“Excuse me,” he said, and he went hurriedly out to the deck.
Harry broke the spell, saying, “Jesus. No living creature has ever looked at me like that, except maybe my dog. My mother would be a distant second.” Having said that, he excused himself and went upstairs, presumably to the bathroom.
I ignored him, looked at Lydia, and said, “Will Charles be all right?”
“He will if you go out there and give him a hug,” she said. I started to get up, but she stopped me with a gesture and added, “Charles is the most controlled person I’ve ever known. To my knowledge, he’s never been able to allow his grief to properly vent itself. As far as I know, that episode with my parents was the only time that he ever even came close to losing his composure over Robert’s death. Maybe you can help him with
