Breakfast arrived on cue.
The servants filed in one after another, carrying dishes arranged exactly to Selena's usual preferences. Everything except the pastries still radiated warmth — perfectly timed, perfectly presented.
Blackthorn Manor had never been a place of rigid ceremony. Selena didn't care for pomp and protocol. It was Silas who had introduced this particular brand of precision after he'd stepped into the role of head butler, turning every mundane routine into something that ran like clockwork.
But right now, facing a woman like Beverly — someone who had waltzed into her home with every intention of playing cuckoo in someone else's nest — Selena had to admit it.
This whole production felt damn good.
I should reward Silas for this.
Extra vacation days? Or a bigger bonus?
S
