pretty, save for a slight burn mark on her left cheek. “I hope you don’t mind me intruding on your domain,” Rebecca said, “but I was curious to see the rest of the house. I am Lady Rebecca Neville.”

Madame Renarde smiled, her hand still stirring the simmering liquid in the pot. Whatever it was, it smelled heavenly. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my lady.

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