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He was fairly certain he shouldn’t be enjoying these secret looks as much as he was, but he couldn’t help himself.

“Can I ’elp with anythin?”

“I think we just about be done,” Mother said, motioning for him to take his seat at the head of the table.

As he did so, Poppy sat to his left, Mother to his right, and Miss Hollow finally took her seat directly across from him. They said their usual prayer over the food, then dished themselves a helping of leeks, turnips, and a pasty each.

“Thank ye for this, Morvoren,” Mother said, cutting into the pasty, the heat from the pocketed pastry bursting out in a plume of steam. “It be lovely to come ’ome and not ’ave to worry ’bout puttin’ food on the table.”

“It be the least I can do,” Miss Hollow replied.

Silence followed as she and the Honeysetts cut into their food. Trevik could hardly wait. Pasties had always been a favorite dish of his, and while the pastry looked a little clumsy, the smell was perfection.

Perhaps the woman could cook then.

He delivered a single, cooling breath to the pasty before popping a forkful in his mouth, rolling it around until the heat subsided. The first few chews were divine, the flavor of the meat and potatoes spreading through his mouth with delicious warmth.

And then…he paused.

With puckering lips, he prevented an outright shudder. How much salt had she put in these? He peered down at the pastry, swallowing his mouthful hard to prevent it from coming straight back up.

Glancing at the others, he watched Mother and Poppy flinch after their first few chews, then they delivered the same hard swallow Trevik had.

Miss Hollow, however, had yet to take a single bite. She peered happily down at her creation as the three of them watched her, each of them at the edge of their seats, awaiting her reaction.

She cut into the pastry, then scooped a modest portion onto her fork before eating the concoction herself.

After three chews, she paused, pulling back with a look of repulsion. “What—” She stopped abruptly, looking at the others around the table with horror. “Stop. Don’t eat the rest of ’em,” she finished, her mouth still full.

Mother spoke first. “What do ye mean?” Her voice was weak as she feigned confusion.

“The pasties,” Miss Hollow said, giving a shudder as she fought to swallow her own bite. “They be awful. Don’t take another bite.”

“Ye be too ’ard on yourself, dear,” Mother cooed. “They be a difficult meal to perfect, after all. They really be fine.”

“No, they be horrifyin’,” Miss Hollow said. “How did I manage that? They be saltier than the sea.”

Trevik’s lips twitched in amusement. She wasn’t exactly wrong.

Miss Hollow promptly stood, retrieving the tray the pasties had been on and popping hers back on in swift movements to avoid being burned. “I’ll eat each of these to avoid ’em goin’ to waste. But I’ll not have any one of ye suffer through another bite.”

“Oh, nonsense,” Mother protested. “They might be a touch salty, but we can eat ’em just fine, can’t we Poppy? Trevik?”

Poppy remained silent, staring at the unappetizing food with untrusting eyes. Mother, however, gave Trevik a look he understood at once.

He straightened, bringing the fork to his lips again. “No, ’tain’t bad at all.”

Miss Hollow shook her head. “No, stop!”

But it was too late. Trevik took another bite, attempting not to breathe so the taste of the pastry wasn’t so overpowering. After swallowing, he cringed in a half-smile. “See? Not bad at all.”

Miss Hollow shook her head all the more fiercely. “None of ye are foolin’ me.”

She went for Poppy’s plate first, who didn’t protest a lick as Miss Hollow swiped the pasty and placed it beside hers on the tray. “I do hate to think that ye’ll have to cook after all, Mrs. Honeysett, but I fear that ye must. I’ll not risk ruinin’ another meal.”

She took Mother’s pasty next, and though Mother allowed her to, she shook her head. “’Tain’t a total loss, Morvoren. The pastry be a tad salty, but the fillin’ be quite nice. S’pose we eat that and warm up the leftover likky pie from last night, eh?”

Miss Hollow eyed her warily. “Then I can eat the pastry?”