The boy grinned, unrepentant, and Alaric found himself oddly charmed. Children in London were either terrified of him or sickeningly obsequious. This one seemed to view him as a source of mild entertainment.
"What's your name?" Alaric asked.
"Thomas, sir. Thomas Ironwell."
"Well, Thomas Ironwell, you may tell Mrs. Whitby that my constitution, delicate or otherwise, will be down shortly."
"She said you'd say that too."
"Did she predict anything I might do that would surprise her?"
"She said if you actually helped with the star, she'd eat her best Sunday bonnet."
"Her best Sunday bonnet."
"The one with the blue ribbons and the fake cherries."
"Then by all means, let's make sure she has an interesting meal."
Thomas grinned wider and scampered off. Alaric could hear him clattering down the stairs, probably leaving snow and pine needles in his wake.
"Your Grace," Grimsby said carefully, "are you actually going to help with Christmas decorations?"
"Apparently I am."
"May I ask why?"
"Scientific curiosity. I want to see if Mrs. Whitby actually owns a bonnet with fake cherries."
"That seems like a lot of effort for fruit-based millinery confirmation."
"Also, if I'm supposed to be the steward, I should probably act like one. Stewards help with village things, don't they?"
"I believe they typically maintain a professional distance."
"Well, I'm not a typical steward."
"No, Your Grace is a duke pretending to be a steward, which is significantly less typical."
"Your point is noted."
"But Your Grace is going anyway."
"Yes."
"Would Your Grace like his coat?"
"That would be helpful, but stop calling meYour Grace."
Grimsby fetched the coat, holding it out with the air of a man sending his master off to war. "Try not to volunteer for anything else,Your… Mr. Fletcher. You have a tendency to become involuntarily involved."
"I do not become involuntarily involved."
"You once ended up judging a pie contest because you made the mistake of walking past at the wrong moment."
"That was different."
"You ended up married to pie judgment for three hours."
