<strong>Tsade ~  the what?</strong><br/><br/>Lady Beatrice pushed a soft tissue into Tsade’s hand.<br/><br/>Tsade instinctively pressed the Kleenex to his mouth and hacked up a niggley bit of icing that had gotten hung up. He was just coming up for a clean full breath as his mother spoke.<br/><br/>Lady Beatrice moved to the sink, “Martial  would you be kind enough to get my purse?”<br/><br/>“Excuse me?” He asked in that particular flat tone of a sane man talking to someone less sane.<br/><br/>“Please..” Lady Beatrice said hopefully and gave a light shrug to reveal hands full of soap suds.<br/><br/>He was defeated. It was obvious. Yet he held his ground a moment more before yielding in the field of battle. After all he was in no man’s territory, the kitchen was decidedly a home ground for his mother, and she played the field brilliantly.<br/><br/>“Of course,”  He said and gave Lily an I’ll be back look as he walked out.<br/><br/>But it was no use, innocent Lily without him was defenseless and mother was radiating a glow of fresh victory.<br/><br/>Lady Beatrice turned her full attention to Lily. She began the conversation as thought there have been no interruption.<br/><br/>“When I found out about Claudia’s stable I was as shocked and dismayed as you.” Lady Beatrice said as she wiped her hands on her apron and came for a sit down beside lily.<br/><br/>“I can see why Martial is quite taken by you. It was never like that with Claudia.”<br/><br/>“Just between us girl’s promise me you will not lead him astray,” Lady Beatrice spoke quietly.<br/><br/>“You’re the first since Claudia, and..” Her eyes fill and she smiled bravely clutching another tissue.<br/><br/>A growling bark that tried to pretend it was calm and collected from the direction of the guest room. “Where do you think you might have put it Mother?”<br/><br/>Lady Beatrice patted Lily’s hand as she answered without taking her focus off lily, “Oh, check the big suite case first please.”<br/><br/>It was back to Lily without so much as a missed breath.<br/><br/>“What is your profession or are you training here?” Lady Beatrice asked as she slide her purse futher under her chair with the toe of her shoe.<br/><br/>