AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The maid ducked her head. “Of course, ma’am. Follow me.”
The castle was so impressive, I kept stopping to stare at paintings and pieces of furniture along the way It was like a Hollywood movie set, ornate and intricate, but without the tell-tale cracks in the façade. The whole place was like nothing I’d ever seen before in real life.
By the time I was finally shown into a huge room containing a long dining table, the maid’s sighing had taken an annoyed tone. She made a quick exit as soon as she delivered me to the door.
“Come in, please.” Henryk walked over to meet me.
He looked even more scrumptious than he had earlier, in a casual gray shirt that was open at the neck and a pair of black jeans.
His eyes lit up as he stared at me, his gaze raking my body and settling a little too long on my cleavage, not that I minded.
“You look lovely.”
I took his hand with a smile and my skin flushed. His hand was warm, his touch gentle as he led me to the table. “I wasn’t sure what was appropriate to wear to eat in a castle. Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. You look perfect.”
We sat together at one end, where only two places had been set. Even though I was quite happy with the thought of it just being us, I looked at him and the thoughts in my head were spinning dangerously. Us. Together. On the table.
I swallowed hard. “It’s just us?” I asked Not that I wanted anyone else to join us. My thoughts were leading me in directions they shouldn’t, and more people here at the table likely wouldn’t have stymied the effect. But I was glad it was just the two of us.
Henryk nodded. “Yes. My parents are in London.”
“You still live with your parents?” That was a surprise. I’d loved my parents immensely but living with them was unthinkable. My mother woke every morning at dawn’s early light and thought because she was up, everyone in the house should also be awake. And there were only so many baseball games a girl could watch and care about batting averages or ERAs. A grin spread across my face.
There was nothing wrong with living with his parents, of course. I wasn’t one to judge. And the “house” was big enough that chances were, if they didn’t want to, they wouldn’t have had to see each other.
Henryk tilted his head and stared as if he was trying to figure out why I would ask such a question. “Yes, I do.” Maybe it was odd to him that I didn’t live with mine. I didn’t ask.
I hadn’t lived with my folks since I turned eighteen and went off to college.
I glanced at the place setting. There was a lot of silverware for one person and one meal. “So, what’s for dinner?”
There were a few men in matching whites standing against the walls, but other than that, there wasn’t another soul to be seen. And certainly, no food.
Henryk smiled and lifted his hand. “We shall see, though I assume Cook will have made something traditional. She usually does.”
A line of servants walked into the room then, each carrying a covered tray. My eyes went wide. That was a lot of food and we were only two people. One of the staff put a tray in front of me and another set a tray in front of Henryk then they removed the silver covers by the round handles on top.
The scent of smoked pork wafted on the air and my mouth watered.
“This isJudd mat Gaardebounen,” Henryk explained. “Smoked pork, broad beans and boiled potatoes.”
“Smells delicious.” And the presentation was artful, aesthetically pleasing in a way I’d never noticed food to be. I was almost ashamed to cut into it with my fork, but I was also hungry and hunger won. I took a bite and salty goodness burst over my tongue. Oh God. This was so good. “Mmm. Yum.”
“Would you like some wine?” He waved to one of the servers, who moved forward with a bottle of what looked to be pinot noir. Henryk nodded and sat silently as the waiter poured us each a glass.
I didn’t usually drink much, but when in Rome... “Thank you.”
As we finished each course, a new one was set in front of us and I ate. And ate. And ate. Each plate was more delicious than the last. When we were finally at dessert, I sat back in my chair. It was a fluffy pudding kind of thing—coconut, if I had to guess by the scent—with whipped cream and toasted coconut on top.
When I sat back again, I’d never been so full. “That was incredible. Thank you.”
Henryk cocked his head and even with narrow eyes as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, he was gorgeous enough that looking at him after a few seconds of not looking at him made my breath catch. “It’s nice to see a woman who enjoys her food.”
I frowned. “Who wouldn’t enjoy a meal like that?”
He leaned back in his chair and studied me. It took him a few long seconds to reply. “You’d be surprised.”
