Still, it would be wise to speak to her about the dress after breakfast. Irene was not above stealing.
Lewis Andersen, scrupulously honest, wore his habitual unrelieved black and was engaged in carefully refolding his napkin. Oscar eagerly watched Mrs. Daugherty as she put slices of bacon in the frying pan on the great cast-iron stove.
“Good morning, Mrs. Daugherty,” Johanna said.
“Mornin’, Doc Jo,” the older woman said. “Take a seat. I’ve got bacon today, and fresh milk and butter.” She glanced past Johanna to Quentin, never slackening in her preparations. “You must be the new feller. Feelin’ better now, I take it?”
Quentin stepped around the table, caught Mrs. Daugherty’s broad, chapped hand in his, and kissed it. “Quentin Forster, at your service. And I shall certainly be your most willing slave if that bacon tastes as fine as it smells.”
She beamed. “Well, I’ll be. A real gen’l’man. Haven’t heard your like in some time.” She lifted a brow at Johanna. “Can’t believe this feller was ever sick.”
“I had the best of care,” he said, following her glance.
“You can’t do better than having Doc Jo to tend you,” Mrs. Daugherty said with a vigorous nod. “She wouldn’t hear of leavin’ your side, not even when she was near fallin’ down exhausted. That’s the kind of lady she is. She saved my daughter and grandchild. Never will forget.”
Johanna longed for a useful task to keep herself occupied, but Mrs. Daugherty had matters well in hand. She’d learned on Mrs. Daugherty’s first day at the Haven that the woman found her more of a nuisance than a help in the kitchen. “You keep them hands fer healin’,” she’d said. “They ain’t no good for cookery.”
“Would you sit down, Quentin?” Johanna asked, indicating the chair next to Lewis.
“But I’ve saved a chair for you, right here,” Irene said, ignoring Johanna.
Quentin flashed Johanna an apologetic grin and seated himself next to Irene. She latched on to him immediately, beginning her usual monologue about the theater, how desperate the New York producers were for her return, and how she would fight off her hordes of admirers when she went back. Lewis emerged from absorption with his own sin to stare at her with thin-mouthed condemnation.
“Only the devil waits for you,” he said. “Beware, Jezebel—”
Irene sneered. “Pay no attention to him. He’s crazy.”
“Let us try to have a pleasant breakfast,” Johanna said. Irene stopped talking with a pout, clinging to Quentin’s arm. He made no effort to disentangle himself. Oscar wrenched his gaze from the frying pan to smile shyly at the newcomer.
“Hullo,” he said. “I’m glad you’re better.”
“So am I,” Quentin said. He plucked at his shirt. ‘Thank you for the use of the clothes.”
“Do you like them?”
“Very much.”
Oscar rewarded him with a gap-toothed grin. “Good.” He turned back to Mrs. Daugherty. “Is the bacon done yet?”
“If I ain’t careful, you’ll eat all of it.” She took the pan off the stove and laid the bacon on a serving platter, then took it around the table, beginning with Quentin, who made as if to swoon with joy.
“Wonderful,” he said. He waited until the others were served, and offered Irene the plate of bread. Mrs. Daugherty cooked up a dozen eggs while everyone helped themselves to what was on the table.
Johanna seldom had a problem with her appetite, since she firmly believed in the value of hearty eating and good nutrition, but she found herself merely picking at her food. Again and again her gaze turned to Quentin. He was cordial and sympathetic to Irene, but there was a slight remoteness to his speech and manner, as if he were merely indulging her. He seemed to make no judgment of either Lewis or Oscar. Mrs. Daugherty had certainly fallen for his charm.
No grounds, then, to be concerned about his fitting in with the group—at least thus far. The thought made her feel unaccountably breathless. After all, he was hardly likely to remain beyond a few weeks or months. He was not like the other three men, who could not live elsewhere.
As if he’d noticed her preoccupation, he looked directly at her and smiled. “This is the most enjoyable meal I’ve had in a long time. How grateful I am that you rescued me, Doc Jo.”