Free A British Bride by Agreement by Therese Stenzel Page B

fine, just a couple of scrapes
really.” She kept her attention on wiping her hands and forehead.
    A small grin formed on his lips at her
sudden embarrassment. He took the cloth from her and cleaned away the rest of
the dirt from her forehead. On impulse he kissed her forehead. “All better?”
    “Yes,” She melted at his tender
attentions like butter on scone. “But all this adventure has actually made me
hungry.”
    As they stepped out of the store, he
caught a glimpse of one of his favorite restaurants. Der Gelphaus . The
Yellow House. “Let’s go eat some lunch.”
    With his arm firmly around her waist and
an eye roving for more photographers, he directed her through the crowd until
they entered the quiet atmosphere of the refined eatery. The restaurant smelled
of warm chocolate and fresh-baked bread.
    Immediately the proprietress, dressed in
a traditional green wool suit with a red feather sticking out of her felt hat,
greeted them. “Herr Steller, it is my pleasure to serve you again. The private
room is available.”
    His chest welled with pride. Now Emma
would experience travelling as a Steller. “The pleasure is all mine .” He kissed both cheeks of the older woman.
    Immediately they were escorted past a
large waiting crowd, upstairs into a small chamber with vaulted ceiling and a
view of Petreskirche ,
the oldest church in the inner city of Munich.
    High backed, wooden chairs were pulled
out and linen napkins placed on their laps. A cook, wearing his white garb,
came into the room. “Herr Steller, Guten Tag .”
    Jonathan stood and shook his hand. “Gustaf, good day to you as well. I’d like to introduce you
to the new Mrs. Steller, my wife, Emma.”
    She smiled and waved her injured hand. “ Gruss Gott . I greet
you with God.”
    Jonathan shot a look at Gustaf as he
offered a brief nod and answered her back. “ Gruss Gott .”
    Before Jonathan could ask Emma how she
knew that quaint greeting, Frau Tasse bowed. “Gustaf
is here to cook what you would like for your mittagessen , er, lunch.”
    Emma’s eyes widened. “Anything we want?”
    Jonathan settled back into his chair.
“Whatever you like, he will prepare. And I would like a steak, baked potato,
and green beans.”
    “Jonathan, you’re jesting. We must enjoy
the local food. Schweinbratan, knodel, sauerkraut, and
schwarzwaldkuchen.”
    “ Schwars —what?”
    “Black forest
cake.”
    “How do you know all this?”
    Gustaf bowed. “Shall I follow your
wife’s desires?”
    Jonathan’s mouth
quirked. “Sure, yes, that would be fine.”
    “ Vielen Dank .” Emma said to
the cook as he left the room. “I just said many thanks to him.”
    “Did you learn the language in your
sleep last night?” Jonathan shook his head.
    “I just picked up these German phrases
books before we left. I like learning new things. I guess it’s like music, it
just comes easy to me.”
    He took her hand and squeezed it. “Well,
I’m impressed. Would you like to explain to me the workings of the local
government?”
    She smiled. “No, but I can tell you that
I am touched by how kind you are with everyone you meet. You didn’t have to
offer to pay for that horrid man’s camera. I’ve known some posh people who were
such—”
    “Snobs?”
    Emma laughed.
    And he savored the sound.
    He also enjoyed the delicious array of
local cuisine prepared for them. How could he have spent so much time here and
not tasted much German food? It was amazing. After the dishes were cleared,
Gustaf brought in coffee and dessert.
    She took another nibble of her apple
strudel. “This is the best I’ve ever had.”
    “Waiter,” Jonathan held up his hand.
“Another Apple Strudel for my wife, bitte .” He smiled broadly. “Aren’t you impressed I said please ?”
    “Very
impressed.”
    By the tilt of her head, he wondered
what she looked like as a child. What would it be like to have a little girl?
“Do you have any thoughts about children?”
    She paused sipping her