Chapter Eleven
Konrad found a welcome party awaiting him when he returned home. Not in his study, to where he would normally retreat on such an occasion (there to indulge in a glass of something, or perhaps two or three, before he attempted any repose). Nanda sat in comfort in her favourite of his two parlours. She had a fine fire ablaze, despite the hour being little short of five o’clock in the morning; the best chair sat empty and ready for him, the one with the extra stuffing in its pillows; and in addition to the advantages of comfort, warmth and Nanda’s presence she had also arranged for a small repast to be got ready for him. Not even the delicate pastries and such that she preferred, but something that smelled meatier.
He paused in the doorway to admire this vision of welcome, an
