Jack flashed his aunt a grin, and Gaby nearly did faint.
Madon!When he smiles, he’s even more gorgeous. If that’s even possible.
Jack set her down on one of the comfortable chairs in the dining room. The remnants of a smile still hovered on his lips.
“Thank you,” Gaby said, her eyes meeting his again. She felt the same intense heat she’d felt last night; an almost overwhelming desire to ask him to carry her upstairs and make mad, passionate love to her for the rest of the day.
She looked away, wondering if the roguish gleam in his eyes meant he could read her thoughts.What is wrong with me? I better get a grip on my unruly crush on Jack, or I’ll never get back home.
“Now, let’s get you something to eat,” Lady Darling said as she sat beside Gaby.
The sound of breaking china startled them, and they all turned toward the butler’s door that led to the kitchen.
“What the devil?” Jack said.
Another crash was followed by a barrage of curses shouted in Italian.
“Stay here,” Jack ordered them. “A thief may have stolen in through the kitchen.”
He strode toward the door, but before he reached it, it swung open, and Mrs. Livingstone came running out, clutching a bottle of amber liquid to her breast.
Someone inside the kitchen screamed in a voice that sounded demonic to Gaby’s ears. Something like the girl in theExorcistmovie. “Give that back to me, you witch!”
Someone else yelled, “Duck!”
An object hurtled through the swinging door, barely missing Mrs. Livingstone and Jack. It smashed against the wall, shattering into a thousand pieces.
Jack steadied the lady’s maid. “What in God’s name is going on in there?”
“Signora Fratelli has been swizzling, and I’m afraid she’s quite blootered,” Mrs. Livingstone said, catching her breath. “She refuses to cook and is hurling dishes at anyone who dares defy her. I managed to grab the bottle she was hiding, but now she’s threatening to kill me.” Her words were almost drowned out by another crash of crockery.
Lady Darling turned to Gaby. “I’m terribly sorry that you have to witness this, my dear. Signora Fratelli is a talented cook, but given to a temperamental nature when she indulges in the drink.” She looked at Jack. “Oh, my dear, whatever will we do?”
“What complete and utter nonsense!” Jack shouted over the fracas. “I’ll tell you what we’ll do.”
Gaby jumped up from her chair. She’d known Jack less than twenty-four hours, but she knew he had a short fuse, and the thought of his killing the cook had her racing to the door to avoid disaster. She beat him to the butler’s door, determined to stop further damage. Diplomacy would invariably be better than violence. Besides, she’d encountered enough temperamental chefs in her training and learned how to deal with them.
But Jack was not to be dissuaded. “Oh, no, you don’t.” He grabbed her around the waist just as Gaby swung open the door. She gasped, and Jack growled. “God’s blood!”
A heavyset woman wielding a meat cleaver stomped toward them.
“Stand down, woman, or I’ll be forced—”
“Jack, don’t!” Gaby shouted, unthinkingly calling him by his first name. “She’ll kill you.”
His reaction was instantaneous. “I think not, my daring lass.” He wrapped his arms around Gaby and turned with his back toward the door, effectively keeping it from swinging open.
Another crash was followed by more cursing and a tremendous thud as something heavy smacked the door, and a clatter as it landed on the floor.
“That sounds like a pot,” Gaby whispered. “And a hefty one at that.” She turned in his arms to face him. “Please let me go. I think I can calm her down.”
“I think not, my sweet. Not until I know it’s safe.”
It seemed forever, but it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes when the cursing and crashing of crockery stopped, and he let her go. “Get behind me.” She nodded, and he eased open the butler’s door. Gaby snuck in under his arm and peeked in.
The cook was slumped on a chair, snoring, her hair and clothing covered in flour. Littering the floor were broken plates, cutlery, pots, and pans. The counters and walls were smeared with smashed tomatoes, and upturned bowls of lemons and various other fruits and vegetables were scattered over the large wooden island in the middle of the kitchen.
Gaby was filled with anger and dismay at the destruction. The woman was a menace to herself and the entire household. Not to mention the waste of good food and all the damage she’d done.
