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“Greasy,” Godric repeated, louder. “The goose is greasy.”
“Goose is supposed to be greasy,” Great-Aunt Elvina boomed. “Keeps it from being dry.” She picked up a piece from her plate and fed it to Her Grace without bothering to hide the motion.
Megs smiled. “If you don’t like goose, what do you like?”
Her husband shrugged. “Whatever you see fit to serve will do well enough.”
Megs tried very, very hard to keep her smile in place. “But I want to know what you like to eat.”
“And I have told you that it does not matter.”
Her cheeks were beginning to ache. “Gammon? Beef? Fish?”
“Margaret—”
“Eel?” Her eyes narrowed. “Tripe? Brains?”
“Not brains,” he snapped, his voice so low it sounded as if it were scraping gravel.
She beamed. “Not brains! I shall make a note of it.”
Sarah coughed into her napkin.
Great-Aunt Elvina fed Her Grace another scrap as she murmured, “I like brains fried in butter.”
Godric cleared his throat and took a sip of wine before setting the wineglass down precisely. “I have a fondness for pigeon pie.”
“Do you?” Megs leaned forward eagerly. She felt as excited as if she’d won a prize at a fair. “I’ll be sure and ask Mrs. Crumb to tell the new cook.”
He inclined his head, the corner of his mouth tilting up. “Thank you.”
She caught a fond smile on Sarah’s face as her sister-in-law looked between the two of them. Megs felt the heat rise in her face. “What did you do today while we worked on the house?”
Godric’s gaze slid away as he took a sip of wine—almost as if he were avoiding her question. “I usually frequent Basham’s Coffeehouse.”
Great-Aunt Elvina frowned and Megs had an awful premonition—her aunt held quite strong opinions. “Nasty things, coffeehouses. Full of scandal sheets, women of low repute, and tobacco.”
“As well as coffee, of course,” Godric said with an entirely straight face.
“Well, naturally coffee, but—” Great-Aunt Elvina began.
“How is Her Grace feeling this evening?” Megs cut in hastily. From across the table, her husband shot her an ironic look that she chose to ignore. “I notice she seems to be eating well.”
“Her Grace spent the entire day abed, panting quite dreadfully. That child overexerted her, chasing Her Grace about.” Great-Aunt Elvina stabbed her fork meditatively into a carrot. “Babies are adorable, naturally, but so messy. Perhaps if there was a way of containing them, especially around sensitive creatures such as Her Grace …”
“Like a small cage, you mean?” Sarah asked innocently.
“Or a tether, set into the ground,” Godric said.
Everyone looked at him.
Sarah’s lips were trembling. “But what about indoors?”
He raised his brows, his expression grave. “Ill-advised, I’m afraid. Best to keep them outside in the fresh air. But if one did bring a baby indoors, I think a hook set into the wall with ties made to fit under the child’s arms would suit.”
Great-Aunt Elvina’s brows had snapped together. She wasn’t known for her sense of humor. “Mr. St. John!”
He turned to her attentively. “Ma’am?”
