"Well, that's very nice of him. Very nice, indeed." Had he heard of the soulmate hoopla? Oh, of course he had. In fact, he'd done well to avoid it, given his feelings on the matter. Now here the young Earl comes into the shop with a lovely woman on his arm, offering to buy her tea.

His grin turns more to the teasing, and it's not just about the social status that no longer carries weight in this world. "Oh, have I. I suppose that's why you're here, making nice with this young lady, showing her all proper. You two - " He points a finger, waggles it back and forth between them, then lowers it back to the counter again. " - look like you're one of the fortunate ones. Bit of an age difference, but who am I to judge? Love is where you find it."