7
A dapper figure emerged from the arched doorway and greeted them. Snave had been the butler at Marsden Court since before Fina had been born. The tall man still had a great thatch of white hair. He shuffled, ever so slightly, as if fearful of falling over. Fina found this rather sad, as he was still a large, well-built man, only in his early sixties. Fondly, she remembered how he had let her run around downstairs and even occasionally played games with her. Perhaps other butlers were like this too, but one only discovered it as a child.
The curtain of quiet outside was drawn back to reveal hurried activity and chattering voices inside. Though the house was decorated sparsely for Christmas, the warmth of the voices and the slight smell of a wood fire were all Fina needed to feel that th
