“Daisy Greenhill is our cook. Mrs. Greenhill struggles with her eyesight these days.”
“Daisy is your cook and your housemaid? Perhaps she got her jars mixed up. Silver polish in the salt tin.”
“She’s gotten much better,” Cassandra said. “Only one side of the toast gets burnt now.”
“And have you considered replacing dear Daisy?”
In the one sentence, she demonstrated everything he hated about her kind. “I’m afraid people aren’t as disposable in our world as they are in yours.”
Amelia rolled her eyes. “I’m not saying chop off her head, but expecting one to do the job she’s paid for is hardly unreasonable.”
He stabbed his fork into the beef. “Daisy is an excellent housemaid.”
“The dust under my bedroom rug say otherwise.” It may have been said under her breath, but there was no doubt he was meant to hear it.
Benedict ground his teeth. Yes, Daisy struggled in the kitchen, and her attention to detail was not the best. But she was a sweet girl, and her grandparents had been working here since his mother and father had married.
In truth, he had been thinking about hiring a cook. Though he wouldn’t do it now and give her the satisfaction.
“Is there anything on this plate that’s safe to eat?”
“You’re exaggerating,” he bit out. He’d come in to dinner this evening fully prepared to raise the white flag if it meant restoring some peace and comfort to the house. But damn his wife was aggravating.
She folded her napkin and placed it on the table beside her. “Mr. Asterly, there were plenty of things I thought I was going to miss, living out here in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t think eating was one of them.”
Enough is enough.“Well, you’ll be pleased to know you needn’t suffer Daisy’s cooking tomorrow.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
Cassandra looked at him, confused, but he ignored it. “Tomorrow is your turn to cook.”
Amelia’s tight smile went slack. “Pardon?”
“We take turns in this house to do the primary chores. Cooking, shopping, cleaning of the common areas. Your personal rooms are your responsibility, of course.”
“You are joking.” His wife looked as aghast now as she had when their marriage was first proposed.
“I’m not.” Benedict was glad that Amelia had her horrified stare focused on him because his sister’s face was just as shocked. “I’ll have Daisy bring you the new roster in the morning.”
“If you think I’m going to scurry about in the dust, you are a bedlamite.”
He watched to make sure her hand didn’t twitch toward the dinner knife. Instead they were clasped together in front of her so tightly her knuckles had whitened.Good.“You were fool enough to travel alone and, in the process, upturned my life as well as yours. You’ve married into this world, my lady. The sooner you accept it, and everything that comes with it, the better.”
“This…I…” Her mouth opened and closed like a trout gasping for air.
It didn’t bring the satisfaction he was expecting, to see her speechless. So he toned it down. Slightly. “There are worse things than a life in the country.”
“Hmph. I daresay it’s an improvement on city slums or”—she shuddered—“Australia.”
Brilliant. Now she was comparing his house to a colony of thieves and murderers. He’d been a fool to soften. It made it easier for her to find a place to pierce.
She pushed back from her chair. “Cassandra, it has been lovely…eating…with you. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Good night, Mr. Asterly.”
With a swish of her skirts she stormed from the room. Cassandra slowly shook her head.
“It’s for her own good,” he said gruffly. “I trust you’ll keep this secret.”
“This is not going to end well.”
