Delia woke up early, dressed quickly, and skipped breakfast. Basil hadn’t returned to her room the night before and the servants said he hadn’t returned to his room by morning. She left her room hoping to run into him and found him standing in the doorway of her office, simply staring inside the room with a complicated look on his face.
He didn’t react as she walked towards him, but when she touched him, he turned his head and looked down at her. The shimmering attention had faded from his eyes. They seemed almost hollow and glossy in the early morning light.
“Were you looking for me?”
“… no,” he said and frowned, turning from her. “I’m… late for breakfast.”
“We should go together.”
“No,” Basil said, shaking his head. “I’m having breakfast with my father.”
Delia watched him walk aw
