“What rules?”
“People clearing their own plates. Don’t staff do that? And why was everyone armed at dinner?” She drops a quick look at our joined hands, then snaps her eyes back to meet mine.
“There are seven women and two men in charge of tending to various things around the house like cleaning, preparing food, and keeping up with grounds. But they aren’t staff. It’s just what they do around here.” I reach out and move a strand of her hair over her shoulder. “And when we finish with our meal, we all take our plates to the kitchen to lighten their workload.”
“They are not paid to do that?”
“They get paid. But we still take our plates to show our respect and appreciation. As for your second question—we like to be prepared.”
“For what?”
“Anything and everything.”
“Don’t you hav
