"I 'spect that's true," Adam said. Actually, so far as he could tell, living in Hell made people inclined to be out of sorts and share that with all and sundry, but he wanted to be agreeable for the moment.

"You're not there anymore, though. I'm sorry this is hard for you, but if you need anythin', you jus' let me know." It was a fine line between being friendly and letting the other know in no uncertain terms who was in charge, but the boy handled it well.

"Welcome to Tadfield Manor. If you're plannin' on stayin' for a while, we should get you a room..."