Rook

had married himself a lovely lady whose family went back to the Conquest and had done their share of Conquering. Her social connections, combined with his (always unspecified, but obviously exceptionally important) role in the government, meant that they enjoyed a rich and active social life.
    “I love what you’re wearing,” she lied enthusiastically. Even I didn’t particularly like what I was wearing, but it had been in my closet for ages, and it had looked depressed on its hanger, as if it deserved a day out. Unfortunately, it now looked depressed to be on me.
    “Conrad tells me you’ve been working very hard,” continued Caroline, and looked to me for some sort of response.
    “Oh, well, you know,” I stumbled. “It’s got to be done.” The cover story given to spouses is that we work in the intelligence field, which implies a high level of discretion. So she knew I couldn’t really talk about my work, which left me little that I could talk about. I knew that I had three weeks ofconsciousness left at the most, and this party seemed a tremendous, if unavoidable, waste of my time. Fortunately, I was saved by a knock at the door. Unfortunately, this led to the depositing of little Henry in the horrified arms of his auntie Miffy.
    This was pretty much the youngest person I’d ever come in contact with, ever. There had been infants at the Estate, but we didn’t interact with them until they were five. This thing was a year old. It didn’t seem able to talk, and it regarded me with that same steady look as previously and then started oozing copiously from its nose and mouth. I tilted it away from my top and looked around helplessly.
    The knock at the door had turned out to be Chevalier Joshua Eckhart, his round and comfortable wife, Phillipa, and their four children. Two of the boys were twins in their midtwenties, and strapping lads they were, strapping enough to make me regret my clothes. And hair. Then there was a teenage daughter, who looked at me with a certain amount of contempt, and a twelve-year-old boy, who ignored me entirely. I hoped fervently that Phillipa would sweep over and liberate me from the baby-holding, but she just clucked politely when Mrs. Grantchester pointed out little Henry and dispatched one of the twins to bring her a champagne cocktail.
    “So, Myfanwy, she saddled you with the baby, did she?” Mrs. Eckhart observed. “I’m not surprised, given that she’s wearing a dress worth the gross domestic product of Fiji. You’ll want to wipe at his face with the receiving blanket,” she said helpfully. “Frankly, I don’t know why they haven’t gotten a nanny.”
    “Actually, I think they have one,” I said. “I don’t know where she is.” I looked around hopefully.
    “I would have killed for a nanny,” Phillipa mused. “Or a Taser. The number of times the twins almost set the house on fire…”
    “Really?” I said in surprise, and I struggled for a comment. “They seem so, I don’t know, calm. And now that they’re adults, do, um—oh, thank God—Conrad, do you want to take little Henry?”
    “No.” He looked at me in disbelief and moved on.
    “Oh,” I said. Meanwhile, other members of the Court were arriving. I didn’t actually want to join them, but at least if I did maybe someone would take the child off my hands.
    “Myfanwy dear, Josh has never actually made it clear to me. Do you work together in the office?” Phillipa asked with genuine interest.
    “Oh, well, not exactly. We both head up sections,” I fumbled as the baby started making noise and fidgeting in my arms.
    “Really? You’re so young; how old are you?” Before I could answer, we were distracted by one of the twins bringing us both champagne cocktails. “Thank you, Richard—you remember Myfanwy, don’t you? She works with your father. Myfanwy, this is Richard.”
    “Hi,” he said sympathetically. “Do you want me to take the baby?”
    “Thanks,” I whispered. He took little Henry with an ease that surprised me until I realized that he had younger siblings and so was probably used to holding them.
    “I’m so impressed,” said Phillipa as Richard expertly dandled the baby. “Richard is still at university, and you’re so high up in the service at such a young age.”
    “Well, um, you know. I’m very good at management,” I said. “If I were a superhero, that would be my superpower. That, and nothing else,” I added hastily.
    “Still, it must be difficult,” she