“Please don’t go to any trouble.”
“It’s no trouble. I’ll do everything I can to make you happy again.”
He grabbed her hand and led her down a hallway to a large kitchen. “Betty, I have someone here I’d like you to meet.”
An older woman with a sweet smile and a full figure walked toward them, wiping her hands on a towel. “Hello, Mr. Warner. Who might this beautiful girl be?”
She was shocked. They acted like everything was normal that she wasn’t practically naked with a large blanket around her body.
“This is Emily, and she’s going to live here with us.”
“Oh, that’s nice. We need some energy brought into the house, and hopefully, you’ll take more time to enjoy life, sir.”
Grey snorted. “I’ll try. Emily needs to eat. What have you got on hand?”
“Oh, my. Whatever you desire, sweetness,” Betty said to her.
Emily’s mind went blank, and she looked up at Grey.
He smiled gently and smoothed the hair from her face. “How about some soup and fruit?”
She exhaled and nodded.
“Have you eaten yet, sir?”
“No, and the soup sounds good.”
“I’ll have someone bring drinks to you.”
Grey directed her into a dining room. It looked and felt casual with a table that sat eight with comfortable cushioned chairs. There was a wide window on one wall that looked out to a garden.
“We’ll eat most of our meals in here.” He led her to a chair and urged her into it.
“Shouldn’t I be serving you?”
“No.” He took her hand. “You’re a guest here, Emily.”
“Guest?”
“Yes, for as long as you want. If you decide you don’t like it here, Mr. Marsh, the one who found out about you, has other choices for you.”
“But … you want me here?” she asked.
“Very much.”
She got distracted when a door opened, and two maids came out and set several dishes in front of both of them.
“It looks delicious, girls. Thank you,” Grey said.
Emily saw how happy they were and how relaxed the atmosphere was.
“Come on, sweetheart. Eat.”
She looked down at the bowl of soup. She hadn’t had anything like this in months. Most of the things they gave her to eat made her sick.
“Try it.”
“I can eat as much as I want?” she asked.