“Are you anxious about your move from Wight and what lies ahead?” Daphne asked.
“I haven’t given it much thought because I don’t understand why I was abandoned and put there by my father. No good answer has ever been given to me.”
“But you have been informed.”
“If you want to call it that. I’ve learned more from Arthur than anyone else.”
“How do you spend your days?” Daphne asked quietly.
Charles seemed to be deep in thought on how to answer her. He scrubbed his beard with his hands before picking up histeacup once again. “I take a lot of walks. I find it keeps my mind clear.”
“Arthur does that as well. He also rides his horse for the same reason,” she replied.
“Arthur likes to do what?” a familiar voice said from the doorway.
“Lady Daphne was inquiring into how I spend my time.”
Arthur came across the room in three steps and sat down next to his wife. “Was she? Well, you and I have an appointment with the solicitor tomorrow.”
“No one’s ever included me on such meetings,” Charles said.
“Now you have,” Arthur said, accepting a cup of tea from Daphne. “I thought we might stop by Parliament afterwards and see if anything is going on.”
“How long will we be in London?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll know better when I see what Parliament is doing. We’re to have a break for a fortnight but it still depends on bills, and the like.”
“We have an experiment to do. Sam seems to be confused. He knows I look like you, but he knows I’m not you. I thought it might be a good idea to show him there are two of us.”
Whenever Charles didn’t feel comfortable with a subject of conversation or he didn’t want to be bothered with details, he changed the subject. It had always worked for him before. But then he’d never kept much company except Frazier. This was something new he was going to have to get used to.
“Yes, that seems like the logical thing to do. I keep telling her the bird is too smart.”
“He is,” Charles replied.
Shortly, Daphne crossed the room to Sam’s cage, opened the door and let the bird hop onto her forearm. She walked back to where the men were and stopped. Sam looked at both Charles and Arthur before letting his voice be heard.
“Bloody hell!”
“That’s not nice, Sam. Charles will be living with us, so you better be on your best behavior,” Daphne scolded him.
“Sam good.”
“Yes, you are for the most part,” she replied.
Sam continued to sit on Daphne’s arm. She fed him a piece of apple she had brought from his cage top. He greedily took it from her hand and ate it as he continued to look from one man to the other. Another apple slice appeared in Charles’s hand. Charles extended his hand, palm up, to see what the parrot might do. Once again, greed for his treat overtook any suspicions Sam might have about Charles. Treats won out every time.
“More!” Sam demanded.
Charles pulled his hand away as soon as the macaw seemed as though he was going to jump on his arm. “I have no more,” he replied.
He heard his brother snicker beside him. “Do you find yourself questioning why you’re talking to a bird?”
“No, why would I? It is obvious Sam has some intelligence, though how much he really understands is questionable.”
“Would you care to take Sam back to his perch?” Daphne asked, holding her parrot-ridden arm in his direction.
“No, another time perhaps?” he said, adding, “Would you mind if I got a book from the library? I thought I might read before dinner.”
