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.

Abilene stood outside the door of the inn and took a deep breath. She was dressed in a light blue frock with white checkers and an overcoat (it was always cold in the mornings this time of year in Whitby). The debacle at the bakery last week still had her shaken, but she was glad Rose hadn't spread gossip around the town demeaning her and causing her little hope for a job. Though, if she had, Abilene hadn't a clue, so she was still more cautious around her fellow townsfolk than she usually would be. A frigid wind swept by and she quickly entered the inn, shivering. She was looking for a Mr. Appleton, and when she asked the girl at the front desk, she was pointed to a table in the corner where a man and a woman, both well-dressed, sat in a corner.

Approaching the pair, Abilene clasped her hands before her in a way that she hoped would signify her knowledge of station. "Good morning," she said, voice sweet as ever, careful to look both in the eye as she stopped before the table. "Are you Mr. and Mrs. Appleton?"

Tobias rose when the young woman approached and asked in they were the Appletons. "We are. You must be Miss Kildare." He gestured for her to sit. She wasn't quite what he had expected for a servant, for though she acted and spoke humbly, she was a fair young lady. He figured she probably had a hard time finding a position due to jealous housewives. No foreseeable issues there on the Appleton farm, Tobias thought wryly. "Can I get ye summat to drink?"

Alice merely smiled shyly at the young woman.

"A pleasure," Abilene replied to his greeting and took the offered seat. "I'm alright, thank you, though," she added at his next question. "I really must thank you for this opportunity," she admitted, "I've been in a bit of a tight spot lately. To get out of Whitby and work for pleasant folk would be wonderful."

Tobias nodded and sat down. His listened as she talked, but felt some slight concern when she spoke of her wish to get out of town. Was there some kind of trouble she was in? And if so, would she bring that trouble over to his farm? The last thing he needed now was more trouble, and he worried about what more stress might do to Alice or the child. "What makes you want to leave Whitby, Miss?" he asked.

Abilene wasn't quite expecting the question, but she realized she'd accidentally put herself in the position to need to answer it, so she quickly decided on the right way of phrasing her misfortune. "I was employed in a bakery, ser," she began, "but the fiance of my employer didn't like me working there, and so I quit, for their happiness." It was more like for Rose's jealous satisfaction, but Abilene wasn't about to admit that. She still thought about him, though she knew she shouldn't. "I'd like to leave Whitby because I..." She thought about it. "I don't want to disrupt their lives any further." She blushed. "Though nothing, er, scandalous happened, I assure you." She wanted to go on, say she hadn't meant to hurt either Rose or Andrew, but she refrained.

Alice had been looking down at her tea, but now her attention was caught and she looked up. It didn't last long. She picked up her cup and stared out at a carriage passing by.

Tobias nodded slowly. He was not entirely certain he believed that it was the full truth, but he did not really care whether something had or had not happened between her and the baker. What was clear was that she wanted to put it in the past and it would not affect her in her new position. "So no followers?"

Abilene was surprised at the question, but then understood why he'd pried earlier as to why she wanted to get a bit out of Whitby. Relieved, she shook her head. "No, ser, no followers of any kind." She wondered why Mr. Appleton's wife looked oddly familiar, but didn't pay the passing thought much mind.

Tobias nodded. "Good. So apart from the bakery, it was not clear to me what experience as a cook you had? My wife..." he looked at Alice, who quickly turned to Abi and gave her a rather shy smile, "knows her way around the kitchen, but doesn't..." He stopped himself, because he did not want to embarrass her. "would like to serve a wider variety of recipes and impress our guests. Have ye cooked for dinner parties before?"

Abilene nodded swiftly following the question, but waited until Mr. Appleton was done speaking to answer. She gathered that his wife, though he did not want to embarrass her by saying so, was not an excellent cook, but Abilene didn't mind one bit, for that was the only reason there was a job offer on the table. Abilene had always loved working in the kitchen; she enjoyed shaping things into tasty meals and so had made most of the meals back home in London from the time she was ten onward. Relaying this to Mr. Appleton, she was careful to keep her word choice and posture balanced between showing she needed the job for money and that she liked to cook because it was a passion.