Alec laughed as John stuffed his gloves down Charlie's bodice and he shook his head. "Barely an improvement," he grumbled, standing, "but the original was hardly much to look at it." He pulled on his overcoat and knotted his jacquard scarf around his throat.
Draining his last glass of punch, he left the glass on the edge of the pianoforte and plucked his cigar from the ashtray. Thus armed, he waited for Allaster and Charlie to finish readying.