Esther winced when she felt something rather hard hit her shoulder. She turned around and found a bundle of wool yarn lying near her chair. The girl frowned briefly before glancing at Elise, who was grinning at her.

In an instant, Esther understood the situation.

She picked up the bundle of yarn, then handed it to someone sitting directly behind her seat. “Could you please pass this to Elise?” she asked politely.

The person she asked nodded before handing the bundle to the person behind ...