Chapter 39: Trapped In The Kitchen (1)
"Breakfast is about to be served." Fredrick announced audibly as he rang the little golden bell in his grip, using it as an instrument to summon the servants who uniformly stepped out of the kitchen with different varieties of food on a tray.
Isabella, who was feeling hungry for not having to eat anything since she was on diet for the past two days, instantly perked up at the lines of food being brought to their table by the servants. She could already feel the taste of each and everyone of the dishes as their warm aroma invaded her nostril.
Madeline came down from the stairs and made her way to the dining room after mustering up enough courage to face everyone. To her relief, Cassian was already present in the dining room, and he was busy conversing with his sister when she walked in. Standing like a lost puppy, Madeline had no idea where to sit, or how she was supposed to sit with them. Their dining room was elegantly massive with a long rectangular table in the middle.
There were more than twelve elegant chairs surrounding the table as though they were expecting more guests, and at the head of the table, the Duke himself was sitting there with a hard expression on his aging, yet handsome face. One could easily tell that the Duke was a fine man at a young age, and a fearsome one as well.
Madeline gulped when she noticed how grim his expression was, and she hoped that she’d be able to have her breakfast without getting into too much trouble with anyone.
"Maddie." Her head jerked to the direction of the voice that called her name. Cassian had stood up from his seat and was walking to the entrance of the dining room where she had glued herself. To Madeline’s surprise, his hand snaked around her slim waist, forcing her attention to his face, and he gestured for her to move forward.
Clearing her throat and putting aside the feeling of his warm touch around her waist, he led her to his seat and pulled the chair out for her in a gentleman style. Inna greeted her good morning once she sat down to have her breakfast, and she nodded her head once, indicating to Madeline that she had nothing to worry about.
Feeling at ease a bit, Madeline had the intention of greeting everyone, but the oppressive silence in the room wasn’t giving her that chance.
Cassian sat at the table facing Madeline and Fredrick rang his little bell after seeing everyone had settled. The servants moved quickly to dish out their breakfast and Madeline uttered a silent thank you to the servant who had dutifully served her her meal.
"Lord, I am famished." Isabella broke the silence once she got served her meal of toasted bread with egg and bacon. Abbot poured himself a glass of juice and all the while, he kept sending glares at Cassian’s direction, while the young lad winked playfully at him in return, darkening Abbot’s mood.
"Can we all have a peaceful family breakfast today without the glares and silent threats?" Juliana uttered, already aware of what was going on since Cassian had decided to join them for breakfast today. His presence always brought along something disastrous but she didn’t dare mention his name, knowing Elaine would certainly strike her back for it.