“Her leg is set, and Mr. Hanson, the stablemaster, expects it to heal quickly,” Serafina said, beaming at him.
A maid wheeled in the tea cart and began to pour and hand out plates of scones and dainty finger sandwiches to the duchesses, who chattered with excitement.
“And more importantly, she has found her home.” Serafina winked at Julian and leaned forward, and in a conspiratorial whisper said, “I think the duchesses enjoy her being here.”
“That is truly a fortunate outcome,” he said. He couldn’t help but smile at Serafina’s cheeky charm.
“Yes! I feared I’d have to move her to the manor house in Sussex where Uncle Carlton and Aunt Catherine live,” Serafina said. “The poor baby has probably been abandoned—or might never have had a home. I couldn’t add to that.”
“Indeed, but something tells me the Dowager duchesses didn’t stand a chance.”
Serafina bit her lip, but not before a stifled giggle emerged from those sweet, plump lips. She was so without guile and yet so unconsciously sensual that had they been in a private spot, he wondered if he could have resisted kissing her.
“Mr. Kerr, Serafina, do join us. Cook has outdone herself,” the Dowager Duchess of Featherly said.
As Serafina took a seat between the Dowager Duchess of Featherly and the Dowager Duchess of Granville, the Dowager Duchess of Featherly patted the seat next to her on the settee.“I believe you must have dropped this while you were packing your portfolio,” she whispered, handing the sketch to him with a twinkle in her eye.
He glanced down at the parchment in his hand, recognizing the drawing he had made last night from memory, of Serafina and Willow when she’d stood up from behind the wall, holding the dog, looking so adorably charming and befuddled with lettuce hanging from her lovely hair. “Thank you, Your Grace,” he said, tucking the sketch into his portfolio. He could feel his face flush slightly. He thought he’d left the drawing back in his studio.
“You’re quite welcome,” the Dowager Duchess of Featherly said, her eyes twinkling.
A half-hour later, Julian stood to take his leave. “Your Graces, Miss Davies, I bid you a good afternoon,” Julian said, reaching for the handle of his portfolio. “Miss Davies, if you are at the shop tomorrow, I hope you’ll allow me to escort you home.” He couldn’t resist asking her. Nor could he resist his first impulse to see her again.
“Yes. I will be there experimenting with some of my recipes in the morning. I would very much appreciate you escorting me home,” Serafina replied.
The rosy hue staining her cheeks was unmistakable. And he suddenly thought tomorrow could not come soon enough. “Very good.” Julian nodded, saying he would let himself out. As he turned to leave, his eyes met the Dowager Duchess of Featherly’s, and despite the bland smile she wore, her eyes were still twinkling.
CHAPTER 5
THE NEXT MORNING
“Willow, it’s time to taste our work. Keep your paws crossed,” Serafina said, holding a thick towel in her hands. Carefully, she pulled the hot pan of freshly baked biscuits from the oven and set it on the worktable before closing the oven door. “Mr. Hanson said you can tryoneblueberry cheese biscuit without upsetting your tummy. But just one,” she added, handing her puppy the biscuit.
Willow gave a soft “woof” and waved her bandaged paw, appearing to signal her agreement.
Serafina laughed and kissed the pup on the nose. “That’s a cute trick. But you must rest your leg, Willow. The sooner it heals, the sooner you’ll be able to run and play.”
“Woof.”
“I’m not sure if that’s agreement to resting the paw or if that’s meant to convince me to give you another biscuit. If you’re wooing me for another biscuit, it won’t work. However, Mr. Hanson said blueberries were fine to feed you, and I brought afat bag of those. So, I’ll reward you with a few—but just a few, because we need to use so many of them to juice to flavor the tea.”
The little dog eagerly took the small handful of blueberries and looked up at Serafina with a happy smile. Then, she turned in a gentle circle in front of the fireplace, finding just the right position for her injured leg before settling down comfortably on the small rug Serafina had placed there. Within a couple of minutes, Serafina heard a deep sigh followed by the pup’s cozy snores.I’m glad I found her,she thought.Not only is she adorable—especially with that charming underbite—but she’s also wonderful company and provides a comforting sense of protection.
She glanced over at the small wooden crate in the corner of the cabinet, full of ingredients she had secured from her aunts’ kitchen. The sack of almonds sticking out of the top made her mouth water, thinking of the almond-flavored biscuits she planned to bake from the new recipe that she’d practiced with Cook’s help in her aunts’ kitchen. She also planned to experiment on the delicious, sweet roll, layered with butter, cinnamon, and sugar that Cook had shown her. Since Mr. Hanson told her that experience had taught him that tree nuts, such as almonds, make dogs sick, she planned to give Willow another small handful of blueberries later when she woke up from her nap.
Ever since seeing one of her Aunt Catherine’s kittens get sick from eating some of the onion plants from her garden, Serafina was especially careful when giving any food to an animal without being certain that it would not be harmed. It was hard, though, since there was no ready guide—at least none she had found. She researched what little she could find on canine nutrition and planned to create a few safe recipes, drawing on advice from the local farriers and stablemasters.
There was so much to do. But Serafina could feel the excitement growing in the area. Two more of her uncle’s friends were opening businesses—a gift shop and an adjoining children’s toy shop—enabling people to shop for both adults and children in one place. Additionally, a new hotel with a dining room, similar to the Clarendon on Bond Street in London, was being planned—although Serafina knew nothing had been started on that, yet. She hoped to have her tea shop in full operation by that time.
The sounds of hammering, sawing, and shouting nearby made it hard to keep an ear attuned to the front, locked door. She was expecting Julian to stop by and escort her home. As she thought about him, she smiled, thinking about the enjoyable conversation they could have without her aunts around to eavesdrop. And she was excited to have him taste some of the treats she was baking. Given all the noise, she found herself having to keep running to the front of the shop to check for Julian.
She was up to her elbows in flour, kneading the dough for the almond biscuits, when she heard a loud thudding at the front door. Could it be Julian? Strangely, it didn’t sound like him. The Golden Duchesses had keys, as did Uncle Carlton—and all had warned her not to open the door to strangers. Even Edward had cautioned her not to open the door. She peeked out the swinging door of the kitchen into the dining area and spied a black-haired man wearing a tall black hat, dressed in dark trousers, a red satin waistcoat, and a dark tailcoat that matched his trousers. He peered into the large picture window of the shop front. Safely hidden behind a stack of crates at the end of the hall that led to the kitchen, Serafina had a good view of the man but didn’t recognize him.
She was about to ignore him and return to her work when suddenly, he started pounding on the window. She nervously bit her bottom lip, weighing her options.
The banging grew louder than the noise from the hammering, and had woken Willow, who began barking and growling, as if she sensed the man was a threat. Oddly, the dog hadn’t growled at anyone up to this point—man or woman. Willow was now beyond the end of the crates, bouncing around, pushing back on her broken limb, and growling a warning in the direction of the door.
The man continued to thump on the door and the window. He could obviously hear Willow’s barking and no doubt assumed that someone was here, aside from the dog.
