Page 55 of Wed By Proxy

“What the devil…?” murmured another voice from the stairs.

“Morning Rob!” sang out Mathilde. “Do come and join us!”

Robin yawned and approached warily. “It’s early,” he pointed out. “Why aren’t you abed?”

“Lord Martindale woke me throwing stones at my window.”

Prudence and Rob both turned to look at Guy with interest.

He cleared his throat. “Mathilde, fetch the toasting fork,” he said. “I’ve cut the bread.”

Mathilde stared down at the blackened implements next to the fire. “Which…?”

“The double-pronged one.” He anticipated her question. She picked it up and he helped her spear a hunk of bread. “Now hold it out to the flames, but not so close as to burn it.” Placing his hands on her hips, he adjusted her stance to the correct distance from the fire, then returned to the shelves in search of bowls.

“I’m doing it!” Mathilde said excitedly, turning to Rob.

“Look out, it’s getting charred at the edges,” he recommended, reaching down to lift his cat to his knee.

They all turned at a soft knock at the door, and to Mathilde’s surprise Waldon appeared in the doorway. He gave a slight start of surprise when he saw the kitchen full of people.

“Ah Waldon,” said Prudence loudly. “Did you bring the, uh, salt I requested?

Waldon appeared to recover himself. “Oh… yes,” he said after the slightest pause, though he did not produce any.

“We haven’t enough eggs,” Mathilde lamented, at the new addition to their ranks. “Unless you’ve already broken your fast?” Waldon looked a little discomforted.

“I expect he thought he’d get it here,” Guy said impassively. “Come in man and sit yourself down.”

“There’s two eggs left over from yesterday, milady,” Prudence piped up. “In the pantry.”

“Oh good! Guy…” she turned to address him, but he was already heading in that direction to retrieve them.

“You’ll need to take out the first egg,” he said over his shoulder.

“The first egg?” Mathilde peered doubtfully at the four eggs in the pan. She could only recognize the disastrous second egg. “Umm, I’m not really sure …?”

Guy returned and glanced down at the pot. “The speckled one,” he said.

“Oh, well done!” She found the spoon and fished it out with the utmost care. “Who shall have the first egg? Prudie!” she decided before anyone could speak. Guy passed her a bowl and she slid the egg into it, added the toasted bread and brought it to the kitchen table, setting it down before her maid.

“Thank you, milady,” Prudence said briskly.

“Here’s butter,” Mathilde added, sliding it toward her. “And let me see, what else do you need? Salt!” She turned to Waldon. “Perhaps…?”

“We have salt we have not yet finished,” Prudie interrupted her hastily. “In that box,” she said pointing to a shelf.

Mathilde fetched it, surprised to find it full to the brim. She set it down and watched Prudence crack the egg open with her knife, before turning back to pick up the toasting fork. Guy was retrieving the soggy mass of the second egg.

“I’ll have this one,” he said.

“There’s a spare now, so you need not.”

“I’m sure it will taste fine,” he assured her. They finished preparing the rest of the food together and presently all five were seated around the table, elbow to elbow.

“Very nice,” Prudie pronounced, finishing first and pushing away her bowl. “Food somehow always tastes better when someone else prepares it.”

Mathilde wondered if that was true. She was taking great enjoyment from her first self-prepared meal, but perhaps as Guy said it was the novelty of it that appealed to her. She turned to find him watching her. “How was your spoiled egg?”