Scandal of Love by Janelle Daniels Page A

all are not cooks, but I know that you have great skill in what you do.” The three women seemed to stand a little straighter with her praise.
    “I will not pretend that I have any skill in the kitchen, but I hope that between us we will be able to feed the household.”
    “Of course, my lady,” one of the women beamed. “I’m Mary. I bake bread here, but Cook has been teaching me to make eggs and how to cook and season bacon.”
    “Excellent. We will have you make breakfast then and bread for the day. Can you manage that?”
    “Yes, my lady,” Mary said with a curtsy, before hurrying to prepare the morning meal.
    Sera looked to the second girl, who blushed at the attention. “I’m Elizabeth, my lady. I mainly make pastries and desserts.”
    Sera smiled. “And they are delicious.”
    The girl blushed again.
    “Is there anything else you can make?”
    “I can do some vegetable side dishes. I’ve never made them for the household before, but I cook for my own family and they seem to like them.”
    “Excellent. Please prepare an arrangement of side dishes for dinner and dessert.” Sera turned her attention to the third woman. “Please tell me you know how to prepare meat.”
    “As a matter of fact I do, my lady,” the woman smiled.
    Sera sighed in relief. “Thank heavens! Please prepare the main dish for the evening meal.”
    “My pleasure.”
    “Ok, so all that’s left is lunch. Any ideas?” She looked at the three women.
    Mary’s eyes lifted. “It wouldn’t be fancy, but we have some cold meat for sandwiches.”
    “Sandwiches will suffice. We aren’t expecting any company today, so it will just be the staff, my father, and myself.” She gave one final nod. “Good work. I appreciate all the extra effort you are going to put in today. I’ll make sure my father hears about it.”
    The three women smiled and curtsied before beginning to work.
    “Very well done, my lady,” Lydia said after they had left the kitchen.
    “Thank you.” Sera smiled. She may not know how to cook, but her mother had taught her how to run a household smoothly. “Would you mind gathering the maids together? I would like to speak with them before they begin their chores.”
    “Right away.” Lydia left to round up the women.
    A few minutes later the staff began to arrive on the landing.
    “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I know you are all very busy. As you have heard, Mrs. Buttersly is ill and cannot oversee the chores today. Since I do not do this all the time, I hope to have all of your help to guide me through it.” Everyone smiled at their mistress’ thoughtfulness. “I assume you have daily chores that you do?”
    “Yes, my lady,” Lydia answered for the group.
    “Excellent. Are there any extra chores that need to be done today?”
    “No. We washed the linens yesterday and most of the polishing will keep for a few more days.”
    “Ok, then. Let’s just stick to the normal chores. If there are any problems, please come to me and I’ll see if I can find a solution. Thank you all for your patience today.”
    The accidents began shortly thereafter. A small vase broke in the library while dusting, resulting in a crying maid. She knew she would not be turned out for the accident, but she was so shaken up over it, she cried for almost a half hour. A footman had jammed his finger, incurring a call for the doctor to examine him. Luckily, he proclaimed that it was only a slight sprain and put a splint on it. The footman would be able to go about his duties with little pain.
    Sera plopped onto a chair in her parlor, completely exhausted from the day’s events. She had known how hard her servants worked, but it was completely different to spend a day in their shoes. They should get a raise. Every last one of them.
    Looking at the clock, she groaned. It was six o’clock and she was supposed to meet Quinton at a soirée in a couple hours.
    A throb started in her head, building with momentum until she