Tristan regretted saying that when he saw her blush and he realized he had embarrassed her. A working girl would probably not have been bothered at all and would just have been glad for the promise to let her finish eating, but she had been brought up as a lady and was probably a good deal more sensitive to the way she was perceived.

He was just beginning to reflect again on what a disaster this situation was and how hard it was going to be to have such a young lady for a maid, when she thanked him in a way that was so disarming, that he forgot his concerns. It felt odd to be in a position where someone else... someone like her depended on him, but it made him feel responsible too. They would make it work.

He nodded, because he didn't know how to express that. "How long were you out on your own?" he asked instead.