Tobias had decided that one way to keep his young wife happy - or rather, make her happy - was to hire a cook. They had a maid-of-all-work, a local girl who came in in the morning and left in the evening. But Tobias had never before considered hiring more servants. He was comfortable with simple foods, and he did not care enough about social status to waste money on more servants than he needed. But while Sallie and Flo had both known how to cook a rich variety of foods, Alice was used to preparing a simple diet, and that caused her much anxiety whenever they had visitors over - and there were a good deal more than before now that he was married. Mrs. Beeton could only provide so much assistance to an inexperienced young housewife. The poor girl was having enough social struggles due to local gossip and a lack of experience in 'proper society'. The last thing she needed was the additional embarrassment over ruined meals. They needed a cook. 

He had put an ad in the local newspapers and had received a satisfactory response quite quickly. Now, he and Alice were waiting in an inn in Whitby for Miss Kildare, sitting in the corner by the window. Alice sipped her tea while staring out of the window. She had dressed well today, in a white blouse, green bodice and long green skirt, and Tobias was thankful for it. He had worried slightly that if she would not carry herself as the mistress of the house, the new servant might not respect her. Tobias took out his pocket watch and checked the time.