Chapter 494
[ 500 words ]
Chapter 494:
Caroline’s cheeks flushed, but she didn’t protest. She was suddenly, ravenously hungry. Agnes returned moments later with a steaming, oversized porcelain bowl and a basket of thick-sliced bread. Caroline picked up the heavy silver spoon and dug in.
She ate with a focus and efficiency that was born of long, interrupted shifts in an emergency room. She didn’t talk; she just ate, savoring the warmth that spread through her, chasing away the last of the chill from her journey.
Agnes stood by the fireplace, ostensibly to tend the flames, but she was watching the new Mrs. Romero. She had seen a parade of stuffy, self-important women come through this house. This girl was different. She ate like a normal person, not a bird. She had watched, over the past weeks, how the General’s spirits had lifted since Caroline had arrived in their lives, how he spoke of her, how the hard edges of his loneliness seemed to soften. She saw now, in person, the quiet strength that had drawn him in. And she saw the General watching her eat with an expression of open, unguarded tenderness. A genuine, fond smile touched Agnes’s stern lips. This house had been a mausoleum for too long. It was finally starting to feel alive again. If this girl was the one who could bring light back into the General’s eyes, then perhaps she was someone worth trusting.
“Jarrod’s deployment is for another thirty days,” the General said casually, watching her eat. “You’re not going anywhere. You’ll stay here, with me.” It wasn’t a question.
Caroline swallowed a spoonful of soup. She looked up at Agnes. “This is delicious, Agnes. Thank you for making it for me so late.”
The housekeeper’s stern facade cracked. She gave a small, pleased nod. “You are most welcome, Mrs. Romero.” The respect in her voice was real. This young woman was not entitled. She was grateful.
Ten minutes later, the bowl was empty, the bread was gone, and Caroline felt a profound sense of satisfaction. She stood up, gathering the bowl and spoon onto the heavy silver tray.
“I’ll just take this back to the kitchen,” she said, lifting the tray.
Agnes gasped, rushing forward. “Oh, no, ma’am! You mustn’t! That is my job. Please, allow me.” She reached for the tray.
𝗨𝘱𝘥𝘢t𝘦s 𝖾𝗏er𝘺 𝘸𝘦e𝗄 𝗼ո 𝗴а𝘭𝗻𝗼𝘷𝗲𝗹ѕ.c𝘰m
Caroline deftly sidestepped her. “It’s fine, Agnes, really,” she said with a warm smile. “I’m a nurse. I’m used to carrying trays. I’m not that fragile.”
She turned and walked out of the living room, leaving a stunned housekeeper and an amused General in her wake.
She found the massive, stainless-steel kitchen and placed the tray on a granite countertop. She quickly rinsed the bowl and spoon under the tap, leaving them to dry in the rack. Wiping her hands on a dish towel, she walked back to the living room.
The General had a mock-scowl on his face. “In this house,” he said, his voice a low growl, “the lady of the manor does not do her own dishes. That is a rule.”
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