As the banquet drew to a close and the final guests departed, Conrad strode over alone to where Vesper stood in the courtyard, breathing in the night air.
"I'm flying back at dawn to take my grandmother home." His voice was a low rumble.
Vesper murmured her reply. "Safe travels." A tinge of melancholy laced her words, so subtle she barely noticed it herself.
The night held its breath. The courtyard came alive with cricket song as moonlight draped over them, casting long shadows across the ground.
"There's unfinished business in Bramfield." Conrad's gaze remained steady, his tone measured.
"I'll wrap it up quickly, then come back to take you there to see for yourself. "
Not to marry into the family, but to show her. He was handing her the reins.
"Alright."
Though she knew the Sterli
