Meg Brooke hummed to herself as she prepared the breakfast table for her family. Cooking had never been her favorite chore, but Hannah had taught her well and she loved feeling like she was taking care of John. He worked so hard to make her and the twins happy and comfortable that breakfast was the least that she could do for him.
This felt especially true this morning after the marvelous gift he had brought her last night. They still couldn't afford silk, but John knew she longed for a new dress and had surprised her by bring home a brown paper parcel containing yards and yards of pale blue patterned cotton fine enough for a dinner gown. She knew that it was not as expensive as the silk she had bought and then sold back when they were newlyweds (she still blushed at the memory of how that had turned out), but she loved it all the more for being a gift from him.
A clattering on the stairs snapped Meg out of her reverie. The twins were clearly awake and the table not half set! In a flurry, Meg set about completing her work. As she was laying the last egg in its little cup on the table, two curly-haired cherubs tumbled into the dining room laughing at some private joke.
"Come sit at the table," Meg instructed as she herded her brood to their seats.
Once Daisy and Demi were seated at the table, they fidgeted until John appeared in the doorway adjusting the cuffs at his wrists.
"Good morning," he greeted his pretty wife as he held her chair for her.
"Good morning!" Meg responded warmly to her beloved husband.
Breakfast in the Brooke household was a lively affair that reminded Meg of the chaotic meals of her childhood. This morning she smiled as she looked at her family, content in the feeling that she couldn't have asked for more.