"But Mistress.." whispered another maid, her voice wavering between shock and wonder. "Did you see him? The master… he was laughing."
The words hung in the air, soft as the rain still pattering faintly against the windows.
"He's changed a great deal and it hasn't been a week." Narelle said at last, though her tone carried less reprimand now and more reflection. "Ten years I've kept this house, and never once did I think I'd see our master running about in the garden with wet hair, let alone smiling like that."
"If it were Lady Ser—" one maid began, then faltered under Narelle's sharp glance.
"We don't speak of the past.." Narelle said firmly. "What's gone is gone. Look instead at what's before you."
The younger maid shifted, her voice softer. "…They looked happy, didn't they? Even if...well, even if they're both men."
