"I've thought of asking Baz and Simon if they'd mind. Garrick'd be wonderful with all the children, I d'think he's far too smart to ever be cruel to a helpless child, but if someone were to come onto the grounds and try to hurt 'em..."

She trails off and looks at her great, sweet dog, thinks of the way he'd snapped at her father, and she reaches out to finger his ear, showing Greta the place where he's missing a bit of it. The wound has long healed, but where there should be the tip of his ear is instead a jagged edge, the bit that's missing having clearly been torn off by a dull weapon of some kind.

"He used t'try and get between me and my father," she says. "That bit of his ear there, that's when I gathered him up and left. Twas bad enough that my father hurt me, but I'll not allow a soul in the world to lay a hand upon my dog. I only mean t'say I think if someone were to try and hurt the children, Garrick'd make sure no harm came to them."

She smiles when Greta says she'll join them and tucks her hand into the crook of Greta's arm like she once would have with Verity. "I'm that glad for the company. Garrick is sweet, but he's a poor conversationalist."