lay.
“I meant what I said, you know,” Claire informed the child. “No harm shall come to Rosie whilst she is in my care. She has given me her trust, so she will not run away. Nor do you need to stand guard over her.”
The child blinked at her. “Wot’s ’at?”
“Say, ‘I beg your pardon’.”
“I beg yer pardon, wot’s ’at?”
Claire sighed. “Once a bird gives you her trust, she regards you as a member of her flock. If I were you, I should endeavor to gain Rosie’s trust as well. One cannot have too many members in one’s flock.”
“I brought ’er a corn even when Jake would’ve et it.”
“Next time you shall give it to her from your own hand, so that she realizes you are also worthy of her trust.”
The child eyed her. “Yer a strange mort.”
“Why should you say that?”
“Most people just eat chickens and don’t care wot they fink.”
“Yes, well, no one is eating Rosie. She has a duty to perform and we shall enable her to do it. Just as you do. What is twice three?”
“I dunno.”
“Yes, you do. If I have three cobs of corn and you have three cobs, how many do we have to give to Rosie altogether?”
The wheels ground into motion. “Six. But she’d be sick for sure if she et ’em all at oncet.”
“She would indeed. However, if she ate only one, how many would be left?”
“Five.”
“One for each day of the week. A very satisfactory arrangement for Rosie, I should say, wouldn’t you?”
“If Snouts wins ’at poker game, we could ’ave ’em.”
“Let us hope he does, then. Would you do me the honor of telling me your name?”
The child gazed at her sideways while she studied Rosie, who had found a patch of bare dirt and was busy digging a dust bath. “I’m a Mopsie.”
“But you must have a Christian name.”
“I dunno.”
“You don’t know your name?” Here was a sad situation. Chickens were worthy of names but little girls with sticky fingers were not?
“I gots a name, I just dunno as I should tell you. Snouts said not if the coppers was to ask.”
“I am not a copper. And if we are to be members of Rosie’s flock, it is only fitting that we address each other correctly.”
She mulled this over. “I’m Maggie. Short for Margaret, but ’at takes too long to say.”
Claire leaned over and offered her hand, and bemused, Maggie shook it. “A pleasure, Miss Maggie. And your sister?”
“She’s Lizzie. Elizabeth.”
With a smile, Claire said, “My middle name is Elizabeth. I was named for my grandmother, who was reckoned a great beauty in her day. My mother, as you see, was an optimist.”
“Lizzie’s a beauty,” Maggie said defensively, as if her sister was not to be outdone by any other Elizabeth in the country, alive or not.
“She is indeed. She has very striking blue eyes. I hope she has forgiven me for spanking her last night.”
“Nope.”
“She did kick me first, and may I say, it was completely unwarranted. I hope her heart may soften toward me in time, if we are to be flock mates as well.”
Maggie fell silent, watching Rosie fling dirt over herself with great abandon. Then she said, “Why’s she making ’erself all dirty?”
“She is having a bath. The dirt suffocates any bugs and leaves her feeling shiny and clean when she shakes it out.”
“’Ow’s a fine lady like you know so much about hens, then?”
“Polgarth the poultryman taught me when I was as old as you. He was wise in the ways of birds. We have the finest flock in the parish, and every bird in it trusts him with her life.”
“They’re flock mates, then.”
“They are indeed.”
Maggie glanced at her. “Jake don’t trust you. Ent he a flock mate?”
Claire hesitated. “In some cases it takes time. And I don’t think offering a corn cob to him is going to do the trick.”
To her surprise, Maggie smiled widely, dimples winking in her dirty cheeks. “’E likes corn. Try it.”
Claire smiled too, more at the unexpected companionship in the child’s gap-toothed grin than at the image of Jake taking anything from her otherwise than by force or stealth. “I think the price of his trust is substantially higher than corn. I’d have to offer him my pearl necklace at the least.”
“’Ere, then.” Maggie reached under her combinations and pulled out the double strand of St. Ives pearls. Claire stared at them, pale against the girl’s grubby hand.
“Take ’em.” Maggie tossed them over, and Claire caught them more