Lulu smiled into the darkness. “Emma,” she said, “is just about the un-oddest duck I know.”

“Mm-hmm.” He nodded again, quietly, to himself. “She’s a nice girl, Emma, I like her. But … I kind of have the impression that she thinks that every single odd duck in the world belongs in a tidy little pair with any old other odd duck, no matter what.”

In the dark of the night, Lulu began to feel relief spreading like hot tea through her body.

“I think she thinks,” she said, “that after night falls, someone comes knocking on our doors and leads us back gently to the Odd Duck Enclosure to keep us all safe till morning.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Lulu,” he said. “You’re a great girl. Really.”

“And you’re a nice man,” she agreed. “And you were amazing at the hospital. Really.”

“And it doesn’t mean we can’t keep on going to Carroll’s,” he said. “I hope we will, in fact, because I enjoy your company. It just doesn’t mean it has to mean anything else, either.”

Lulu thought about this. “I suppose,” she said after a while, “that once you learn to go with it, there are some advantages to being an odd duck.”

“Big advantages,” he told her. “Stick around me. I’m the sensei master of duck oddity.”

“Humble Lulu-san at your feet and ready to learn, master,” she told him.

They bought the milk and walked back to the flat in companionable silence. When they got to the gate, Tom stopped and laid a hand on Lulu’s arm.

“Want to have some fun?” he said.

Lulu looked at him, and slowly began to smile.

“Oh, yes,” she said. “Yes, I do believe I would love to have some fun.”

“How did you two get on?” said Emma when they entered the kitchen.

Tom and Lulu exchanged glances and refrained from smiling at each other.

“Fine,” said Tom.

“Fine,” said Lulu.

“What did you talk about?” said Emma.

“Nothing really,” said Tom. “Did we, Lulu?”

“Nothing much at all,” agreed Lulu.

Emma looked at them both and beamed.

“Oh, good,” she said.

Concord [undated]

Dearest Meg,

Thank you for your invitation. I felt quite the fine lady to be receiving so proper a letter, and on such good thick paper, too.

I rejoice to learn that Mrs. Brooke would be pleased to receive Miss March at a supper for Mr. Brooke’s birthday at Mrs. Brooke’s house on Saturday. Miss March would be happy to grace the occasion with her presence, on the strict understanding that, if Mrs. Brooke produces so much as a whisker of Mr. Scott’s brother, Mr. Scott’s cousin, Mr. Scott’s cousin’s boot maker, or Mr. Scott’s cousin’s boot maker’s apothecary, and pushes him towards Miss March with a meaningful smile and a hopeful glance, Miss March is turning directly on her heel and marching straight home.

If Mrs. Brooke accepts these conditions, then Miss March looks forward to attending and having a capital time.