Rhenick strode from the kitchen and into the great hall, wanting to make certain it was still raven-free since the last thing he wanted was for Drusilla to find herself confronted with birds again when she returned from getting cleaned up.
Relief was immediate when he spotted not a single bird in sight, the few remaining ravens he’d encountered when he’d first entered the castle having decided to make use of the doors and windows he’d muscled open earlier.
After sending a nod to Mr. Grimsby, who was in the process of showing Rhenick’s footmen how to lay a proper table, something his footmen had not been expecting to ever learn until Drusilla’s butler had decided it would be beneficial for them to expand their domestic knowledge, Rhenick headed back to the kitchen.
He took a second to add a smidgen of salt to a simmering saucepot before he turned to Mrs. O’Sullivan, the Merriweather cook, who was in the process of chopping mushrooms.
“How are you coming with those?” he asked.
She gave the mushrooms a final chop and lifted her head. “That was the last one, so shall I move on to the lettuce next?”
“I think you should sit down and enjoy a nice cup of tea, something I suggested after we unpacked the provisions my mother and I brought.” He smiled. “If you’ve forgotten, you’ve experienced quite the day already, and I’m perfectly capable of pulling a lunch together while you relax and keep me company.”
Mrs. O’Sullivan waved that straight aside. “I’m not one to lounge about, Mr. Whittenbecker, and have always found the best way for me to relax is to work in my kitchen—one that I haven’t neglected to notice you’ve taken over.”
His smile dimmed. “I do beg your pardon, Mrs. O’Sullivan. I’ve just realized that I barged into your domain without a by-your-leave, a true impertinence if there ever was one.”
Mrs. O’Sullivan released a bit of a tut. “I wouldn’t say you were being impertinent, more along the lines of being determined to impress a certain young lady, that idea proven by the food you brought to cook for lunch today.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“It’s not subtle, that’s for sure, since you’re serving baked halibut in a mushroom cream sauce, paired with new potatoes, string beans, shrimp salad, and then strawberry ice cream to top off the meal.”
He winced. “It’s too much, isn’t it?”
“Of course not, because Drusilla will definitely be impressed, which is what you’re hoping to achieve.” She smiled. “I should also mention that she won’t simply be impressed because of the quality of the meal you’re preparing, but because she’s never had a gentleman make a fuss over her before, but...” Her smile slipped from her face. “If it turns out you’re trying to impress her not because you actually find her extraordinary, but because you want to get your hands on this castle, know that I’ve spent years wielding a knife.”
He inclined his head. “Point taken.”
“Glad we understand each other,” Mrs. O’Sullivan said.“With that out of the way, I’ll chop the lettuce for the salad while you finish pulling the tails from the shrimp.”
A comfortable silence settled over them as they returned to work, Rhenick finishing the shrimp before he stirred the sliced mushrooms into the sauce simmering on the stove.
“Have you been the Merriweather cook for long?” he asked as he added more mushrooms to the pot.
“More than twenty years, a good fifteen of those years spent sharing the kitchen with the Merriweather French chef, Monsieur Boulanger. He left the Merriweather service to take up a position with the Rothchild family the second it became known that Mr. Sanford Duncan had absconded with the Merriweather fortune.”
Rhenick abandoned the sauce. “Someonestolethe Merriweather fortune?”
“You didn’t already know that?”
“I knew something had happened because Drusilla mentioned a financial catastrophe, but she didn’t elaborate, and she didn’t whisper a thing about a Mr. Sanford Duncan.”
“I shouldn’t have said anything,” Mrs. O’Sullivan muttered as she returned to the lettuce, worried her lip for a moment, then lifted her head. “Since I’ve already let the cat out of the bag, though, and you and your mother are apparently here to help, which is more than I can say about any of Mrs. Merriweather’s fair-weather friends, who didn’t offer her so much as a single coin when society learned what Sanford had done, I’ll tell you exactly what happened.”
As Rhenick stirred the sauce so it wouldn’t scorch, Mrs. O’Sullivan took the next ten minutes to explain the basics of what had transpired with the Merriweather family, ten minutes in which he went from gently stirring the sauce to all but beating it, unquestionably because it was little wonder Drusilla had vowed to never marry, considering that the man who should have done everything in his power to protect her, one Mr. ElbertHerrington to be exact, had abandoned her instead. Elbert had then had the audacity, from the sound of it, to arrange for Drusilla to marry one of several men he’d sought out, even though Drusilla had never met those men.
“And there you have it,” Mrs. O’Sullivan finally said, wiping her hands on a towel. “The Merriweather ladies have certainly had a difficult time of it, Miss Drusilla more than her mother and Annaliese. To give that young lady credit, even though she’s been given trials that would leave most women curled up in a ball and refusing to get out of bed, she’s risen magnificently to the challenges she’s been facing.”
“And you believe it won’t be too much of another challenge for her to open up an academy?”
“From what I’ve seen since her father died, Miss Drusilla is capable of handling anything that’s thrown her way. Nevertheless, I can’t say I wasn’t relieved when I overheard your mother mention that bit about you and your family offering your assistance to get the academy doors open.” Mrs. O’Sullivan caught Rhenick’s eye. “Just between you and me, Miss Drusilla’s been worried about the state of their finances because, even though she managed to get that no-good Elbert to pay her for the return of the Herrington diamonds, that money isn’t going to last long. Having you help her open the academy sooner than later will surely take some of the weight off that poor dear’s shoulders.”
“Ifshe agrees to let us help her, something she’s yet to do.”
Mrs. O’Sullivan smiled. “Oh, don’t you worry about that. Drusilla is practical to a fault, and I can guarantee that she’s already decided your offer is a godsent opportunity she can’t ignore. But speaking of God...” She set aside the towel and moved closer to him. “I also overheard your mother and Norbert talking about the church you attend, and I would look upon it as a great favor if you could make a point to invite the Merriweather ladies to attend a service with you at somepoint. As I said, Mrs. Merriweather’s friends, if you can even call them that, lifted not a single finger to help her, although all of them sent their agents around when the Merriweather possessions were put up at auction to pay off the exorbitant debts Sanford ran up in Mrs. Merriweather’s name. Betrayals such as that are difficult to overcome, but I believe the ladies, along with Miss Seraphina Livingston, of course, would greatly benefit from making some new friends, and hopefully genuine friends at that.”
“I’ll be certain to ask if they’d care for me to escort them to a service soon, and you and Mr. Grimsby, as well as any other members of your staff, should know that you’ll be welcome to attend as well.”
