Wedding Matilda (Redcakes Book 6) Read Online Free Page B

yourself?”
    “I’m not in the habit of serving secretaries,” she snapped.
    One side of his mouth tilted up. “And yet you brought a large pot of tea and two cups.”
    She glanced down at the tray and remembered he was correct. “I suppose I did expect you would drink.”
    “But not that you would pour?”
    Resigned, she set her bowl back on the tray, expecting it to still be half full, but she had scraped it quite clean already. “Sugar or cream, Mr. Hales?”
    He ran his free hand through his hair, tousling it further. “I am amused by how much more formal you are than the rest of your family. Of course, I do not know Miss Rose, but I know Lady Hatbrook and Sir Gawain quite well.”
    “Our educations were entirely different. Rose and I went to finishing school. Alys and Gawain were working in the factory by the age of nine, as was our late brother Arthur.”
    “So you younger girls were raised to be ladies and the others weren’t?”
    “Exactly.”
    He squinted, as if considering a major decision. “I will take cream.”
    She poured a generous dollop into a cup, noting how fresh it was, then poured the tea. “I find the first flush of Darjeeling doesn’t need anything to improve it.” She handed him the cup, then took her own dark brew.
    “I did not know that was what you had chosen. You are, of course, correct.”
    “Have you become a connoisseur, working here?” she asked.
    “I’d like to think so, despite my lack of finishing,” he said, that hint of a smile on his lips.
    “I suppose you are allowed to sample whatever you like?”
    “Lord Judah and I often lunch together,” he said. “I make the selections. And Sir Gawain gives us samples of every new tea he brings in from India. I probably know his product line better than ours.”
    “Will you stock the tearoom in Kensington with the same selections, or do you have your own ideas?”
    His brow furrowed suddenly, a quite fierce expression overtaking his face. Matilda was taken aback. Had she said something wrong? Her understanding was that the position was his when the new tearoom and emporium opened in late summer.
    “I think we should discuss the cakes,” he said after a moment.
    “Very well,” she replied, wondering how she had overstepped her bounds with him. It wasn’t as if she was at risk of losing her position over a few spoiled cakes, irritating though it was. “Tell me what is wrong so I can fix it.”
    He stood and went back to the outer office, then returned with two of the white and gold Redcake’s cake boxes, utensils, and plates. She put her bakery tray on the floor so he could set down his cargo.
    “One of these cakes has been cut into; the other has not, but they are both from last week’s shipment.” He opened the first box, showing three-fourths of a cake.
    She wiped her fingers on her napkin as he sliced a piece from the cake and handed it to her on a plate. “Smells fine.”
    “I’ve never thought cake could be smelled over frosting.”
    She put her finger to it, rubbed the cake. “Seems a bit crumbly, but then, it’s been open to the air for a while.”
    He nodded. “Taste it.”
    Somewhat reluctant after just having eaten, she took a sip of tea to clear her palate of tart and took a small bite of cake, avoiding the frosting. She frowned. “Unusual.”
    “Powdery.”
    She took another bite and rolled it around in her mouth. “Talcum?”
    “Some adulterant like that.”
    “Our suppliers haven’t changed,” Matilda said, putting the plate down. “Don’t we use the same suppliers you use here?”
    “Lady Hatbrook made some changes recently, trying out suppliers from Liverpool your sister’s fiancé told her about.”
    “I see. What about the other cake?”
    He opened the second box and wiped his knife clean, then allowed her to slice into it. She noted a few crumbles as she sliced, more than normal. He shook his head when she automatically offered him a sliver of the cake. It had the same taste