Chapter 268 - Strange Bedfellows

The Welhaven estate crouched under the weight of dusk, every stone shadowed, the sprawling ivy clutching at the old walls as if it could hold the place together a little longer. The windows, tall and once gleaming, caught the remains of the sun in a dull, half-hearted shimmer, as though they were exhausted by the day's endless reflections. Gravel, once dignified beneath the wheels of carriages, now shifted uneasily under hurried footsteps, two pairs, sharp and uneven, breaking the stillness with a nervous staccato that rang through the chill.