Chapter Thirty-Three

Don’t ask me why, but for some reason I thought that Caleb was going to cook our dinner for us.  Perhaps it was because of his smooth confidence with all aspects of his animal care facility that I assumed that he’d be proficient in all areas of life.

Not true.

The man confessed that he was hard pressed to make eggs and toast and, then, the eggs had to be scrambled.

His saving grace was the fact that he had a full-time cook.  I don’t know when he managed to inform this cook that there would be company for dinner, but when we entered the main house just as dusk was approaching, the prepared table was set with delicate fine china that looked like it was a family heirloom that had been tenderly cared for since the early nineteenth century.  Crystal wine glasses and water goblets reflected the soft and gentle glow of candlelight that was strategically placed on either side of the low flowered center piece.

As I admired the tabl