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But he would have to tied from the stables

After breakfast he strolled casually out the door Likely, Ashh hi Violet to create a diversion The fire she had started on the nursery floor ought to keep Ashmole busy She needn’t have thrown Colin’s book onto the blaze, however He could still hear Colin’s howls from the front doorstep

None of the footmen kne to treat him--as a child of the house, or as a by-blow? Their dileive a rat’s ass how they treated hiroolance but said nothing until Tobias pulled open the door to the carriage

"Here, you!" the e and gave hi an errand for Mr Ash a blanket he asked for"

"An errand for Mr Ashrooory of servant And that meant he could kick Tobias into shape if he wanted to It was obviously a coht

"I like to help Mr Ash it on "Perhaps someday I can be a butler just like him" He tried for a soulful look, which probably ht this over Tobias could al: if Tobias wanted to be a butler, well then he wasn’t getting above his place in life Much

"Like to see you a butler!" the grooar who expressed the sa on the brave and cheerful face of an orphan "I don’tto help today"

"You’d best get on with it, then," the groo for you, next?" Tobias asked "Hold the horses for a moment, maybe? I do love horses"

"I could take a piss," thethat there blanket to Ashmole and co the blanket out of its place and trotting up the steps back to the house ’Course, it wasn’t a normal blanket It was soft as a baby’s backside, and trimmed in some sort of fur Ermine or suchlike He handed the blanket to the footman stationed in the hallway and told him that it was to be sent to the laundry

"You shouldn’t be using the front steps like that," the groom told him a moment later, as he handed over the reins "Ashmole hup you if he sees you at it"

"I think he said so one of the horses’ noses

"I’ll be back in a"Mr Seffle will be coain Doesn’t like the horses to get antsy"

The , Tobias called to the footman just inside the door When he appeared, Tobias shouted, "Tell Mr Seffle I took the horses around the block"

By the time the duke’s coachman, Seffle, rushed around the side of the house, Tobias was already hidden in the coach The horses hadn’t even had time to realize that they were free to trot off From inside the blanket box, Tobias could faintly hear Seffle swearing, followed by a shoutingsearch for himself, but after a few minutes it all settled down and Seffle jumped on the coach to drive it around the block

Tobias wasn’t overly uncos They trundled around the final corner and pulled to a halt again He heard the duke’s drawling voice "Are you saying that Ashmole asked rinning He hadn’t made up his mind about his father Villiers was like soe way of talking He wasn’t friendly Or warht about the way Villiers had knocked over Grindel, the s like huround with an enormous crash And now there was a tone in Villiers’s voice that said Ash his job if he confused Tobias with a footet that his son was a bastard Which was idiotic, though Tobias appreciated the thought