breakfast while we men finish the hard work.”
She squeezed Rebekah’s hand, smiling despite herself, at Reed’s taunt. “I suppose I should not be cross at him, no matter how maddening he is, should I, Sweetheart?” She was trying to make Bekah smile, with no results. “After all, he’s teaching me what I should know about running the house and taking care of you and your brothers. Hard to believe that because of Reed Gilbride, I will be able to give you a good home, as soon as Sunnyledge is mine. But let’s pretend we are angry for a while. It’s what those men deserve.” But when she saw how much the children enjoyed the milk, Chastity was so grateful, she couldn’t even pretend anger.
By the twinkle in Reed’s eyes, she guessed he sensed that she forgave him. “I also bought flour, salt, and corn meal in town,” he said.
Chastity stared at her work-sore hands. He had spoken with pride, as if he wanted to be applauded, except that all she could think of was the fact that her money was gone. “I cannot repay you, until I receive my next allowance.”
When she looked up, Reed shrugged. “No repayment necessary. I’m eating, too. If I teach you to provide for yourself and the children, I can live my life in peace knowing you’re able to care for them when you leave.”
“Of course.” Chastity ignored the pain his words caused, wondering why it existed at all. She wanted free of him, as much as he wanted to free of her and the children. “Now I have all the supplies I need to bake bread.”
He all but gaped. “You know how to bake bread?”
“I’m not stupid.”
“But you did not know how to do anything else.”
“I can do a great many things, Reed Gilbride. It’s just that most of them have nothing to do with cooking. The sisters baked bread every Saturday to distribute to the poor. I helped. It was the most fun ever, growing up.”
“Sounds like a delightful childhood.” Like mine, Reed thought, reminding himself not to allow an affinity with the provoking sister and her bandit brood to take root. “If you can bake bread, you can bake corn cakes. Tomorrow I would like corn cakes dripping with fresh sweet butter for breakfast.”
Reed went to the scullery to get the butter churn he had repaired and scrubbed. While they watched, he skimmed the heavy cream from the top of the milk, poured it into the churn and replaced the lid. “This is all you have to do.” He pumped the plunger a few times. “Who can do that?”
Luke jumped up and down. “Me, me.”
“How about Rebekah. Do you want to do it first?”
She whimpered and hid behind Chastity.
Reed’s frown relaxed. “All right. Luke, you do it. Good, now put some force into it. That’s right. When you get tired, give Mark a turn, and later maybe Matt will want to try. As the cream turns to butter, the mix gets thicker, and the handle gets harder to move. It takes time, so do take turns.”
Chastity followed Reed to the scullery while the children worked the churn, inspiring each other to speed. “Is that all there is, and we have butter?”
“We drain off the buttermilk and save that to make cheese.” Reed laughed at her grimace. “After you master butter-making, we’ll try cheese. When the children are done, we’ll put the butter in a bowl, throw in some salt, and as the old lady used to say, we knuckle and knead.”
“Old lady?”
“Old lady, old man. That’s what I call the people who had no choice but to raise me. I could never think of them, much less call them, my parents. Still and all, they taught me to take care of myself and brought me up as best they could, I suppose, despite a dozen children of their own. One thing that puzzled me about my childhood, though, but now gives me hope, is the fact that the Squire tutored me.”
“Why would your education puzzle you, and why should it give you hope?”
“No one tutored the other children. I always wondered where Old Man Gilbride got the money to pay the
She squeezed Rebekah’s hand, smiling despite herself, at Reed’s taunt. “I suppose I should not be cross at him, no matter how maddening he is, should I, Sweetheart?” She was trying to make Bekah smile, with no results. “After all, he’s teaching me what I should know about running the house and taking care of you and your brothers. Hard to believe that because of Reed Gilbride, I will be able to give you a good home, as soon as Sunnyledge is mine. But let’s pretend we are angry for a while. It’s what those men deserve.” But when she saw how much the children enjoyed the milk, Chastity was so grateful, she couldn’t even pretend anger.
By the twinkle in Reed’s eyes, she guessed he sensed that she forgave him. “I also bought flour, salt, and corn meal in town,” he said.
Chastity stared at her work-sore hands. He had spoken with pride, as if he wanted to be applauded, except that all she could think of was the fact that her money was gone. “I cannot repay you, until I receive my next allowance.”
When she looked up, Reed shrugged. “No repayment necessary. I’m eating, too. If I teach you to provide for yourself and the children, I can live my life in peace knowing you’re able to care for them when you leave.”
“Of course.” Chastity ignored the pain his words caused, wondering why it existed at all. She wanted free of him, as much as he wanted to free of her and the children. “Now I have all the supplies I need to bake bread.”
He all but gaped. “You know how to bake bread?”
“I’m not stupid.”
“But you did not know how to do anything else.”
“I can do a great many things, Reed Gilbride. It’s just that most of them have nothing to do with cooking. The sisters baked bread every Saturday to distribute to the poor. I helped. It was the most fun ever, growing up.”
“Sounds like a delightful childhood.” Like mine, Reed thought, reminding himself not to allow an affinity with the provoking sister and her bandit brood to take root. “If you can bake bread, you can bake corn cakes. Tomorrow I would like corn cakes dripping with fresh sweet butter for breakfast.”
Reed went to the scullery to get the butter churn he had repaired and scrubbed. While they watched, he skimmed the heavy cream from the top of the milk, poured it into the churn and replaced the lid. “This is all you have to do.” He pumped the plunger a few times. “Who can do that?”
Luke jumped up and down. “Me, me.”
“How about Rebekah. Do you want to do it first?”
She whimpered and hid behind Chastity.
Reed’s frown relaxed. “All right. Luke, you do it. Good, now put some force into it. That’s right. When you get tired, give Mark a turn, and later maybe Matt will want to try. As the cream turns to butter, the mix gets thicker, and the handle gets harder to move. It takes time, so do take turns.”
Chastity followed Reed to the scullery while the children worked the churn, inspiring each other to speed. “Is that all there is, and we have butter?”
“We drain off the buttermilk and save that to make cheese.” Reed laughed at her grimace. “After you master butter-making, we’ll try cheese. When the children are done, we’ll put the butter in a bowl, throw in some salt, and as the old lady used to say, we knuckle and knead.”
“Old lady?”
“Old lady, old man. That’s what I call the people who had no choice but to raise me. I could never think of them, much less call them, my parents. Still and all, they taught me to take care of myself and brought me up as best they could, I suppose, despite a dozen children of their own. One thing that puzzled me about my childhood, though, but now gives me hope, is the fact that the Squire tutored me.”
“Why would your education puzzle you, and why should it give you hope?”
“No one tutored the other children. I always wondered where Old Man Gilbride got the money to pay the
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