The Formidable Earl (Diamonds in the Rough #6) - Sophie Barnes Page 0,21
footing, and stared at Miss Strong, who’d somehow materialized directly behind him in the hallway. “Where the hell have you been?”
She crossed her arms and raised both eyebrows. “I was hungry, so I went to get something to eat.”
Simon’s anger deflated. A knot formed in his gut. It was hard for him to remember when he’d last felt as small as he did in that moment. What had he been thinking?
“Christ,” he murmured, recalling the lovely breakfast he’d enjoyed hours earlier. He dropped his gaze and considered the tips of his shoes. “An obvious slight on my part for which I can only hope you’ll accept my sincerest apologies.”
Cretin.
He wasn’t used to setting up houseguests and hadn’t spared food a thought. At home it was simply always there and ready at the allocated hours.
“You’re as much of a fish out of water as I am, I suspect.” She offered a smile. “Change takes time to get used to.”
“Does that mean I’m forgiven?”
“Of course.” She cleared her throat. “Those are lovely by the way.”
He blinked, followed her line of sight, and recalled the flowers he still held in his hand. “Right. I mean, yes. They’re for you.” He handed them to her. “Not in a romantic or seductive way,” he quickly added when her eyebrows rose in surprise. “I just…thought you might like them. That’s all.”
Her smile widened. “Thank you. I’ve never received flowers from anyone before.”
Just as he’d suspected, then. A rush of warmth filled his chest, fanning out until it encompassed his whole body. There was something wonderfully satisfying about making Miss Strong happy. Perhaps because of how appreciative she was of things most women he’d known took for granted.
“Come on. Let’s find a vase.” She glanced over her shoulder at him while heading toward the kitchen. “How are your cooking skills, Lord Fielding?”
“My what?”
“Never mind. I’ll find out for myself soon enough.”
Simon dared not begin to imagine what she had in mind, but he followed her anyway, though not without a great deal of apprehension and a very succinct, “God help me.”
After appeasing her hunger with a steak and kidney pie she’d bought from a small shop two streets over, Ida had purchased all the ingredients she required for the stew and tea buns she wished to make. She’d set the basket she’d used for her shopping aside on the kitchen counter as soon as she’d walked through the door and heard Simon yelling. While it had not been her intention to make him worry about her, it warmed her to know he had.
“Would you please unpack the shopping for me while I see to the flowers?” Whatever his reason for buying them for her, she truly appreciated the gesture.
“Where should I put everything?”
“On the counter. Or on the table. Wherever there’s space.” She was sure she’d spotted a vase in one of these cabinets earlier when she’d been hunting for food. Ah yes, here it was.
She turned, and immediately blinked in response to the long neat row of items he’d laid out on the table. “It doesn’t have to be so organized.”
He gave her a quick look before pulling an onion from the basket and setting it down next to a bunch of carrots. “I like it this way.”
“All right, but you’ve mixed the baking materials with the items for the stew. Here, why don’t you fill the vase with some water and I’ll rearrange it.”
His expression was one of distinct disgruntlement but he didn’t argue. When he returned a short while later with the vase full of water, Ida had managed to switch a few things around without upsetting his attempt at order.
He gave her efforts a once over, then met her gaze. “You didn’t mess it all up.”
“Did you honestly think I would?”
“Maybe.”
“Considering the practicality of your sorting method, it would have been foolish of me to do so. Besides, you and I need to respect each other if we’re to get along amicably. Wouldn’t you say?”
“Absolutely.”
“Good.” She placed the bouquet of roses in the vase he held, her fingers inadvertently brushing his. An instant flutter gripped her heart and she took a step back, averting her gaze. “We’ll start with the tea buns. That way the dough can rise while we make the stew.”
“And by we, you mean you. Correct?” When she shook her head he held up his hands. “I am an earl and earls do not engage in chores. We hire people to do such things for us.”