Chapter 45

In short order, Francis made a pot of green tea with mint from the container that appeared to have been used the most, and set up a tray with all the necessary items. He carried it all into the living room and put it on the coffee table.

“No, no, don’t get up,” he said when Henrietta was about to move.

“Oh, bless your heart,” she said with feeling.

“Now you, you can move,” Francis told Mark, making Charles and Henrietta chuckle and Mark look a bit put out in an obviously fake way.

“How do you take your tea?” Mark asked, and they fixed the cups for the Grahams and delivered them to their respective end tables by their chairs.

“Would you like a fire?” Francis asked, nodding at the cold fireplace.

“Oh, if you don’t mind,” Charles said, then lifted a hand. “But please enjoy the tea first. There’s no rush.”

“Do you still have enough firewood in the utility room?” Mark asked, then blew into his tea cup.