Until the Dawn by Elizabeth Camden Read Free Book Online Page A

down his cheek, where it disappeared behind his ear. It was hard to even look at him, but surely he didn’t deserve such a horrible name.
    “I only need to go to the larder outside the back door, Mr. Ratface.”
    “Just Ratface,” he growled, leading the way.
    Pieter didn’t seem to mind the surly man, and as they gathered eggs and cheese from the larder, he peppered her with questions the entire time. How long had she lived in New Holland? Why wasn’t she married? Would she come back to cook them lunch and dinner, too?
    Sophie fielded the questions with good-natured aplomb but felt the horrible scrutiny of Mr. Ratface the entire time. Why would Mr. Vandermark have such rude servants? She had stored some cranberry muffins and a bowl of cherries in the cold larder. They wouldn’t last much longer, so she scooped them up, as well.
    Things didn’t improve once they returned to the kitchen. The rude servant plopped himself on a stool in the corner of the kitchen, watching her every move as though she might be preparing to steal the silver. From the dining table, Mr. Vandermark also watched her.
    She would not let these men disturb her. After lighting the oven, she popped the muffins inside the warming compartment to take the chill off. Cracking eggs into the bowl with practiced ease, she added a bit of cream, salt, and pepper and then began the soothing, rhythmic whisking of the eggs.
    Preparing and serving food had always been a joy, for it made her appreciate the abundance of the world. It took over a year of sunshine and water for a tree to produce the cherries gleaming from the china bowl, and Sophie imagined she could smell those endless hours of sunlight distilled into the small piece of fruit. The black pepper came all the way from the wild Malabar coast of India, yet the tiny fragments of cracked pepper still carried an intense kick of flavor reminiscent of the land where it had been grown. The honey she drizzled over the cranberry muffins was a miracle of nature, gathered from thousands of wildflowers and transformed into this amazing substance so sweet it tasted like a summer day.
    Pieter seemed eager to help and drew near as she poured the eggs into a cast-iron skillet sizzling with melted butter.
    “See how the heat causes the bubbles to rise in the mixture?” Sophie asked. “I need to keep the eggs moving so the proteins in the eggs don’t burn, but you can’t stir too hard. That will cause all the air to escape. I spent a good two minutes whisking the mixture, and we want these eggs to be light and fluffy, right?”
    “Can I stir?” Pieter asked.
    It was an easy task, but the skillet was on an open flame and the handle was hot. She glanced to Mr. Vandermark for permission. His face was stern, but he gave a quick nod of consent.
    “I’ll hold the handle, and you can use the spoon to keep the eggs moving.” She loved the way the boy slid in front of her, so trusting as he took the wooden spoon to nudge the eggs around the pan. “Perfect!” she said. “I’ll bet you’ve done this before.”
    The boy seemed to grow a little taller. “Nope! This is my first time.”
    “Well, you’re doing wonderfully. Keep stirring while I drop the cheese in.”
    Two more of the brutish-looking servants and the governess joined them in the kitchen. With the scents of herbs and warm cranberry muffins permeating the house, it wouldn’t be long before the rest were here.
    They were an imposing lot, all of them grim, suspicious, andrude, but Sophie wasn’t going to let them spoil her morning, for there was something about sharing a meal that automatically brought people together. It was hard to resent someone you were breaking bread with. Forcing lightness into her tone, she glanced at the men and asked, “Who is going to set the table?”
    They looked as confused as if she’d asked them to begin square dancing, but she refused to back down as she nodded to the top shelf. “The plates are over there, and