Mary pressed her palms to her cheeks, then gently touched her puffed and reddened lips. "I'm fine," she assured Lou. "More than fine. Really." Mary turned her attention to the breakfast tray. "Breakfast smells wonderful, Lou. Thank you so much. But you shouldn't have gone to all this trouble for us."
"It's no trouble," Lou said. "Besides, you missed supper last night. I figured you must be starving."
"I am," Mary assured her. "It's just that…"
"What my wife is trying to say," Lee interrupted, "is that it's a bit early in the morning for her breakfast. She wakes up early, but she likes to linger in bed awhile, sleep in a bit longer, and breakfast later. Especially when I'm home," he added in a huskier tone of voice.
"So you see," Mary broke in breathlessly before Lee could embarrass her further, "while we truly appreciate your thoughtfulness in bringing us breakfast in bed this morning, it won't be necessary for you to continue to do so. We'll go downstairs for our morning meal, just like everyone else."
"And if we're a little late," Lee added, "we'll settle for whatever is left over or wait until later."
"You will not," Louisa responded indignantly. "Nobody in this house goes without food unless they choose to do so, especially the owners. Not while there's a breath left in my body. Do you think I would let you"—she shot a glance at Lee—"or your sweet wife go without a meal when she agreed just yesterday that the two of you would continue feeding my family? Continue Tabitha's practice of feeding just about everybody in the whole town? Why, I'll fix meals for you no matter what time of day or night it is. Or how long you two honeymooners linger in bed."
Lee was genuinely touched by Louisa's dedication and loyalty. "Thank you, Louisa, for breakfast and for your understanding."
"Oh, I understand, all right," Lou told him. "I'm not so old that I don't remember whiling away the hours in bed with my man." She turned to Mary. "Now, you just hop into that bed and let me put this tray over your lap."
"But…" Mary protested.
"No buts," Lou told her. "I intend to see that you get this breakfast in bed. We'll worry about future breakfasts later."
She turned to Lee as Mary climbed into the bed as bidden. Louisa placed the tray in Mary's lap, poured two cups of tea, one for each of them, then gave them a friendly smile and a wave. "Just put the tray outside the door when you've finished," she said. "Birdie or Nan can pick it up later. Oh, and since you're not coming down, I'll have Rolf come up to see if Mr. Crane needs any help. Don't worry about a thing, and enjoy your breakfast."
"We need to talk," Mary said as soon as Louisa left the room.
Lee popped a piece of bacon into her mouth. "After we eat," he said.
Maddy woke up and toddled into the bedroom as Mary and Lee were eating. "Go pretty," she announced, flinging Mama up onto the bed beside Lee. "Maddy go pretty."
Mary handed the tray to Lee, slipped out of bed, then took Madeline by the hand and led her to the pink and white wall-papered water closet.
When they returned a few minutes later. Lee was pouring a second cup of tea into Mary's cup.
Mary lifted Maddy onto the bed and the little girl quickly scrambled over the mound of covers to sit beside Lee. She curled her little body close to his, then reached for Lee's plate. "Bidcut," she said, as she pointed to emphasize her request.
Lee grinned. "Would you like butter with your biscuit or strawberry jam?"
Maddy nodded.
"Butter?"
Maddy nodded again.
Lee sliced through the fluffy center of the biscuit, coated the bread with butter, then wrapped it in a napkin and handed the biscuit to Maddy.
Madeline handed it back. '"Berry zham," she instructed.
Lee chuckled as he added a teaspoonful of strawberry jam to the buttery biscuit. "It appears Maddy has very definite ideas about her likes and dislikes." He handed the bread back to the child and watched as she took a big bite.
Mary pulled the chair up next to the bed, sat down on it, took the breakfast tray from Lee and set it on the night table, then picked up her plate to finish eating. "Madeline is very smart and very strong-minded. She's definitely her own person."
"You sound as if you like that."
"I do," Mary admitted. "I'm pleased to see she's an outgoing child. I know from personal experience that shyness and timidity can be a burden." She set her plate aside.
"Personal experience?" Lee reached around Maddy and handed Mary her cup of tea. "There isn't a shy or timid bone in your body."
Mary sipped her tea, remembering. "I was a tomboy growing up. I followed Reese and David around and tried to do everything they did until I was ten or so," Mary told him. "Then I changed—" She blushed, then continued on matter-of-factly. "I guess you could say I matured early."