“You really do have quite the assortment of biscuits, Alden.” Tiffany remarked conversationally. “Ginger, chocolate, cardamom, cinnamon, orange peel, nutmeg… All of them sugar biscuits, too. I didn’t realize you had such a sweet tooth.” Alden shrugged. “I really only serve them to guests. When I’m taking my tea alone, I generally prefer savoury biscuits with black pepper or rosemary. Though I will admit the ginger and chocolate biscuits are rather growing on me.” “This seems like an awfully wide assortment just to serve to guests. Do you really entertain that often?” “Well, Mei Jing comes to visit quite frequently of late, and that girl certainly does have a sweet tooth.” “The Han girl, yes? I’ve only spoken to her in passing, but she seems like a very clever girl.” “She is that, not to mention brave and decisive. She’s been a lot of help to me since I entered the employ of Lucille Baines.” “Ah, yes. The researchers working on the antidote had a lot to say about Lucille Baines. I hadn’t realized you were employed by a Darling of the Clubs.” “Believe me, it took a while for me to come to terms with that one myself. Are you a member of any clubs yourself, Tiffany?” “Not as of yet, but Liz has offered to write a letter of recommendation for me to The Gilded Lilies.” Alden nodded thoughtfully. The Gilded Lilies was a club of moderate prestige, but besides that all Alden knew about it was that it exclusively admitted women who preferred the company of women, and that it had a long-standing partnership with the Blue Rose Club, which exclusively admitted men who preferred the company of men. “That does seem like a suitable club for you. Although honestly, I’m surprised to hear Miss Oxley is a member. I’ve never seen her wear the pin.” “She finds it a bit gaudy, so she only wears it when attending the club.” “I suppose that makes sense. Although quite frankly, if I had to guess at a club miss Oxley might be part of, my first guess would probably have been the Clams.” Tiffany let out a scandalized little giggle and leaned forward to playfully slap Alden on the shoulder. “Alden! What a thing to say!” Alden smiled unapologetically. “You can’t deny she has that air about her.” Tiffany hummed thoughtfully as she leaned back in her chair. “I suppose that is true. I was certainly a bit taken aback when she began to court me within days of first meeting me. Although not nearly as taken aback as I was when she saw right through me in the first place. She is the only person who has ever looked at the person I used to present myself as and instantly seen who I really am.” “I suppose Miss Oxley can spot a pretty young woman no matter how she might disguise herself.” Tiffany giggled, then let out a soft, fond sigh. “Well, I suppose I can’t deny that her eyes do wander a little. But believe me, that’s the extent of it. Ever since we began our courtship, she’s been completely devoted to me. We’re both a little old-fashioned, in that way.” Alden smiled. The way Tiffany’s face lit up when she talked about Miss Oxley filled him with a comfortable warmth. He really couldn’t deny just how much Tiffany’s happiness had come to mean to him. Which made it all the more important… “Perhaps we should move on to the reason I invited you here. My recent work for Lucille Baines has led me to consider my future, as well as the future of my tinctury. And since this matter concerns you directly, I figured I should speak to you about it sooner rather than later.” Tiffany stiffened a little, and Alden was tempted to blurt out some sort of reassurance, but there was a proper order to things, and if he just started speaking his thoughts as they popped into his head, he might not get his point across properly. So he simply tried to look as reassuring as possible as he continued speaking. “When I first opened the tinctury, I simply named it ‘Stowe’s Tinctures’ because I couldn’t think of any better name. But when I consider the future that lies ahead, I have come to realise that I would very much like to turn the tinctury into an actual family business. One day, I intend to leave this tinctury to my daughter.” Tiffany looked understandably confused. “I… I’m sorry, I had no idea you had a daughter, Alden.” “I don’t, but I’m hoping to have one in the very near future.” If anything, Tiffany looked even more baffled. “I’m not sure I understand…” “What I’m saying, Tiffany, is that I’m hoping to one day leave the tinctury in your very capable hands.” “I… What? In my hands… Didn’t you just say you wanted to leave it to your daughter?” “I did.” For a moment longer, Tiffany seemed entirely nonplussed. Then, gradually, understanding dawned on her face. Without warning, Tiffany stood up so fast her chair toppled over behind her. Rushing around the small dining table, she flung herself at Alden in a way that almost knocked him off his own seat, clinging to him with all her might. Fortunately, all Tiffany’s might didn’t amount to much, so the gesture was endearing rather than painful. “Yes! Yes, of course! Ever since that day, I’ve been hoping… Oh, but I never thought you’d actually… I…” Tiffany’s words sort of vanished into soft sobs, and Alden planted a kiss on her forehead before gathering her up and lifting her into his lap. Though as he did so, he noted that she had barely any weight to her. Tiffany was only a little shorter than Alden, but he was sure he had a good thirty pounds on her at least. A bear of a woman like Miss Oxley could probably lift Tiffany’s entire weight with one hand. As he gently stroked Tiffany’s hair and waited for her to calm down, he seriously contemplated what he could do to ensure the young woman ate properly… But he was quickly snapped out of those musings when Tiffany started speaking again. “It… probably won’t be easy, you know. Baron Dawkins may have disowned me, but I’m still technically the child of a peer. You’d need his permission to legally adopt me…” “We’ll worry about legalities later, Tiffany. I’m sure we can make it work some way or another. For now, you simply saying you wish to be my daughter is more than enough for me.” “I do! Oh, I do! Ever since the day I told you about me, I’ve wished that I could be.” “Then as far as I’m concerned, you are. I’ll figure out some way to make it official sooner or later. For now, just knowing that you’re Tiffany Stowe at heart is more than enough for me.” Silence fell as Alden kept stroking Tiffany’s hair. She was a lot bigger than Ember, obviously, and even as light as she was it was still a bit cumbersome to keep her curled up in his lap. But Alden didn’t mind. Despite how much bigger she was, holding her like this felt just the same as when he held Ember earlier… “Can I…” Tiffany began, but then trailed off hesitantly. “Whatever it is you wanted, just go ahead and ask, Tiffany.” “Can I… call you ‘dad’? The children at the estate always talked about their dads, but of course I could never speak so informally to the baron…” “Of course you can. You can call me whatever you like, Tiffany. Although if you start calling me ‘old man’ I reserve the right to get huffy about it.” “Thank you… dad.” Alden took a moment to just bask in the sheer wonder of having such an amazing daughter. But obviously, there was still one more matter than needed to be addressed. “Do make sure you come in bright and early tomorrow, Tiffany. There might not be much work to do until the workroom is complete, but I need to introduce you to your sibling.” Tiffany looked up sharply. “I have a sibling?” Alden found himself temporarily at a loss for words, mostly because Tiffany’s position meant that when she looked up at him they were practically nose to nose, and as much as he delighted in her presence, direct eye contact at a distance of mere inches was honestly a little much for Alden. When she realized the reason for his discomfort, Tiffany giggled and got off his lap. Picking her chair back up off the floor, she sat down and turned to look at Alden from a more reasonable distance. “So, a sibling? Even in my wildest dreams, I never thought getting to be your daughter would come with a brother or sister attached.” “A sibling.” Alden corrected gently. Tiffany seemed nonplussed for a moment, then her eyes widened slightly. “Oh. I… think I understand.” “I should hope so. They are liable to bite you if you don’t.” “I’ll keep that in mind. So, could you tell me more about them?” “Certainly. Their name is Ember, and they are far braver and stronger than I think they realize. I first met them when…” The morning was unseasonably sunny as Alden waited outside the tinctury for Ember to arrive. When he did finally spot the child walking around the corner he quickly rushed up to them, because they were carrying a huge, ragged cloth bag that was clearly too heavy for them, and which looked like it was about to break apart at any moment. “Give that here. I’ll carry it.” Alden scooped up the bag, holding it from beneath with both arms to minimize the risk of it splitting open. Ember smiled a little awkwardly. “Thank you, papa. Hakim said I was putting too much in the bag, but I didn’t have anything else to put my things in, and I didn’t want to leave anything important behind…” “The Barker came to see you off? I didn’t realize you were that well regarded by the Rascals.” “It’s not like that, papa. Hakim just cares a lot about the littler Rascals, is all. He’d do the same for anyone else my age.” “As well he should. Just how old are you, anyway? I don’t think you’ve ever said.” “Eight.” Alden raised an eyebrow. “Really? That old?” Ember huffed. “I’m just little, is all.” “I’m sure you’ve got a lot of growing left to do. Now, let’s head in. I need to introduce you to your sister.” Ember stopped dead. “I have a sister? Since when?” “Since late last night, as it happens.” Ember shot him an incredulous look. “Papa, did you adopt two different people in a couple of hours?” “I suppose I did. Is that a problem?” Ember seemed to consider the matter for a moment, then shook their head. “No, not at all. I just hope my sister will be nice to me.” “She will, I’m sure of it. Now come along so I can introduce you.” Alden led Ember into the Tinctury and put down the perilously overstuffed bag. He was about to call out to Tiffany, but before he could, she stepped into the corridor. Clearly, she’d been waiting just out of sight for them to arrive. “Ah, there you are. Ember, this is Tiffany, your older sister. Tiffany, this is Ember, your younger sibling.” Tiffany shot Ember a brilliant smile. “It’s so good to see you, Ember.” Ember seemed momentarily dumbstruck, but then they let out an excited little squeak. “You’re so pretty! I can’t believe I have such a pretty sister!” Tiffany flushed bright red. “Oh, um, thank you Ember. That’s very kind of you.” “How do you get those dark pointy lines around your eyes? They make your eyes look really pretty.” “Oh, well, you use something called kohl to draw just around the edges of the eyelids. I like to extend the lines into little sharp tips, because it draws more attention to the eyes…” Alden smiled as Tiffany started discussing her cosmetics with the clearly fascinated Ember, even going so far as to explain what the various substances she used were made of and how to best use them. It wasn’t exactly where he’d expected the conversation to go, but he was glad the two were getting along. And they certainly were getting along. When Tiffany knelt down to show Ember where she had applied her rouge, Ember leaned in and put their arms around her neck. Tiffany smiled and returned the hug. “Something the matter, Ember?” “I never had a sister before, so I’m happy.” “Well, I never had an Ember before, so I’m just as happy.” Ember laughed brightly. “I really like you, Tiffany.” “Well, that’s good. It would be a bit sad if my sibling didn’t like me.” Alden nodded to himself as his two children kept chatting, feeling more confident than ever that he’d made the right decision. Things turned rather busy after that. After all, enough space needed to be cleared in the bedroom to fit a bed for Ember. Alden also cleared out one of his bookshelves to make a space where Ember could put their things. They had a surprising amount of old toys, most of them clearly repaired over and over, and Alden could only assume they were gifts from older Rascals or things that had been lying around in The Place. It quickly became apparent that Ember was in dire need of new clothing, and that the clothing they had was in equally dire need of washing and mending. Alden was just about able to put together something vaguely presentable for Ember to wear from what they’d brought and some old bits and pieces he had lying around, but it was a near thing. Alden quickly decided that clothing was near the top of the list of priorities for this afternoon, just beneath purchasing a bed for Ember. But before they could go out looking for these things, Ember needed to wash up properly, so Alden pulled down the copper tub he used as a hip bath from its hook on the wall and started warming up some water. Ember insisted on washing up alone, but after they had dried themself and gotten dressed, they asked Tiffany for help with washing their hair properly. As such, Alden found himself standing on his own down in the corridor when something chilly and smooth was suddenly pressed against his cheek. After starting slightly, Alden grabbed the offending object and found it to be a small bottle of a rather fine mead. Turning around with a confused frown, he found Miss Oxley watching him with a teasing grin on her face. “What’s this about, Miss Oxley?” “Just a little something to celebrate the new father. It’s a local tradition where my family is from.” “I take it Tiffany told you, then?” “Of course she did. She couldn’t talk about anything else last night, and when I saw her just a little while ago she was practically falling over herself with eagerness to introduce me to her new… sibling, was it?” “Sibling, yes. Very empathically so.” “I heard. The risk of being bitten was mentioned.” Alden nodded, looking down at the bottle of mead in his hands. He wasn’t much of a mead man, but he knew an expensive bottle when he saw one, small though it was. “Shall I take this as a sign of your approval?” “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, as long as Tiff is happy, I’m happy. And Tiff’s been absolutely overjoyed since last night.” “Then I shall accept this gift in the spirit it was given. Thank you, Miss Oxley. Although I feel for the sake of formalities I ought to ask you just what your intentions are towards my daughter.” Miss Oxley’s face turned rather pensive. “You know, if you’d asked me that just a few days ago, I’m not sure I could have given you a clear answer. But… I suppose I might as well just come right out and say it. I intend to marry that woman. Don’t you dare tell her that, though. I’ll propose when the time is right. And when I’ve been able to afford a proper engagement ring.” Alden thought for a moment, then reached into his coin pouch and pulled out a ten-pound coin. Miss Oxley stared disbelievingly at the gold coin as he proffered it to her. “Alden, that’s…” “Having heard how Tiffany talks about you, I can hardly imagine a better wife for my daughter.” Miss Oxley hesitated for a while longer, but then shook her head with a smile and accepted the coin. “You’d make a pretty decent father-in-law, at that. Thank you, Alden. This will go a long way. I might even be able to afford something in gold if I keep saving up…” “All I ask is that you keep looking after my daughter. That girl means the world to me.” “That much I can definitely promise you. No harm will come to Tiff as long as I draw breath.” “Then you have my full approval. Thank you… Elisabeth.” Elisabeth barked out a laugh. “You’re just picking up family members left and right, aren’t you? If you keep this up much longer, you’ll need a bigger home.” She clearly intended it as a joke, but Alden hummed thoughtfully. “That might not be such a bad idea…” Once Ember has been made as presentable as they were likely to get, Alden brought them and Tiffany along to go shopping for furniture, clothing and other necessities. Alden found that he very much enjoyed this little family outing, although he was having some difficulty not spoiling Ember rotten. After all, Ember was much less resistant to Alden purchasing nice things for them than Tiffany was, and so Ember ended up with two rather expensive dolls, a toy wolf, two pocket knives, a very fancy silver pocket watch and a frankly embarrassing number of hair decorations in addition to the things Alden had originally intended to buy. When it came to clothing, Ember’s tastes were best described as ‘loud’. They adored bright, vibrant colours, to the point that Alden almost suspected it was a reaction to the fact that they no longer felt the need to hide their identity. It took all of Alden’s willpower and Tiffany’s kind advice to convince them to put together a wardrobe which, while certainly eye-catching, was not outright outlandish. Ember also showed a great fondness for traditional Nihonese garb, and Alden spent a not inconsiderable sum on different garments of a type that was apparently known as ‘kimono’. When the time came to head home for the evening, Alden couldn’t help but feel that the day had been far too short. Eager to spend more time with his new family, he suggested that they visit a park together the following morning. He would have loved to suggest they spend the whole day together, but he had a shift as greeter at Nabber Hill Lodge that evening. Besides, he suspected that if he monopolized Tiffany’s time for another market day afternoon, Elisabeth would be very cross with him. Father-in-law-to-be or not, he still felt that antagonizing a woman as formidable as Elisabeth would be a poor decision. That night, Alden had trouble sleeping. The thoughts and impressions of the past two days, good and bad, swirled around in his head like a maelstrom of memory. In such a short time, his newfound family had filled his life with so much joy and wonder. But at the same time, there was so much darkness in the world. He remembered the innocent men, women and children that were rescued from the Sunshine Club. Kidnapped off the streets for no other reason than that they seemed like nobody would look for them if they went missing. If Ember hadn’t managed to escape… “Papa… Are you awake?” “I’m awake, Ember. Trouble sleeping?” “I’m… I’m not used to the new room and the new bed, is all. It’s a lovely bed. I’m sure I’ll be able to sleep in it just fine once I get used to it.” “I’m sure you will, Ember. But you don’t have to hesitate if there’s anything you need. I’m your papa, Ember. I’ll take care of you.” “Can I… Can I sleep in your bed, papa? I used to sleep with my parents a lot, before…” “Of course you can, Ember. Come here.” Ember quickly padded over to Alden’s bed, burrowing beneath the covers and clinging to his side. Alden smiled to himself as he started gently stroking Ember’s hair, softly humming a lullaby under his breath. Somewhat surprisingly, humming to Ember seemed to calm Alden down just as much as it did Ember. And when Ember’s breathing turned soft and regular as they drifted off to sleep, Alden wasn’t far behind.