"I did."
The past tense was deliberate. It had to have been. Eleanor acknowledged it with a slight inclination of her head, though it did little to settle the sense of something unfinished beneath the words.
"I am glad, then," she said, "that I am not entirely without guidance."
"Yes, the staff here are wonderful, and most loyal too. I suppose that you need only be careful of where such loyalties lie."
Before Eleanor could reply, the door opened.
Julian stepped into the room, his attention already fixed ahead, as though he had entered with purpose rather than curiosity. The moment he saw Rosamund, he stopped.
The shift in him was immediate. Not dramatic, not outwardly abrupt, but unmistakable.
"Lady Rosamund," he said.
"Julian," she replied, with easy familiarity.
His expression did not soften.
"What are you doing here?"
The question was direct. At least, Eleanor considered, it meant that she had not forgotten such an invitation after all. She remained where she was, though her attention was fixed now on him rather than their guest.
Rosamund did not appear unsettled.
"I came to pay my respects," she said. "I had not thought that would require explanation."
"It does not," Julian replied. "But your presence is unexpected."
"Is it?" she said lightly. "You had never objected to seeing me."
The implication settled clearly in the room. Eleanor did not move.
Julian did not hesitate.
"That was before my marriage," he said. "Circumstances have changed."
The boundary was drawn without softness. Rosamund’s expression held for a fraction of a second too long, something in it tightening before it smoothed again.
"Of course," she said. "How could I have overlooked it?"
There was no tremor in her voice, no visible loss of composure, but the shift was there, unmistakable to anyone who cared to see it.
Eleanor saw it.
"I would not wish to impose," Rosamund continued, rising with quiet dignity. "It seems I have already done so."
"There was no imposition," Eleanor said, standing as well.
Rosamund turned to her, a faint smile on her lips.
"You are very gracious."
"It has been a pleasure to receive you."
Rosamund inclined her head slightly.
"You will manage here very well. I had not thought that my dear friend here would have made such a decision, but I am certain that he does not regret it. You never regret anything, do you, Lord Harrowby?"