Dinner with the extended family, Roslyn was quite certain, was infinitely preferable to dining with yet another Department Head and his tedious wife. She had informed her husband as much when she had written their apologies to the Bateses, insisting in her letter that her dear cousin was so infrequently home that he simply could not be put off. It was, she reasoned, at least partially true, and thus she would not feel bad for it.

Still, when arriving at her father's house, that same cousin was nowhere in sight—no matter, Roslyn thought as she moved to make conversation instead with one of her brothers. Before long, however, the man of the hour appeared—with rather a tragic-looking rodent draped across his shoulders, prompting the witch to cast her siblings a look of surprise.