Chapter 11
Two days later at the supper table, Désirée was surprised when the first course was a traditional French favorite.
When the second course turned out to be a staple of the Aquitaine region, her surprise narrowed into suspicion.
“Is it Christmas?”
Annie wiggled in her seat. “We have a new chef! Achef-chef!”
“AFrenchchef?” Désirée asked in disbelief.
Frederick’s head bounced in obvious excitement. “Does it feel like home?”
She spun to face Jack. “You replacedCook?”
“I did not replace Cook.” He served himself an extra helping. “Our kitchen now boasts a Cook and a Chef. English and French, living in harmony.”
“Mostly harmony,” Frederick murmured. “Chef yells a lot.”
“So does Cook,” Annie whispered back.
“But why?” Désirée stammered. “Not the yelling—the cohabitation?”
“I remembered what you said,” Jack replied. “About wishing you knew how to cook more French meals. Feel free to pester our new Chef as much as you like.”
“Désirée doesn’t ‘pester,’” Annie defended staunchly.
Frederick wrinkled his nose. “Chef will definitely think it’s a ‘pester.’”
“Not if she pesters inFrench,” Annie shot back.
Désirée shook her head in incredulity. “ItisChristmas year-round here. This is a lovely development. Thank you.”
It was all she could do not to dash immediately to the kitchen and present herself to the new chef.
Jack’s eyes crinkled smugly. “We’re glad you’re pleased.”
Shewaspleased. And a little confused. It was an extremely thoughtful gesture, as well as a way for her to more quickly prepare for re-assimilation into her ancestral home. It made her feel both valued and dispensable at the same time.
An odd sensation, now that her “few days” as interim governess had stretched nearly a month. There was no shortage of better qualified prospects to choose from. Perhaps this was a farewell present, meant to sweeten the goodbye.
“Tonight’s the star walk,” Annie said. “Don’t forget.”
Frederick huffed. “You used to want to go by yourself.”
“Now we’re going to go as afamily.” She glared at her brother. “All right?”
“All right,” he muttered. “We’re the Skeffington constellation. We go everywhere together.”
Annie brightened. “Tell that to Mrs. Pringle during the first part of the tour. She loves fictional constellations.”
“Eat,” Jack commanded. “Or we’ll miss the tour altogether.”
They ate.
Désirée pretended she could not also see them kicking each other beneath the table.
Although she had lived in Cressmouth for many years, she had never participated in the monthly “star walk.” Gloria Pringle, one of the area’s most talented astronomers, had been giving the famed celestial tours about the castle grounds for more than a decade.
