Annulet (Keepers Book 2)

Chapter 7 - In Which Meals are Missed

Where Tracey had hoped to spend an evening with Meridith and finally meet her husband, she had instead slept the rest of the day away. The only indications of such a misjudgment of timing were the rays of sunshine that streamed through the window and onto Tracey's slumbering face.

"Oh dear!" she gasped, bolting upright on the bed. "Is it morning already?"

Poor Tracey had planned on unpacking her luggage, securing her dinner, and spending the evening with Meridith and her husband. Although reaching as far as unpacking her luggage, she was unsuccessful in the secondary task of leaving her quarters.

Hurrying to her wardrobe, she tossed articles of clothing onto the bed and rushed to the washbasin. Oh, I hope I'm not keeping Mittie waiting. And perhaps I can finally meet Meridith's husband, she thought as she scrubbed her face and styled her hair into its usual braided bun. As she reached for her gear hairpin, she paused.

"What's this?" she muttered, finding a folded sheet of paper beside the pin.

Upon further inspection, she found the familiar handwriting of Meridith:

I'm sorry we got home so late, Tracey!

We were held at the manor later than usual for an impromptu dinner the Nidayes hosted — we had to stay to organize and coordinate the efforts, and it took a better part of the evening. It may not have been the meal I had in mind for your first day, but I hope the food I left on the kitchen table sufficed for you for the evening.

Tracey grimaced as her stomach rumbled.

I didn't have the heart to tell you when we reached home, you seemed so exhausted from your travels. By the time you read this, Harris and I will be on the estate again at work. We'll do our best to spend time with you this evening! I'm sorry again.

I'll make it up to you, promise.

Meridith

"How thoughtful!" she said with a smile.

Her smile faded. I wonder...

Tracey held the note at a distance, warily waiting for it to disintegrate. Thankfully, the note remained solid. Good, I don't think my nerves can handle another combustible note so soon, she thought.

She let out a small sigh of relief and replaced the note on the counter before grabbing her hairpin and tucking it into her bun. "I suppose some things cannot be helped," she said as she finished dressing and placed the envelope from yesterday into her pocket.

Unfortunately, Tracey soon found that there were many other things that could not be helped.

One of such things, for example, was the absolute lack of ingredients for breakfast in Meridith's kitchen. After exhaustive minutes of searching (and quelling her protesting stomach), Tracey resorted to eating a leftover slice of bread, resigning herself to finding a more substantial meal in town. She glanced at Meridith's motor mail, remembering Bentam's promise the day before. Empty, she thought with a twinge of disappointment. Perhaps he'll send me something later today.

Nibbling on the bread, she ducked out of the cottage and scanned the front for any signs of Mittie. She sighed as her eyes settled on the gurgling steam-carriage waiting a short distance away on the dirt road. Mittie must've taken one of the family carriages, she thought as she trudged towards it. I should've asked her yesterday to get a regular carriage, not a steam one.

"Good morning," Tracey said as she mounted the carriage.

"Good morning, Ms. Higgenbottom," the driver said.