Page 38 of The Devil In Blue
Petris led me downstairs and through another hall I had not ventured down into a large kitchen. It was bigger than the one at Aedon Heights with the same beautiful marble and glass that made most of the other rooms in the palace. Vines grew along the walls on the inside of the large chamber and a long, polished wood table stretched from the entrance to another door on the other side of the room. Cabinets and storage pantries were arranged along one side and racks of drying herbs and other items hung so neatly they looked like part of the décor.
There were no servants or cooks and everything was meticulous like the place had barely been used. Petris kept hold of my hand as he led me to the pantries.
“What would you like?” he asked.
I looked around at the emptiness of the room. “There are no cooks.”
“Not at this hour, no. They sleep until the king takes his dinner. Other times, we all fend for ourselves. So? What would you like to eat?”
I bit my lip, staring at the pantry when Petris opened the door. I saw flour and dried meat. Dried fruits. Biscuits. Jars of loose-leaf tea. Jams and preserves.
It was a lot.
It smelled amazing, like sugar and spices, but I couldn’t begin to tell him what I wanted.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Whatever is convenient I suppose.”
“If you cannot decide, then we will eat one of my favorites,” Petris said, not lingering any longer on the question.
I was grateful for that.
Letting go of my hand, he walked into the pantry and pulled out a cloth bag. When he set it on the table and opened the drawstring top, I saw purple potatoes the size of my fist spill out. He walked to a stone sink and rinsed them before filling a pot of water and dropping them inside. I stood patiently watching as he tossed some small logs into an iron oven unit and set the pot on one of the burners.
There was no need for conversation. Petris was so concentrated on what he was doing like he was creating some masterpiece and I was enthralled by it. I sat on one of the wooden stools to soak it in as he prepared diced mushrooms, diced carrots, thin slices of aged cheese, yogurt from a cold cabinet in the corner, and strips of cured ham. By the time the potatoes were done, the kitchen was beginning to smell divine.
Petris placed one of the potatoes on a plate and cut it in half. Steam billowed from the fluffy white inside as he mashed a fork into the meat. Then he layered the other ingredients into the potato and topped it off with sprinkles of dried garlic, lemon juice, pepper, and rosemary.
“Sorry, that took so long,” he said, sliding the plate over to me and taking a seat across the table.
“You are not eating?” I asked.
He leaned forward on the table and tapped a finger to the metal of his mask. I wanted to tell him I didn’t mind, but it was his choice and I wanted to respect that.
I stared over the food, admiring the melted cheese and the perfect arrangement of herbs. Taking a deep breath, I savored the smell of it and then took my fork and started to dig in.
When I took the first bite, an explosion of flavor completely overtook my tongue. My eyes widened and I glanced at Petris, chewing the perfectly cooked potato and savoring the taste.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
I nodded. “It’s amazing. I’ve never had potatoes prepared like this. It’s no wonder that it’s your favorite.”
He chuckled. The sound, though a bit muffled behind the mask, was so handsome and gentle. I looked up at him as he poured some red liquid into a cup from a glass pitcher and walked the cup to me. When I brought it to my mouth, I smelled cranberry and honey. Excited, I took a sip and was not surprised to find that I loved it as much as I loved the potatoes.
“Well, well,” a voice said.
I glanced at the doorway to see Lura and Naeve standing arm in arm, their black dresses less extravagant, but still just as beautiful as the last time I saw them.
“Getting friendly with the help, are we?” Naeve said with a mischievous smile.
They waltzed toward the table, finding the board where Petris had sliced up the ham. Each of them took a piece and slid it into their mouths.
Looking at Petris, I noticed he was looking down at the table while both their eyes were narrowed on him.
Lura chuckled childishly as she chewed. “Interesting dish to prepare, isn’t it, Naeve?”
“Quite.”
“I think it’s quite good,” I said, feeling like I needed to defend Petris somehow.
