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“I appreciate yer help today. It was nice to work with another lady again.” Mrs. Daly folded her hands and laid them on her lap. It was obvious that she wasn’t used to sitting down with the heads of the household. “Ye’re not at all how I thought ye’d be.”
Jacques brought in two glasses of lemonade and set them on the table. “I’ll be right back.”
Megan smiled and watched as he walked away. Then she turned her attention back to Mrs. Daly. “Oh? How’s that?”
Mrs. Daly took a sip of her lemonade, taking a moment to weigh her words. “Usually, the lady of the house spends her time telling the servants what to do, no offense.”
Megan took a sip of her lemonade. “None taken.”
“But ye… today… it was not at all what I expected. I’ll just leave it at that.”
Megan smiled. “I didn’t come from money, and I’m used to working for a living. Although running a household is a lot of work, it’s different than what I’m used to.” Megan didn’t tell her the level of poverty that she had come from. How her parents had quite literally starved to death in Ireland. How her brother had died defending her honor while walking her home from working late. How they had to live in a tenement with two other families. That she had promised her brother to make a new life, a better life for herself. No, it was best to keep it to herself… for now. “Let’s just say that this….” Megan gestured around her. “… is quite a different lifestyle than I’m used to.” She shrugged. “I guess old habits die hard.”
“Here we go!” Jacques proudly announced as the dining room door swung open and he set a tray filled with food on thetable. “We had a lot of food left over from the party, so I took the liberty of choosing for you. Enjoy!”
“Jacques, why don’t you get a plate and join us?” Megan asked as Mrs. Daly smiled.
“Nonsense!” He took her hand and patted it. “Although I appreciate the gesture, I have much to do.” Then he disappeared into the kitchen.
Megan knew better than to stand in his way. He was a man on a mission.
Mrs. Daly waited timidly. It was the first time since she had known her to be shy.
“Come on and help me eat this.” Megan handed her a plate. “There’s way too much for one person.”
Mrs. Daly smiled. “Well, if ye insist….”
“I do.” Megan took a plate for herself, and then stabbed a slice of roast and slid it onto her plate. Mrs. Daly soon forgot her hesitation and before long, both of their plates were filled. Megan smiled as she made a sandwich and took a bite, moaning with delight. “I think I was hungrier than I thought.”
“Well, ye worked up an appetite, Mrs. King.”
Megan smiled. “We both did.” Megan had a feeling that after today, Mrs. Daly may be a bit softer toward her now.
“So, did ye have fun last night?”
Megan nodded. “I did.”
She didn’t tell her about Dallas’s incident, though. That was the difference between her and Dallas. Although he was generous, he wanted to accumulate his wealth to prove to the world that he was worthy. Megan agreed that having money was important, but she would give it all if it would have saved her parents and her brother. If she could have married Dallas earlier when her parents and Liam were still alive, maybe she could have saved them. Then, she wouldn’t have hesitated to marry a man of means, if it meant saving her family.
Mrs. Daly took a bite of her sandwich and swallowed. “Ye should be pleased. It appeared that everyone in the town came.”
Megan gave her a weak smile. “Yes, it was nice meeting everyone. And it was fun dressing up.”
Mrs. Daly nodded, obviously sensing there was more that Megan couldn’t say. “Mr. King is very complex, but a good man.”
“Yes, he is.” Megan pushed the bowl of fresh fruit toward her. “But I think we need to eat this before it goes to waste.”
Although it was November and getting cold out, Dallas had somehow found a way to have fresh fruit. She guessed that you could have just about anything you wanted when you had money.
Soon, Megan sat back and placed her hand on her stomach. “Oh! I couldn’t eat another bite if I wanted to!”
“Neither could I.” Mrs. Daly sat back and rubbed her stomach. “Why don’t ye go to yer room and rest and I’ll prepare ye a warm bath. I’ll let ye know when it’s ready.”
“I can do it—”
“No, ye won’t,” Mrs. Daly cut her off, stacking the dishes onto the tray. “Ye’re tired. Go rest! I’ll come and get ye when yer bath’s ready.”
Megan nodded as she stood. Normally, she would say no, but she was just so tired. “Well, if ye insist….”
