Their Wife

Eleven

After an uneventful lunch with Henry, Kai, and Timothy, I found myself in the large, bustling, loud kitchen. Light streamed in through murky windows that line the tops of the walls into the dark room. The only other light source was the dull, yellow light fixtures that hung from the ceiling. The sound of metal meeting metal clanged through the air, ringing in my ears. Mouthwatering aromas assaulted my nose. I discretely had to wipe my chin to make sure I wasn't drooling as a tray of chocolate dessert was carried by.

Different areas could be distinguished from what the kitchen staff was doing. The back wall was lined with metal tables and sinks holding dirty dishes as a few younger boys franticly cleaned and dried them before stacking them on shelves. Another area consisted of boys who were washing and peeling ingredients before handing them off to men who sliced and diced them into piles. There were a few open fires with large pots hung over them against the wall beside me and stoves with chefs wearing their white hats cooking on the adjacent wall.

I stepped into the room and time seemed to still. The lively chatter and busy clatter stopped.

"What are you doing in my kitchen?" sneered an older man with a white hat by the stove.

I was momentarily taken aback by the venom in his voice. "I need to prepare the Lord's afternoon tea," I announced.

He scoffed and turned back to whatever he was cocking on the stove. "The tea supplies and snacks are over there," he said with his back to me, jerking his head towards a corner with a large metal door and a door labelled 'pantry.' Between the doors was a table that had selves above it holding boxes of teas, sugar cubes, and some fine china. "Get what you need and scram. We don't need no damned women in here."

I resisted the urge to correct his use of double negatives. "Thanks," I clipped out as I headed for what I needed.

I came to a stop in front of the shelves of tea boxes and began to panic. Shit. I don't know anything about tea or the men who were going to be drinking it. He always preferred coffee. How was I supposed to know what to serve them?

Sweat beaded on my forehead as I read the labels. Queen's red? Pixie blend? Fairy blossom? What the hell kind of teas were these. They sure as shit weren't earth ones.

Just as I was about to such up my pride and as the rude man for help again, my saviour came in the form of a skinny sixteen-year-old.

"Hey D, whatcha up to?" Kai asked as he appeared over my shoulder.

"Oh, thank God!" I felt the urge to hug him tight until he couldn't breathe, but I resisted because, well, I needed him alive and conscious to help save my ass. "Can you help me? I'm more than lost right now."

He grinned. "What's in it for me?"

I groaned. Of course he would want something in return. "What do you want?"

His smile widened, bearing his rocked teeth. "A little pixie told me that you managed to win yourself Timothy's toffee pudding from tonight's dinner."

Of course, he did. Timothy probably complained to him when I told him after lunch that he lost the bet.

"I want it."

"Deal."

"And yours."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "But don't you love tormenting Timothy?"

"Yeah..," he answered warily.

"So wouldn't you want him to be miserable during dinner?"

He nodded.

"What could be worse than having to watch everyone else enjoy their pudding while he has none? If I don't have any either, then he'll take comfort and joy in that fact."