"What happened to your hair?!" the countess screeched when her daughter arrived home with a lion's mane and no bonnet.
"The wind at the ocean side was very strong, Mother," I said calmly.
The only way to deal with her when she got hysterical was to remain absolutely calm. It had not taken long in this world to learn that much.
"Yes, very strong," Percy agreed while standing stoically beside me. "Her bonnet flew right off and the pins with it."
The countess had no reason to doubt the word of her oldest son and let us off easily before going to order the cook to prepare dinner.
I turned to him suspiciously. "You just lied for me."
"Yes, I did."
"What do you want?"
He smiled. "The whole lemon tart. I think you owe me that much."
Curse him, he was right. Percy had done a lot for me today.
"Can I have one tiny nibble first?" I pleaded. I was the one who picked it out after all.
"One tiny nibble," he conceded.
