slipped the other into his palm.
“Thank you, sir.” The butler nodded, gave him a kind smile and disappeared silently into the cloakroom.
As Aiden walked through the entryway, another servant stepped forward with a tray. On it were delicate little glasses with a golden-colored drink. He took one, but noticed with dismay that there was a stream of bubbles fizzing up. What was it about bubbly drinks here? He cautiously wet his lips. He wasn’t about to risk choking on an actual sip.
The room was crowded with women dressed bright as tulips and men looking all so identical in their suits and whiskers that Aiden didn’t know how he would ever tell any of them apart.
“There you are!” Christopher Worthington strode through the crowd, silk and whiskers swishing out of his way. “I’m so glad you came. What a rotten dull party it was until now. Oh God, you don’t have to drink that swill.” He snatched the glass of champagne out of Aiden’s hand. “They make it down the road, you know! Father says he wants to support our local businesses, but really, he’s just cheap when it comes to these parties. Mr. Butter”—an attentive servant stepped immediately to his side—“would you please bring my guest a glass of whatever this is I’m drinking?” He held up a glass of ruby-colored wine. “From Father’s study.”
“Of course, sir.” The man bowed and pivoted neatly on his impeccable shoe.
“And here.” Christopher handed over his own glass. “Top mine up, would you, please, we’re about to venture into the wilds and need fortification.”
“The wilds?” Aiden asked suspiciously.
“The zoo.” He waved toward a bank of windows at the rear of the house, through which Aiden caught a glimpse of an ornate gate. “I’ll show you before Father starts his official tour. He’ll go on for hours. All about reproducing the optimal habitat of each and every creature, and how many natives it took to capture the things.”
“I should like to see it. Thank you for the invitation,” Aiden said stiffly. “And the book. It was an excellent book.”
“You read it already? The whole thing?”
“Yes,” Aiden said, then paused. Was that maybe an insult—that he had read the whole thing so quickly? Would Christopher think it wasn’t a worthy present since it was too short? “I have many idle hours these days,” he added. “And it was a very exciting story.”
The servant returned with two glasses full of red wine. Aiden, suspicious now about all new beverages, took a cautious sip, but found it smooth and quite delicious.
“Come on,” Christopher said.
Afraid of spilling the red wine on his crisp new white shirt, Aiden took a big gulp to lower the level. He looked up to see a whiskered face frowning disapprovingly at him. There were probably a thousand rules here he did not understand, Aiden thought. There was probably a whole bible full of rules and he had probably done half of them wrong already. He stared the disapproving man directly in the eye, tipped up the delicate glass and drank down the whole thing in three great gulps. Then he smiled at the man, set the empty glass on a spindly little table and turned neatly on his heel. There was a certain sweet freedom in having nothing to lose.
Christopher led him deftly through the crowd, through a set of tall carved doors with glass windows and into a room that seemed to be made entirely of windows. There was a tropical jungle growing inside, complete with parrots in enormous wire cages. Aiden could have lingered here for at least a month, but Christopher hurried him outside through another pair of tall doors, across a sort of plaza made of stone, down a manicured path and up to the huge wrought-iron gate.
“Here it is.” Christopher swung open the gate. “The Worthington Zoo. Come on, your bears are down the path.”
“Have you always been interested in animals?” Aiden asked, trying not to sound as amazed as he felt, or gawk at everything like
“Thank you, sir.” The butler nodded, gave him a kind smile and disappeared silently into the cloakroom.
As Aiden walked through the entryway, another servant stepped forward with a tray. On it were delicate little glasses with a golden-colored drink. He took one, but noticed with dismay that there was a stream of bubbles fizzing up. What was it about bubbly drinks here? He cautiously wet his lips. He wasn’t about to risk choking on an actual sip.
The room was crowded with women dressed bright as tulips and men looking all so identical in their suits and whiskers that Aiden didn’t know how he would ever tell any of them apart.
“There you are!” Christopher Worthington strode through the crowd, silk and whiskers swishing out of his way. “I’m so glad you came. What a rotten dull party it was until now. Oh God, you don’t have to drink that swill.” He snatched the glass of champagne out of Aiden’s hand. “They make it down the road, you know! Father says he wants to support our local businesses, but really, he’s just cheap when it comes to these parties. Mr. Butter”—an attentive servant stepped immediately to his side—“would you please bring my guest a glass of whatever this is I’m drinking?” He held up a glass of ruby-colored wine. “From Father’s study.”
“Of course, sir.” The man bowed and pivoted neatly on his impeccable shoe.
“And here.” Christopher handed over his own glass. “Top mine up, would you, please, we’re about to venture into the wilds and need fortification.”
“The wilds?” Aiden asked suspiciously.
“The zoo.” He waved toward a bank of windows at the rear of the house, through which Aiden caught a glimpse of an ornate gate. “I’ll show you before Father starts his official tour. He’ll go on for hours. All about reproducing the optimal habitat of each and every creature, and how many natives it took to capture the things.”
“I should like to see it. Thank you for the invitation,” Aiden said stiffly. “And the book. It was an excellent book.”
“You read it already? The whole thing?”
“Yes,” Aiden said, then paused. Was that maybe an insult—that he had read the whole thing so quickly? Would Christopher think it wasn’t a worthy present since it was too short? “I have many idle hours these days,” he added. “And it was a very exciting story.”
The servant returned with two glasses full of red wine. Aiden, suspicious now about all new beverages, took a cautious sip, but found it smooth and quite delicious.
“Come on,” Christopher said.
Afraid of spilling the red wine on his crisp new white shirt, Aiden took a big gulp to lower the level. He looked up to see a whiskered face frowning disapprovingly at him. There were probably a thousand rules here he did not understand, Aiden thought. There was probably a whole bible full of rules and he had probably done half of them wrong already. He stared the disapproving man directly in the eye, tipped up the delicate glass and drank down the whole thing in three great gulps. Then he smiled at the man, set the empty glass on a spindly little table and turned neatly on his heel. There was a certain sweet freedom in having nothing to lose.
Christopher led him deftly through the crowd, through a set of tall carved doors with glass windows and into a room that seemed to be made entirely of windows. There was a tropical jungle growing inside, complete with parrots in enormous wire cages. Aiden could have lingered here for at least a month, but Christopher hurried him outside through another pair of tall doors, across a sort of plaza made of stone, down a manicured path and up to the huge wrought-iron gate.
“Here it is.” Christopher swung open the gate. “The Worthington Zoo. Come on, your bears are down the path.”
“Have you always been interested in animals?” Aiden asked, trying not to sound as amazed as he felt, or gawk at everything like
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