Unpacking didn't take much time. Anthony spent most of his time upstairs lying on the bed. It was bigger than the cost everyone used at the abbey, and he enjoyed the way his body sunk into it. He could have fallen asleep right then and there if someone hadn't come to knock on his door and inform him that he was expected at dinner. He placed his new friend into his suitcase for safekeeping, checked his hair in the mirror on the wall, and started down the stairs.

The children and their father were already seated around the table. There was an empty spot left at the other end. Captain Fell made eye contact, then nodded toward it. The children were all avoiding eye contact- except for Warlock. That one was quickly growing on Anthony and stared up at him with open admiration.

Anthony settled into his seat (after checking it first- after that snake? He was no fool) and smiled.

"Did I miss grace?"

Captain Fell set his fork down, a less than amused expression on his face. The children followed suit, sending quick glances Anthony's way.

Anthony held back a bigger grin. He folded his hands. "Lord, thank you for the food we are about to enjoy. And thank you for my safe journey here, and this wonderful family I'm about to work for these next few months. Especially the kind and considerate children." He looked up and fixed each one with a meaningful stare as he spoke.

Wensley's bottom lip was trembling. Warlock, who must not have been privy to the snake plan, kept grinning, unable to take his eyes off his cool new teacher.

"Knowing how nervous and alone I must have felt, a stranger in a new household, I appreciate their efforts to make me feel welcome."

Anathema's glasses were fogging up. She had been the one the catch the snake from the garden. Bee was staring hard at her hands in her lap. She was the oldest and had goaded Ana into planting the snake while Anthony's back was turned. He hadn't been scared, they all reasoned. But somehow that didn't do much to quell the guilt in their stomachs. The intention had been to scare him.

It was Wensley who broke first and started to quietly cry.

"I just have the best feeling about this new job, Lord."

Pepper reached into her pocket where the dye was. She didn't really feel like putting it into Anthony's shampoo anymore. She looked over to where Wensley was sniffling and felt her own eyes water. Adam sniffed and wiped at his nose with his sleeve, and that was what made her start crying, which in turn set off Ana and Brian. Now that most of his older siblings were crying, Warlock felt left out and started to cry as well.

"In the name of the father, the son, and the holy ghost. Amen." Anthony finished out the prayer calmly, picked up his fork, and began eating.

"Will this... charming display be at every mealtime, Mr. Crowley? Or is it only at dinner that you plan on leading us through this wonderful world of indigestion?" Captain Fell stared down the table at his newest employee and his inexplicably crying children.

"Oh, they're just happy, Captain. And I told you, it's only Crowley. No mister."

Pepper cried harder. Bee finally broke and buried her face in her hands.

Anthony took a sip of water.

Halfway through dessert- which was the richest, most mouth-watering chocolate cake Anthony had ever tasted- the butler entered the dining room silently to drop an envelope by Mr. Fell's place at the table.

"A telegram came for you, sir."

"A telegram?" Bee sat up straighter. "Sir, who delivered it?"

"A rather tall young man with brown hair."

"Father, may I be excused?"

"Certainly," Captain Fell said absentmindedly, opening the envelope with an unused butter knife. Bee was gone from the table in the blink of an eye. Brian reached across the table to scoot her plate of unfinished cake over to his spot. "Wipe your face, Brian," said Captain Fell after a quick glance up.

"Do I have something- where?"

"You know what, never mind. May as well just wash up after."

"Psst, Mr. Crowley?"

Anthony looked up to see Ana staring at him, leaning over Bee's empty seat.

"Yes?"

"Have you ever had your fortune told?"

"No, I haven't." Anthony wasn't sure why they were whispering, but he whispered back anyhow.

"Can I read your palm? It tells your future, and sometimes your past."

"Sure thing. Left or right? Does it matter?"

"No, I think they're the same." Ana climbed into Bee's chair and withdrew a small pocket-sized book from her dress pocket. "Give me one of them, hold it up to the light."

Anthony complied, and watched, trying to look entirely serious, as Ana checked the lines in his hand against the pictures in the book.

"You have a decent life line. That's good. But it ends weird. Squiggly. Maybe you'll die in a train crash. Or in a bus during an earthquake. Or a boat on troubled waters."

"Ah. May as well go out with a bang."

"And there's a crease that's supposed to symbolize... cycles. It's kinda pointing to your life line. Were you born on a train or bus or boat?"

Anthony shrugged his other shoulder. "I don't know, what do the lines say?"

"I think that's what they mean. You were born somewhere very turbulent. And you'll die there too."

Anthony could imagine that well. His mother- some faceless, redhead figure- arriving to her destination with a child she didn't know what to do with. Then continuing Anthony's journey to the abbey. Turbulence all the way. "Well, I'd rather the land than the sea, so I hope it's one of the first two. Land over water any day."

"I read my future, and I'm supposed to drown. So I've come to terms with it," Ana said, weirdly solemn for a girl her age. "Now for your luck..."

"I expect it's middling."

"You're right. Nothing impressive, but it isn't bad."

"I'm happy with that." And he really was, he realized. Turbulent beginning and end or not, his life was going just swimmingly in the middle so far. Nice, average luck. The thought was comforting.

"Ana, what are you doing?" Captain Fell seemed to take notice of their heads bowed together over the little book, and his brow furrowed. "Is it- dear lord, Ana. I told you to quit with the superstitious nonsense."

"It's just the palm reading- and it's true! Miss Tracy's hand reads for good fortune, and-"

"It's all just vague enough to apply to anyone. You can't tell Mr. Crowley any solid facts based on lines in his hand."

"It's fine, Captain, I know it's all in good fun-" Anthony tried to wave him off, but the man was rounding the table to pluck the book from Ana's grasp.

"Better to stay grounded in reality. It doesn't make a very good impression to spout nonsense to the new tutor."

The captain's opinion shouldn't have stung like it did, but Anthony's momentary comfort- even if it was false- felt swept away like the beginnings of a card house. He was surprised to see that Ana didn't look very upset- only resigned and a little bit down.

"Well. If I may be excused-"

"You may."

Anthony clamped his jaw shut to keep from calling his employer a name. "Fine. Goodnight."

Anthony spent a considerable amount of time with his face buried in the soft white pillows of his bed. It had been a long day, but he felt too wound up to sleep now. Captain Fell's attitude irked him. He was sure the kids would warm up to him pretty quickly, but he wasn't sure how he was supposed to work for this- this absolute- pill.

There was another knock at his door.

"You alright in there, darling?"

The woman's voice, though Anthony knew he had never met her before, seemed familiar enough to be comforting. Probably comes from being raised by a building full of women. Anthony rolled off of the bed and opened the door. An older woman with short, somewhat frizzy hair stood there with an arm full of fabric. There was grey, a deep blue, and cream colored.

"Hello, you're Anthony, right? I'm Miss Tracy. How are you settling in?"

"Um- I'm fine."

"Very far from home?"

"A few hours by bus. And another on foot. Further than I have been."

Miss Tracy made a clicking noise that sounded vaguely disapproving. "And the captain isn't terribly welcoming at first, is he? Well, I apologize on his behalf. He's never been much of a people person, and since his wife died it's been especially hard for him. Doesn't mean he has to rain so much on everyone's parades all the time-"

As if on cue, Miss Tracy paused for a distant roll of thunder.

"Oh. I should shut that window," Anthony said, crossing the room quickly. He snapped the dark curtains shut too, for good measure.

"Those curtains are about to be replaced, just so you know. For something brighter, before the baroness comes to visit I suppose." Miss Tracy set the bolts of fabric on the chair by the desk.

"Baroness?"

"Yes, that's where Captain Fell is off to in the morning. To visit Baroness Lucille Fern."

Anthony raised his eyebrows. "My second day, and he's leaving me alone with his kids?"

"Oh dear. He didn't tell you yet?" Anthony shook his head. Miss Tracy tutted again. "Well, don't worry dove, I'll be here and so will Shadwell. We'll help you keep the children on their schedule."

"Thank you." Genuine relief made Anthony's shoulders relax.

"Now, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to tell you this... oh, never mind it. Shut the door, I have a theory." When the door had clicked shut, Miss Tracy settled at the end of the bed, pulling Anthony to sit with her. "I think the captain plans to marry the baroness. He's been to visit her in Vienna quite often. With these small renovations- the curtains and the garden and such, I think it's very likely that the baroness will be coming back here with him at the end of his trip."

"That- okay, that sounds like a reasonable assumption. What is she like? The baroness?"

"I'm not sure. He doesn't talk about her much, and she has never visited."

"Does he love her?"

Miss Tracy shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"I- well, of course it- it would matter to me. If I were- nevermind. They get along well enough?"

"I suppose so."

"And how long will he be gone?"

"A few weeks," Tracy said. "Here, we'll go through the children's regular schedule together. Do you have a pen, dear...?"