Over the next two days, Josh watched Lark studiously avoid Avi, and they were thankful he didn’t seek her out. But it couldn’t last. They eventually ran into each other on the stairway of the west wing. He wasn’t sure where King Avi was heading, but they were on their way to Lark’s study.
He normally tried to give her free time after dinner, but he had come across something that could be troubling and wanted to talk with her right away. The closer they became, the more comfortable he and Lark were with each other. They had started studying in each other’s apartments for a change of scene, and more comfortable furniture than a desk chair. Josh knew he reminded her of her oldest brother, Alex, but it didn’t seem like she wanted to replace Alex with Josh. And the more he learned about the el
