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One

Marcel Lamarr, Marquess of Dorchester, was not at all pleased when his carriage turned abruptly into the yard of an undistinguished country inn on the edge of an undistinguished country village and rocked to a halt He made his displeasure felt, not in words, but rather in a cold, steady gaze, his quizzing glass raised almost but not quite to his eye, when his coachetically within

“One of the leaders has a shoe co loose, my lord,” he explained

“You did not check e stopped for a change of horses an hour ago that all was in order?” his lordship asked But he did not wait for an answer “How long?”

His coachlanced dubiously at the inn and the stables off to one side, fro to their aid “Not long, my lord,” he assured his employer

“A fir his glass “Shall we say one hour? And not a er? We will step inside while ait, André, and saested that he was not expecting to be impressed

“A glass or till not come amiss,” his brother, André, replied cheerfully “It has been a dashed long time since breakfast I never understand why you always have to make such an early start and then re changed”

The quality of the ale was indeed not iued with It was served in large tankards, which foas on the table Quantity was perhaps the inn’s claiht them freshover the edges They had been cooked by his own good wife, he inforh his lordship gave hiood woman apparently made the best meat pasties, and, indeed, the best pies of any and all descriptions, for twenty h the proud husband did not want to give the appearance of being boastful in the singing of his woe for theree with hiest that they were the finest in all England—possibly even in Wales and Scotland and Ireland too He would not be at all surprised Had their lordships ever traveled to those reions? He had heard—

They were rescued fro to listen to whatever it was he had heard, however, when the outer door beyond the taproom opened and a trio of people, followed almost immediately by a steady streaers, all clad in their Sunday best, though it was not Sunday, all cheerful and noisy in their greetings to the landlord and one another All were as dry as the desert and as e to the loudest of them—and in need of sustenance in the for not far off noon and the day’s festivities not due to begin for another hour or so yet They fully expected to be stuffed for the rest of the day once the festivities did begin, of course, but in the meanwhile

But soreement fro would or could co That hy they were here

Each of the new arrivals becaers in their midst A few averted their eyes in some confusion and scurried off to sit at tables as far reers as the size of the room allowed Others, somewhat bolder, nodded respectfully as they took their seats One brave soul spoke up with the hope that their worships had coe was to have on offer for the rest of the day The roorew hushed as all attention was turned upon their worships in anticipation of a reply