When I saw that the September Edition of the Inklings link up was a scene in a kitchen, I wasn't sure what to choose at first.
While sitting down to write the post, however, the perfect book came to mind! It is called The Rose Round by Meriol Trevor.
The main character Matthew's sister is a cook in an old English home, and I had remembered some warm sunny scenes taking place in the the kitchen. While skimming through the pages though, there weren't as many 'at least a few paragraph' long scenes taking place in a kitchen as I thought. At least, not any happy scenes.
I ended up choosing the introduction to the real owner of the house (manor?) where the main character's sister works.
It doesn't really take place in a kitchen, but it begins and ends in one.
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"Salad!" said Caro, when Matt told her. "Oh, that reminds me, Matt, do be a darling and fetch me a garlic."
"Where from?"
"Out in the yard, third door along. It's a little shed where the gardener hangs onions and things."
Matt went out into the yard, which was cool and quiet in the gathering dusk after the heat and bustle of the kitchen. He counted the doors. The third one was open so he went straight in, right into someone who was kneeling on the floor with his back to the door. Matt fell over his legs and crashed into his back, which hardly seemed to shake the man at all, but caused Matt to fall sideways to the floor, where he lay, quite dazed with surprise.
The man jumped up, knocked his head on a beam, swore mildly and then bent over Matt.
"Where did you come from?" he said, surprised.
"I'm awfully sorry," said Matt, sitting up. "I didn't see you at all."
It was dark in the shed, and he could not see the man very well now, except to see that he was very big.
"I was looking for something I dropped," said this man.
"What sort of thing?" Matt asked.
"Well, a key as a matter of fact."
Matt got on hands and knees and peered round. So did the man he had fallen over.
"There it is," said Matt, seeing something shining dully in the gloom. He picked it up and handed it over. The big man took it with his left hand, the other seemed to be in a sling.
"Thank you," he said. "Now what were you looking for?"
"Garlic," said Matt.
"Garlic?" said the man, surprised. "What on earth for?"
"My sister's making a salad," said Matt. "She's doing the cooking here. Her name's Caroline Rendal.”
"l haven't met Miss Rendal yet, because I've only just come," said the man. "What's your own name?"
"Matt. Matthew."
"A very good name to have," said the man. "Mine is Theo."
"Oh," said Matt. "Are you Mr. Theodore Ayre?"
"Yes."
"Oh," said Matt again, not quite sure what to do next.
"So that big horse is yours, that black one."
"Nero? Yes, he is."
Caro's voice called out for Matt.
"She wants the garlic," Matt said.
"She has a nice voice," said Mr. Ayre, kneeling on the floor, listening.
Matt saw the garlics on a shelf and took one.
"I'd better go," he said.
"We shall meet again," said Mr. Ayre, nodding.
Matt went back to the kitchen.
"I met Mr. Ayre in there," he said.
"What nonsense!" said Caro. "As if he'd be in the shed!"
"Well he was."
