"I am magnanimous enough to give you a handicap." Claude chuckles, getting up from setting up the board to open a bottle of wine and pour himself a glass. He gives the Sprigatito curled up on the kitchen table a scritch on the head as he passes. "I'll take a drink with each piece too, how about that?"

And if he's drinking, then she won't tonight. One of them needs to be clear-headed to look after Gwen. Valentine, Claude's bright pink pygmy drake, has crawled under the quilt to try and leech Sally's body heat.