Her brows lifted. “And?”
“And I believe,” James said slowly, “that we will speak of it again soon.”
Not a promise. Not a refusal.
Eleanor nodded, accepting it for now.
The wine warmed the edges of the room. Candlelight softened Eleanor’s features and made her seem closer than she had all day. When she laughed, briefly and without caution, James felt the tension in his shoulders ease despite himself.
It struck him, then, how easily this could become habit. Shared meals. Quiet conversation. A marriage that functioned not as performance, but as partnership.
The thought unsettled him more than the investigation ever had.
And when the final course was cleared, he knew he could not delay any longer.
Not without lying to them both.
As the final course was cleared, James set down his glass.
“There is something I wish to show you,” he said.
Her gaze sharpened. “Tonight?”
“Yes,” James replied. “If you wish.”
She studied him for a long moment, then inclined her head. “I do.”
They rose together and left the dining room, the house quieting as servants withdrew.
James led her up the stairs, past familiar corridors, to the narrow passage at the far end of the west wing. Few servants ventured here. Fewer still asked why.
He stopped before a plain, unmarked door.
“This is not a place I bring people,” he said quietly.
Eleanor’s voice was gentle. “Then why bring me.”
“Because you asked,” James replied.
He opened the door.
The attic was not what one might expect. It was not dusty or abandoned. It was ordered. Careful. Preserved.
Trunks lined the walls. Shelves held books, letters, small objects arranged with deliberate attention. A writing desk stood near the window, its surface clear except for a single framed miniature.
James stepped inside.
“This is all that remains,” he said.
Eleanor moved slowly, as though afraid to disturb the air itself. She touched the edge of a trunk. “Your parents.”
“Yes.”
He gestured toward the desk. “My mother’s correspondence. My father’s ledgers. Things no one thought worth keeping.”
His voice tightened. “I did.”
Eleanor turned to him. “You have carried this alone.”
