The joke fell flat at her feet amongst the remaining shards of porcelain and ruined biscuits. What Ford didn't say was how he valued Grace's over hers, or how once Clementine matured she too would rank above Verity too. It was only the girl's insistence on being modern that saw her opinions ranked so low.

She didn't bother replying, she didn't even bother to acknowledge the joke, choosing instead to attend to the now whistling tea kettle.

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