Before he’d even finished his sentence, Phie was nodding her head, eager to latch onto something other than the lie-by-omission she was struggling to hold in. “Oh yes, I can certainly try and do that!” She replied, now dropping her apron and smoothing it from the wrinkles she’d twisted into it. Oh dear, he could tell something was amiss, couldn’t he? Maybe if she turned around. “And I can certainly alert you to if she divulges such information too. Would you like some more chai?”

At hearing the variation of his name, a lavender streak darted into the room and skidded to a halt with a bark and a wag at the table. Then gave a yelp of confusion as he laid his eyes on someone who was certainly not his mistress. “Tchaikovsky, I’m right here,” Phie supplied, tossing a treat to the fox. “Forgive him, it looks like he’s been amongst the wisteria again,” She offered to Mr. Grimstone with an apologetic smile, referring to his unnatural color. “Merlin bless him he loves it, but it makes him sneeze and he gets confused for a while afterwards.”

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