The Duke's Bidding

Chapter 27

Arm in arm, the pair entered into the dining room. Elizabeth loved seeing its familiar yellow walls. As a child, her family dined here with the Duke and Duchess. A rosewood table sat in the center of the room, ten chairs with intricate floral carvings surrounding it. The Duchess' beautiful Viennese Du Paquier porcelain dishes with their rose motif livened the table. Two buffet stands, carved with the same rose pattern sat against the wall, one on each side of the large chamber. A set of footmen were setting up the soup tureen for the first course. One by one, the other guests quieted and stood as they noticed their arrival.

John led Elizabeth to the right side of the dining table, where a distinguished looking older man with long black hair stood garbed in a dark blue silk tunic. His shirt featured wide sleeves and a long seam of buttons running down the front. A young woman stood at his side, she wore a lighter shade of a similar style tunic. Stunning embroidered flowers and birds intertwining on the fabric giving the simple dress an elegant and formal appeal. "Elizabeth, may I introduce Tan and Mei. Tan is Mei's brother."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Tan, Miss Mei."

Tan simply nodded. Mei glanced at her brother, then at John. When neither moved, Mei executed an awkward curtsy, greeting Elizabeth. "It is nice to see you again," she said.

"Again?" Elizabeth questioned.

"In the ballroom," Mei replied.

"So much for being covert." Elizabeth's face flushed from embarrassment.

John squeezed her hand and smiled. "Mei is unusually observant," he added.

He walked Elizabeth around the table and introduced Jensen. Elizabeth recognized Jensen from before, when he was a servant here. He was dressed in the height of fashion and exuded confidence. It was obvious that he no longer held the position of a servant. There was so much she wanted to ask John about his time away.

"It is good to see you again, my la—" Jensen stopped short as John shook his head slightly. "—my you are all grown up."

"Well, yes, thank you?" She was grown up? Elizabeth noted the exchange between them. She would need to ask John about it later.

"And finally, this is Jack Foster." John pointed to a wiry man in his early twenties. He sported brown hair down to his shoulders, tied back with a black ribbon. "He will serve as Jensen's first mate on the voyage back to Boston."

"Ma'am," Foster said.

"Don't mind him, the English formality is lost on him," John said.

Foster shrugged, "Sorry."

As Elizabeth greeted the man, Jensen seized his plate and moved down two places, leaving the seat to John's right for Elizabeth.

"Here," John said. He pulled the seat out for her and nodded to the footman to start dinner. Just then Watson walked followed by a procession of servants.

"My lord, and honored guests, the first course. Soupe A La Julienne."

There was an awkward silence as the group sat waiting for the food to be served. Elizabeth enjoyed watching the regal way Watson stood as the servants distributed the bowls of the soup. In lieu of conversation, Elizabeth focused on the soup. The clear amber colored gravy was filled with ribbon fashioned cuts of turnips and carrots, and diamond shaped celery and onion pieces. The bread rolls were warm and fluffy on the inside and a thin crispy crust on the outside. Yellow roses in full bloom made of butter added an extra touch of whimsy to the carefully arranged table.