Bella frowned. She'd known Mr. Langley was going to send Miss MacKay to take her little Dymphna, but not today. She wasn't in the proper emotional (or physical, for that matter!) state to give a sincere goodbye to her temporary pet.

Nevertheless, she resigned with a sigh and nodded.

"She's looked ill since I met her at the hospital," she explained. She motioned for the magizoologist (zookeper? She didn't know the woman's official title) to back up before stepping outside herself. "Dymphna— my mooncalf — has been staying in the gardens. It's quicker to go around the side; there's an easy entrance there."