The manor's timeless charm felt like a heavy silence as I retreated to my room, my thoughts swirling with echoes of the lunch conversation. The topic of grandchildren had landed like a misstep in a dance, awkward and weighted. I closed the door behind me, letting out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
Barely a moment passed before there was a knock—sharp, deliberate, unmistakable. He didn't wait for my invitation, stepping inside with his usual air of unyielding control. His presence filled the room like the scent of aged woodwork, understated yet impossible to ignore.
"Well," he began, his voice smooth as he stepped inside. "That was... enlightening." His gaze was cool, assessing, as if measuring how much of the incident at lunch had truly rattled me.
"I didn't bring it up,"
