“Really? What on earth gave you that notion?”
“Just a sense I had.”
“Perfect, then you can use your impeccable senses to go first.” I grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her around in front of me. “Careful of Fenella. I’m given to understand she has a fearsome temper.”
“Fenella?”
“The sheep.”
She rolled her eyes before turning down the hall. A few steps more and themeehhehs grew louder.
And then we reached the last room in the hallway.
“Christ!” Miss McAllen shouted, hand pressed against her heart.
“What?”
Silently, she pointed to the cloth-covered dining table.
There, standing atop the table, was Fenella, chewing on the edge of what was once surely a beautiful floor-length velvet curtain but was now a dust-covered treat for the sheep.
“It’s a bleeding sheep!”
“I told you it was a sheep.”
“I thought ye meant it was a wee little lamb! Hell, yer city folk—could be a large dog for all ye know. But that’s a whole damned sheep!” She spun to try to get behind me, but I refused to budge from the doorway.
“No. You’ll be the one to remove Fenella from the house.”
“I think ye’ll find I’ll not be doing that.”
“I think you will.”
Fenella took that moment to defecate directly atop the table while staring at me with something like malice in her beady gaze.
Miss McAllen caught her snort of laughter behind a hand, but her shoulders shook with silent glee.
“Remove the sheep. Or I call the constable.” I turned back down the hall, refusing to watch yet more destruction of property. Besides, I rather thought Miss McAllen and Fenella would get along splendidly. They were both stubborn she-devils.
I bumped into Godfrey partway down the hall. He sniffed the air for a moment before his gaze found my boot.
Horror washed over his face.
“Your Grace?”
“Yes?”
“Please consider this my notice. Effective immediately.”
“You are joking.”
“I am most certainly not. But I do wish you the absolute best of luck.” With that, he turned and strode out to the drive.
“Godfrey—wait!”
I spilled out onto the front steps, tripping after him in my shit-stained boot.
A large wagon was parked out front where laborers were pulling a simple metal bedframe from the back.
