Free Love Beyond Belief (Book 7 of Morna’s Legacy Series) by Bethany Claire Page A

inhabitants of the castle I’d met so far—everyone was near starving at the hands of Anne’s food, so I wanted to make sure there was enough food for everyone to eat as much as they wished.  
    I couldn’t help but wonder why no one else took over the job of cook before I arrived if they all thought Anne’s cooking was so terrible. At second thought, I could tell she was the sort to never give up on anything. Chances were, she wouldn’t allow anyone else to take over even if they wanted to. I imagine the only reason she was letting me was because I was a trained professional, not one of her friends or family members constantly giving her a hard time about her cooking.  
    “It smells like heaven in here, lass. I could smell it all the way in my room.”
    I jumped at the sound and turned to see an old, frail-looking man walking down the steps and into the kitchen. His knees cracked loudly with each step, but it didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest. He never paused or slowed his pace at all. From his stature, I guessed he’d never been all that tall, but I could see there was certainly a time in his life where he’d been taller than he was now. Time curved his shoulders into a deep hunch, and I thought he looked much harsher than his voice sounded.  
    When he reached the bottom of the last step, he smiled at me, walking toward me with arms wide open for a hug. I happily met him halfway, delighted to be greeted so warmly. It made me feel at home with him immediately.  
    “I’m Jerry. Ye must be Sydney, our savior. I canna say enough bad things about the slop we’ve been eating as of late.”
    He released me and moved to sit on one of the stools at the island. I followed and sat down next to him.  
    “That seems to be the general consensus. Poor Anne. What she made me this morning looked beautiful, but looks can be deceiving.”
    Jerry chuckled and spun his stool so that he faced me.  
    “That it can. Are ye married, lass? Or do ye have someone that ye love?”
    I grinned and winked at him, teasing him with my answer. “Are you asking me out, Jerry?”
    “Ha.” The old man chuckled for a moment and then reached over to give my hand a tight squeeze. “No, lass. Ye are too pretty to be seen with the likes of me, though this day I’d gladly trade ye for my current wife if ye were only a half century older. I only ask because I wonder if ye know what it is like to love someone so completely all while being so angry with them that ye doona wish to see or speak to them for a month. The juxtaposition of my feelings has me feeling ill all over. Do ye know what I mean?”
    I couldn’t say that I did from firsthand experience, but I understood his meaning well enough.  
    “Not personally, no, but I think it’s a common malady of being married. I believe I’ve heard both my parents say something similar before.”
    “Well, then ye’ll understand that I’m so angry with her that I doona think I can sit through dinner with everyone pretending that nothing is wrong when there verra much is.”
    I pushed myself away from the island and immediately set about preparing him his own very special plate.  
    “I certainly do. It is my opinion that it is best to be genuine in all things. If you don’t want to be there, then there’s no need for you to show up and pretend that you do.”
    “I knew that I would like ye, lass.” He reached out and took the plate from my hands.  
    “Wait just a second. Let me pour you a glass of wine and a glass of water. I’ll follow up behind you so that you’re not trying to balance everything with two hands.”
    He nodded and waited patiently for me at the bottom of the stairs. It wasn’t until we reached another long corridor of rooms on the opposite side of the castle from my own room that Jerry spoke again.  
    “Thank ye for this.”
    Jerry paused and opened the door next to us, stepping inside and placing his plate down before turning to collect the glasses I held