Arthur was very good at appealing to people.  He hoped Levi and Miriam wouldn't be much more difficult than he was used to.  The challenge presented to him of proving them wrong invigorated him.

"I won't disappoint you," he promised in a low voice.  Careful and slow, Arthur reached out and touched Malachi's wrist with the tip of his fingers before retracting his hand.

How long would it take to get to London?  Their destination could not come soon enough.

The woman in the seat in front of them kept turning and glancing their way as they conversed in quiet voices.  In another moment, Arthur was going to snap her thin neck forward so hard her head would find rest in her bosoms.

"Are they the type to come up against you, in that terrible way families love to do over dinners and in front of guests?"  Arthur was familiar with the way they could twist conversations into little stories of humiliation.  Mostly because he was the one doing the twisting.

"What should I do in that case?  My loyalty is to you, of course, but I don't want to upset them if I can avoid doing so.  Never at your expense, but, you know."