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Laurence looked ahead through the trees, a knowing smile tugging gently at the corner of his mouth.

"I'll tell you something I haven't admitted to Arthur."

He looked back at her.

"I haven't seen him like this in a very long time."

"Like what?" Eliza asked.

"Content," Laurence replied.

The word settled quietly between them.

"So keep doing what you're doing, Your Grace. I think you're reaching him far more than even he realises."

For a fleeting moment, she considered asking about the women Arthur had known before her. The question hovered upon her tongue before disappearing again. She would not dare. His past was his own.

He had promised her answers, one question for another, and somehow she found herself unwilling to learn pieces of him second-hand. When he returned, she would ask him herself.

Instead, she shared, "I really do think he is a remarkable man."

Laurence's answering smile carried neither surprise nor amusement.

"I know."

"How did you stop him pushing you away?" Eliza asked.

Laurence considered the question for several moments before answering.

"I suppose it was rather different for me."

He stooped to retrieve a fallen branch from the woodland floor, absent-mindedly stripping the bark as they continued walking.

"We met when he was thirteen. He was every bit as serious then as he is now—perhaps even more so." He chuckled.

"There was never much point trying to break through all those walls."

"So what did you do?" Eliza asked.

"I ignored them."

She laughed.

"I'm serious," Laurence confirmed.

He tossed the stripped branch into the undergrowth.

"I simply carried on turning up. In my heart, I always knew Arthur would never hurt me without good reason, and I think..." He hesitated. "...I think he always wanted a brother, even if he'd never have admitted it."

"If you earn Arthur's loyalty..."

There was a pause before he added,

"Mind you, the difficult part is earning it."

She laughed. "How did you?"

His grin became positively boyish.