Mary hugged Slater back with enough enthusiasm that the housekeeper would probably have boxed her ears on principle. "Oh, life's been so strange. I was workin' for Lord Stanley and he was chasin me through the house, so I thought of gettin a new job... I was going to go straight to you but a friend told me of a place closer by and who do you think was runnin' it? My brother, Harry. Ma told me he was dead! I'm stayin with him for a bit now while things get sorted...."
She thought of Harry's tirade about Slater the day they'd met and she looked at Slater worriedly. He didn't look any different- still the moustache and the light in his eyes. "What about you, though? Things still goin' alright?"