Page 60 of One Night with an Earl

She nodded curtly. “That required good foresight. Come, Miss. Let us speak in private.”

Rather than lead Ana to her chamber, Mrs. Hannings took her to the kitchens. The heat from the ovens warmed her cheeks, and she inhaled the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread. “Cook has finished with the bread and will return for the midday meal later. Meanwhile, I have something for you.” She set a plate before her.

Ana’s eyes widened in surprise. “Baklava!”

“It was your mother’s favorite, and Cook still prepares it in her honor. It’s a favorite with the staff as well.”

Made of thin sheets of hand-rolled phyllo dough filled with walnuts and cinnamon and sweetened with a sugar syrup, it was a delicacy. Ana picked up the pastry, and her eyes fluttered in delight as she bit into the flaky dessert. “It’s perfect. I haven’t had this in so long. Thank you.”

The woman’s lips curled in a small smile. “Now that I think about the past, it wasn’t just your mother who had a taste for it. I remember your brother’s sticky fingers all over the pantry from the syrup. I never punished him. I could never resist his chubby cheeks.”

Ana smiled as more memories returned. “Adam had adorable cheeks, but a mischievous nature. He’d beg me to sneak him baklava. Anything sweet, really.”

“Cook makes other dishes, too. Shawarma, shish kebab, and falafel. The old staff remembers your mother well—the kitchen maids and scullery maids. We try to keep many of your mother’s traditions alive. A special celebration for Christmas on January sixth. Roasted lamb for Easter. Traditions she observed, mostly privately.”

“Why privately?”

“She wanted you to be accepted by the aristocracy, not tainted as a foreigner as she was at times.”

Ana shifted in her chair. “She rarely spoke of difficulties.”

“Your mother was a lady. She bore slights with grace so that you would not have to.”

Ana wished with all her heart that her mother was alive. She wanted to learn more, inquire about their shared culture and all that her mother had sacrificed for her.

“That you for telling me.”

Mrs. Hannings occupied the chair across from her. “’Tis a shame what happened to your family. Your parents were lovebirds and happy, but life is cruel and took Lady Woodbridge too soon. Your father’s soft heart was the cause of his ruin.”

Ana swallowed a bite of pastry. “He was selfish! And weak! The baron failed us and left me alone to care for my brother.” Shocked at her outburst, Ana covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“Nonsense. There is no need to apologize. I can see you have had a hard go of it. I remember you as a young girl, then a young lady. You were a pleasure. As for your father, he was just a man with a broken heart, a man who made mistakes.”

“Terrible mistakes.”

“Yes, but now you have found your own love.”

“I do care for Penelope.”

“Not your charge, miss. But the earl.”

Shock flew through Ana. “What? I do not love Lord Drake.”

“You care for the man. I saw it the first time I spotted you together. First when your gazes met across the dining room, then today when you returned together from your ride.”

“You saw?”

“I happened to be looking out the window. Your smile captivated the earl. He is a duty-driven man, and I have never known him to grin and laugh so easily.”

Anxiety tugged in her gut. “Does it bother you that the former earl stole Rosedown from the baron at the gaming tables? His firstborn son was no better.”

“I agree the old earl was a bad man as well as his first son. But the second son, the current earl, is different. He takes his position seriously, cares for the estate, and has never mistreated the staff.”

Ana rubbed her temples.

“He is good man, and Rosedown thrives under his care,” Mrs. Hannings continued. “He does not shirk his duties. Nor does he drink or gamble. The servants have never seen him with a woman or mistress.”

She had seen evidence of Oliver’s attention with her own eyes. She had already begun to separate Oliver from his father’s sins. She also trusted him not to reveal her secrets as Lady Scarlet, and she had come very close to indulging in more.