3
A MATTER OF CHOICE
As William carefully picked his way down the staircase the next morning, drawn by a tantalising smell of coffee and looking like an elderly spider with a wooden leg, he was vaguely aware of two things. One, he had a splitting headache, and two, he could have sworn he was being followed by a detachment of the Household Cavalry. He peered behind with some trepidation and was relieved to find the staircase empty, although to his untrained eye it seemed to be tilting to one side. Stooping, he removed his slippers which reduced the noise fractionally, and clutching the top of his head he tottered down the last few steps and sniffed his way to the breakfast room.
It did not make him feel any better when he got there to see Jarvis sedately putting out a variety of heated s
