It was hard not to laugh a little bit. Cypher was apparently taking his role as paladin very seriously. But now that the mask was gone, Ariadne hardly felt threatened by the doctor. "Those truffles are valuable," she said. "You needn't stay on my account, Sir Weasel."

Not that it was up to her. But he had asked.

To Adrian, she replied, "It's actually my orchard from Deerington. I don't know how, but it's here now. The same as my apartment. And despite the poor soil, it seems to be surviving as always. I want to turn it into a public garden. Just a place anyone can go if they feel like they need to be in nature for a little while."