Free Maid to Be Mine: A Regency Cinderella Story by K.L. O'Keefe Page B

appear undaunted. “But I have a high tolerance for pain, and I'm certainly not the sort of lady who swoons over a drop of blood.”
    “ I didn't think you were.” After wrapping her hand, he gave it a gentle pat. “There. Now, why don't I give you another task to perform? Would you like to make the bread?”
Her hands defiantly went to her hips. “I'm perfectly capable of cutting onions!”
    “ I'm sure you are. However, I thought you might want to take a break, what with your cut hand and all.” He motioned toward the opposite end of the kitchen, where ingredients had already been assembled. “You should find everything you need. Eggs. Flour. A recipe. Should you need further instruction, I am happy to assist.”
    “ I'm sure I can... figure it out,” Cynthia said, though her voice was filled with hesitation. As she read the recipe, the corners of her mouth were sagging. Cooking certainly wasn't as easy as she imagined it would be. She almost preferred working in the stables!
    “ So, I'm sure you've heard...” Robert spoke up, “your Lord Charmington will be here for supper.”
    Cynthia gasped. “ He is ?!”
    “ He is.”
    “ I don't know what's more shocking...” As she spoke, she started measuring and combining the ingredients. She didn't want her bread to be a disaster, so she tried to be as accurate as possible. “The fact that he's coming for dinner, or the fact that you actually called him Lord Charmington .”
    “ I said it for your benefit, but he'll always be Lord Magnificent to me.” He punctuated his sentence with a dreamy sigh, which had Cynthia rolling her eyes yet again.

    * * *

    When Lord Charmington entered the dining room, he was fashionably late. His greatcoat was also covered in flecks of snow.
    “ Oh my!” Georgiana gasped when she saw him. “You're covered in snow! It's snowing out there?!”
    “ It is.” There were empty chairs beside Edith and Georgiana, but James chose to sit next to Roland, which seemed like the safe bet. “This morning, it was only a few flurries. It's coming down much harder now.”
    “ An unseasonable snow...” Georgiana said, awed. “The other day, do you remember me telling you it was unseasonably cold? It must mean we are going to have a difficult winter.”
    “ Indeed,” Lord Charmington agreed. “Anyway, ladies, it is a pleasure to see you again. Please pardon my late arrival... the weather was cumbersome.”
    “ You are forgiven, my lord,” Jemima said. “Besides, we are thrilled to have your company, regardless of your time of arrival.”
    James smiled at the ladies' mother. “I am glad to hear it.”
    Roland puffed out his chest, which seemed to accentuate his unfortunate mammaries. “You said it was your pleasure to see the ladies. What about me , my lord?!” His voice squeaked, as if he was truly offended.
    “ It is a pleasure to see you too, of course.”
    “ Your hair,” Georgiana giggled. “My lord, it is covered in snowflakes!”
    Alerted to the presence of the flakes, James tried to dust himself off. “My apologies. I did not mean to arrive in such a disheveled state.”
    “ Oh, there's no need for apologies. You look quite handsome like that. Like some sort of snow angel!” Georgiana declared, and her candor earned her a cautionary glance from her mother.
    Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Robert was preparing to serve the first course. He tried to hand a plate to Cynthia, but she shook her head.
    “ I can't.”
    “ Pardon?”
    “ I can't go in there!” Cynthia exclaimed. “I can't show myself to Lord Charmington. I've been ordered not to approach him.”
    One of Robert's eyebrows was comically raised. “Why? Is he a carrier of the plague?”
    “ Goodness, no. My stepmother does not want me within his line of sight. She thinks it will distract him from Georgiana.”
    “ Well, unless I can successfully sprout a new arm within the next few seconds, I can't carry all these plates on my own,” Robert said. “You're