Page 76 of Awakened By Time

“’Tis delicious, Zeke. Ye’ll love it.” Brenna said, her voice bright and lively for such an early hour.

“Sounds like it’s exactly what we need,” he replied.

They left Dougall and Helene at the entrance to the kitchen.

“Yer back,” Mary called to Brenna as they came through the door. “And I see ye’ve brought yer man with ye.”

“I’m pleased to meet you, Mary. I’m Zeke.”

“I’ve heard all about ye, Laird San Francisco,” she chuckled.

“Despite what you may have heard, I’m not the Laird of San Francisco, merely a citizen.”

“Me, too,” Sophia said from across the room.

“Are ye joining us for bread and tea?” Mary asked.

“Aye,” Brenna responded.

“Come sit then. Sophia get the tea. I’ll get the bread,” she said as she went to the bread oven located within the fireplace. She took the wooden paddle and removed several loaves, one of which she placed on the table in front of them. She retrieved a crock of honey and brought that along with some fresh butter to the table.

“So, you’re from San Francisco, too,” Zeke said to Sophia as she placed mugs of steaming tea in front of them.

“I am,” Sophia replied, sitting across from them.

“What brought you here?” Zeke asked.

“Someone I’d rather not think about,” she replied.

“Edna?”

“No. I wasn’t supposed to be here, but I was pulled through by the fog. We followed Cormac and Jenna.”

“So it’s possible to get caught up in the fog even if you’re not supposed to be a traveler. Interesting,” Zeke said.

Mary placed a thick slice of bread on the table in front of each of them. Everyone helped themselves to the butter and honey.

“I think this might be the best breakfast I’ve ever had,” Zeke said. “I mean it.”

Mary beamed with pride. “Thank ye, sir.”

“What’s your secret?”

“No secret. Just three simple ingredients. Flour water and salt.”

“No yeast?”

“We let the dough sit out on the table and after a while it rises on its own,” Sophia explained. “I’m no scientist, but I believe it gets the yeast it needs from the air around it.”

Zeke popped the last little bit of his bread into his mouth and had barely finished chewing when Mary placed another slice in front of him.

“You’re going to spoil me, Mary,” he teased.

“With great pleasure,” she replied.

A young lad entered the room and sat down at the table across from them. “Helene says yer to go up now,” he said. He looked to Mary, who indulged him with a slice of the fresh bread.

“Thanks for breakfast, Mary,” Zeke said.