Okay… so… fortunately, Tadwick’s vision was very blurred when he entered our room last night, so he didn’t see that I was actually inside of Kiyui… so I managed to roll with the fighting thing. Told him we were just play fighting for fun. And thank the gods that he believed me.

  In the morning, we got dressed and I helped Tadwick do his chores first thing so that we could head off to town to see Smutisha.

  I am beginning to question whether this is a good idea. I needed to give him some sort of way forward last night. But… what if meeting this Grim of Smutisha’s backfires? What if meeting a proper Grim fills him with fear? I know that the reason I’m doing this is so that he gets a more accurate view of how vile these creatures are… but what if it is too successful? What if it makes him afraid of me? I am one of them after all?

  No… no, no, no. I am going to be confident. I am the new… confident… me. Being indecisive due to self-doubt has caused me way too many problems. I need to be clear with myself about where I am going and what I am doing. What Tadwick needs right now is a strong, confident dad to help him through all of this.

  Tadwick was oddly quiet as we walked to town. Normally he runs off ahead… picks up rocks to throw… pretends that sticks are swords, etc. None of that today. He is just walking alongside me… holding my hand. Last night has really got to him. I mean… I could tell he wasn’t going to bounce back very well last night. He hasn’t mispronounced his Rs in a very long time. It was weird hearing him slip back into old verbal habits. I guess, distress can do strange things to us… make us revert to behaviours that we had stopped a long time ago.

  Soon after her wedding, Smutisha bought herself a mansion in the northern district. It was nowhere near as over the top as the duke’s manor… nor did it have anything as fancy as the elaborate gardens on the Vermillion property. Don’t get me wrong… it was still way larger than a family of three would ever need… well, four now. But obviously, Smutisha wasn’t one to skimp on staff… so the place always felt busy. And all the staff had their own quarters within the mansion.

  It had a wonderful white marble twin staircase leading up to the front door. Every few steps there was a podium with a large stone plant pot full of rare and colourful flowers. The smell was almost overpowering to me.

  When we reached the top, we were greeted by Smutisha’s butler. She still has the same disturbingly intense looking butler that she had all those years ago. I think he’s called Jeeves. Not that he has ever been formally introduced to me… but I am pretty sure I heard Smutisha call him that once.

  Jeeves looked at us with unblinking eyes. I am aware that our arrival was unplanned… but the way he stared at us… you would think we had murdered somebody right in front of him. Despite his intense look, he has always been perfectly amenable. He opened the door and requested we wait while he consults with his mistress.

  I know I said that this place is less extreme than the other rich people’s houses that I have seen. But even so… everything is so… expensive here. If it can be made of white marble… then it is. Even the sodding architraves are made of marble. Even just doing that in this entrance hall must have cost more than my farm makes in a year. Gods… this family has way too much money.

  Jeeves returned and directed us through to what he referred to as the drawing room. Which is a posh term that I will never understand. From what I can tell… no drawing seems to go on in there. Most people just call it a living room. But posh people seem to have their own language a lot of the time.

  Unfortunately, Smutisha was not alone in the drawing room. To her left was Chlamydia… who is perfectly nice and definitely not the issue. The issue is the person to her right… the lady Gentle Bushel. I am willing to admit that I judged Smutisha and Chlamydia a bit harshly when I first met them. If anything, I didn’t judge Gentle harshly enough.

  Gentle: “Oh, why is the urchin here?”

  Tadwick gripped my hand firmly. He looked nervous. Tadwick has never been nervous in these situations before. Gods, I hope that everything last night hasn’t knocked his confidence… oh gods… the last thing that he needs is to turn out like me… riddled with insecurity. No… stop it… confidence. Remember… confidence!

  Smutisha: “Behave, Gentle. You are in my house. You will be civil.”

  Smutisha got up out of her seat and rushed towards Tadwick.

  Smutisha: “And how is my favourite little red-head doing?”

  She grabbed him and pulled him in for a cuddle. Tadwick is at that rather unfortunate height where his head is directly level with her breasts. So, he ended up with his face between them… smothered. Of course… I say unfortunate… that is a matter of perspective… I’m sure many boys would be deeply envious of his current position… Xion for one.

  When she eventually let go and took a step back, Tadwick was able to answer.

  Tadwick: “I’m okay, miss.”

  His voice was meek and timid. Smutisha picked up on this instantly. As did Chlamydia. Smutisha looked at me in alarm. And Chlamydia gestured for him to move towards the table.

  Chlamydia: “Why don’t you sit here and have a cup of tea, young man.”

  Gentle: “Oh, must he share our table? The boy has no social standing.”

  Chlamydia: “I don’t see how that’s relevant. Besides, the boy was knighted.”

  Gentle: “Oh, a mere formality… he was simply awarded such status, his family has no formal standing.”

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  Chlamydia: “Precisely… he was not granted his knighthood through entitlement, he earned his place through his actions. Unlike you.”

  Gentle: “Oh, how very dare you!”

  Smutisha: “If you disapprove of the boy’s presence, Gentle. You can leave.”

  Gentle stood up in disapproval and started making her way to the door.

  Gentle: “Oh, spending time with commoners and ingrates will cause you both nothing but trouble. Nobody in the true upper-crust will take you seriously anymore.”

  She stormed out of the door. We heard her demanding that Jeeves find her a carriage immediately before the door swung shut.

  Chlamydia: “I don’t know why you still let her in here?”

  Chlamydia took a sip of her tea. She did so delicately… she made no slurping sound… her little finger was raised. There was a delicate clink from the fine porcelain as she placed it back on the saucer.

  I must admit. I quite like the way that Chlamydia dresses for informal situations. Gentle is always dressed way over the top and looks like her make-up was applied through the use of a catapult. Smutisha is more restrained than that, but even when she came with us on those expeditions to Fort Bracken and to that goblin cave… her clothes all looked like they had been tailormade for the occasion. I will admit that they were more practical than her usual attire, but they still felt over the top.

  Chlamydia on the other hand wears what the upper-classes call riding gear. I say the upper-classes because those of us who have spent most of our lives utterly skint just wear whatever we have on. The upper-classes have specific clothes for the activity. Probably because to them it is a novelty… whereas we do it out of necessity.

  She wears what is known as a riding habit. Which looks like a cross between a fancy doublet and Kiyui’s battle dress. Although Chlamydia’s is more ladylike and extends to the knee. She favours this in pink, but I have seen her wear similar outfits in green, orange, and yellow. Underneath she wears some rather smart looking black britches and leather riding boots.

  Her outfit alone gives you the impression that she is a very practical woman. And once you actually spend time with her it becomes quite clear that she really is.

  Smutisha: “Because, darling, I have known her since we were little. I guess, I still hope that she’ll improve as she gets older.”

  Chlamydia: “Alas, I fear that where Gentle is concerned, such hope is futile. When I see her enter the gardens, I feel the need to leave. Damecus is a good soul… he distracts her while I exit through the back. Fortunately, she does not come by very often now.”

  Smutisha: “Enough about that old witch, darling.”

  Smutisha shot a grin in Tadwick’s direction. He smirked at the witch comment. Chlamydia looked in Gentle’s teacup… pulled a disgusted face before tipping the tea into a nearby plant pot that contained what looked like a miniature palm tree. She then wiped the cup with a tissue before placing it on a saucer in front of Tadwick and delicately pouring him a cup from the teapot.

  Smutisha linked arms with me and led me to the table.

  Smutisha: “Would you like a cup of tea too, darling?”

  Dwynfel: “I’m alright. Thank you for the offer.”

  Smutisha: “It’s no bother. I can have the staff bring an extra cup and saucer.”

  Dwynfel: “Thanks again, but I’m honestly fine. And Tadwick… do be careful with that cup… it is very delicate.”

  Smutisha: “I wouldn’t worry about that, darling. My Jacob has broken many a teacup… as has Thomas for that matter. The poor boy seems to have inherited his father’s indelicate hands.”

  She gestured to one of the footmen at the side of the room and he instantly brought over a fourth chair. I climbed onto it and the four of us sat nicely around the small table.

  It was an odd metal table with the metal curving and bending, creating various patterns. It was the kind of table that you normally only see outdoors. It was odd seeing it in a drawing room. That being said… this room is filled with plants… it almost feels like we are outdoors… you can barely see the walls for all of the plant life in here. And we are sat directly underneath a skylight… so it very much feels like being outside.

  Smutisha: “You are not the type to show up unannounced, darling. What’s troubling you?”

  I looked over at Tadwick… he was holding his teacup with both hands… being very careful not to drop it as he blew on it to cool it down.

  Dwynfel: “Well… Tadwick is starting to remember things… from when he was taken.”

  Chlamydia looked horrified… but she was careful to look away from Tadwick until she had managed to compose her face. Smutisha nodded… deep in thought.

  Dwynfel: “And… well… he is struggling to come to terms with what the Grim actually are.”

  Smutisha: “I see.”

  Dwynfel: “Well… I thought that maybe it might help if he met… the Grim that live here.”

  Smutisha: “Both of them?”

  Dwynfel: “Yes. I’ve been trying to explain that, generally speaking, the Grim are not like me. And that he needs to be fearful of their nests. So, I thought that seeing your prisoner might help with that.”

  Smutisha: “And Tarquin?”

  Dwynfel: “Well… I wanted him to meet Tarquin to help him understand that they aren’t born evil. Tarquin is just a baby… he's innocent. More innocent than I was when my parents took me in. I am the way that I am because of how my parents raised me. Tarquin will be a good man because of how he is raised.”

  Chlamydia: “You seek a balanced viewpoint.”

  Dwynfel: “Huh?”

  Chlamydia leaned towards Tadwick and addressed her speech towards him.

  Chlamydia: “Your father wishes for you to understand that this is not a black and white situation. You need to exercise caution around the Grim. The ones who are raised in these nests are vicious and will do horrible things to you and any human that they can get their hands on. But your father was not raised in a nest. He was raised by humans. And as a result does not share the standpoints that most Grim do. You should be scared of the Grim, the Grim are not your friends. However, you need not be afraid of the likes of Tarquin, or your father.”

  Tadwick looked at her with wide eyes. Trying to process what had just been said to him.

  Dwynfel: “In a nutshell… yes… that’s exactly it.”

  Smutisha: “Well… Tarquin and Jacob are playing in the nursery with Thomas. And I have fashioned a prison cell in one of the rooms in the east wing for Darling. After everyone is finished with their tea, we can go and visit them. Any preference for who we see first?”

  Dwynfel: “Probably best we see Darling first. That could get quite heavy… then we can have a nice time visiting the little ones.”

  Smutisha: “Sounds lovely.”

  She picked up her teacup and saucer and smiled a cheerful smile. Before continuing to drink her tea.