Nine Shillings

Measuring Up

London - 1842

'Mummy, tell Pappy to stand still so I can measure him,' Mary said and narrowly missed my head with her little measuring stick. 'Stop it, Pappy, I can't draw a line if you wiggles.'

Bran was shifting from side-to-side, ducking, or stretching up so Mary couldn't mark a line on the doorframe. It might've been funnier if I wasn't worried she'd topple off my shoulders giggling. Millie was leaning against a bookcase reading one of her maths books and pretending she was too grown-up to join in but her lips were pinched as if she was trying not to laugh.

'Stand up straight, Pappy.' Mary poked Bran's chest with the measuring stick.

Bran grinned, stood straight against the doorway, and saluted.

She stretched to draw a line, tongue stuck out in concentration, and accidently smacked Bran on the head with the ruler. 'Done.' She reached out to Bran.

He lifted her off my shoulders and set her on his hip. 'Shall I help you count?'

'Can if you want,' Mary said.

Merry was peering over her stuffed bear Patches I put out my arm and she hurried over for a hug.

I gave her a squeeze and murmured, 'There, there, baby bear. We're here, there's nothing to fear.'

Bran crouched down holding Mary and helped her line up her measuring stick with the door, then marked the top of it with his finger.

'One,' they said in unison. 'Two.'

'When'll Daddy come home, Mummy?' Merry asked, she didn't have to look up much, she was already nearing my eye level.

Bran and I shared a look.

'Lunchtime,' I said.

'Daddy needs to come home so I can measure him too,' Mary said without a glance. 'Forgot how many, start again.'

'Want Daddy home,' Merry put her head on my shoulder.

I rubbed her back. 'If he's not back by lunchtime, I'll go fetch him and tell him off for not keeping his promise.'

She snuffled against my shoulder and I squeezed her.

Lady Arton had accused me of babying Merry but she was old enough to remember both her birth parents dying and the vampire for hire who'd tried to kidnap her and her sisters. It seemed perfectly reasonable to me that she'd have a fear of losing people and be scared of monsters. Josef and Bran understood too. It seemed to be people completely unaffected by our family who took offence at Merry still sitting on her mummy, pappy, or daddy's lap in public for cuddles or carrying a stuffed bear.

'Six.' Mary announced. 'And a little bit.'

'That's inches, how many inches is it?' Bran helped her line up the measuring stick.

'One... Two... Six and two.'

I stared. I knew Bran was far taller than he appeared when we first met, I hadn't realised he was that tall. My usual measurements were; 'half a foot', 'a foot', and 'God only knew', having to look up made the inches seem irrelevant.

'Pappy is a giant,' Mary said.

'What do you think your grandmother fed your pappy to make him grow so big?' I asked Merry.

She made a sad sound and didn't say anything. Bran gave her a look that said he was thinking he'd done something wrong by arguing with Josef. I gave him a look that said he hadn't.

'Did you climb down a beanstalk, Pappy?' Mary asked, tugging at his lapel. 'Or a potato plant?'

'They didn't have potatoes in Ireland when I was born,' he said.