She asked the footman to tell her what it all was before selecting two pieces of fruit, one she’d never had before and a pear which was her favourite, plus a few slices of cold meat. And finished it off with a small roll with a butter rose.
Her plate was barely half full, but she didn’t think she could eat more.
“Anything from the hot buffet?” the footman asked. When she gave him a blank look, he gestured behind her.
She turned. She rose instinctively to get a closer look at the sideboard weighed down with dishes. Bacon, sausages, porridge, and three kinds of eggs were all kept warm over little flames. Halverton’s voice cut across the table.
“The servants will bring it. Sit down.”
He’d already returned to his paper.
She sat. “Anything from the buffet, miss?”
“No, thank you.” The footman set the plate before her and stepped back. She forced herself to eat slowly, mind turning. So much food. More than they could ever finish, even with all the servants.
She waited until Halverton’s attention drifted to the newspaper, then tried to slip a small roll into her sleeve. His voice came without looking up.
“Eat it.”
She froze. “It could feed my brother and sister,” she said.
“It is not for them. It is for you.”
She wanted to argue, but didn’t. Yelling would do nothing. She drew a breath instead. “Thank you for the food,” she said evenly.
What would Cormac do? The thought popped into her head unbidden. Cormac would leap across the table and strangle him. She almost laughed out loud at the image, quickly hiding it behind a cough.
If she couldn’t take food herself, perhaps the servants could help her. There had to be a way. She mulled it over as she ate. Halverton continued to read.
Aoife was nearly finished when the butler stepped into the room. “My Lord, Mr Edrith is here to see you.”
“Who?” Halverton asked without looking up.
“The harbour master, sir.”
“Tell him his timing is most inconvenient, and I shall speak with him later.”
“He did say it was urgent, sir.”
Halverton finally put his paper aside. “Very well, show the man in.”
The butler gave a curt bow before backing out of the room.
Halverton folded his paper and laid it down on the table.
A short, rotund man entered the room, hat in hand.
“What is it, man?” Halverton asked, sounding exasperated. “And whatever it is, it had better justify disturbing my breakfast.”
The man twisted his hat in his hands before he spoke. “It’s the loading cranes, sir.”
“What about them? Spit it out, man.”
“They’ve been smashed to smithereens, sir.”
Halverton banged a fist on the table. “You have the perpetrators in custody?”
The harbour master gripped his hat harder. “No, sir.”
