It did not, and yet he had to admit that it was nice to be beside them both. And so, Julian did not immediately stand.
"This is ineffective," he said, though without the same certainty as before.
"It is working perfectly," Eleanor replied.
"In what sense?"
"You are still here."
Lily smiled, as though that confirmed something important.
Julian glanced at Eleanor. There was no challenge in her anymore. He remained where he was for longer than he had intended. Long enough that, when Lily suddenly declared that the thing had escaped and that they must follow it elsewhere, he did not question it immediately.
He stood when they did, followed when they moved, and only realized, some time later, that he had stopped observing and had begun, however briefly, to participate.
"I think it went that way," she called, already moving ahead without waiting for confirmation.
Eleanor watched her go without concern.
"She will return," she said.
His gaze followed Lily for a moment longer, ensuring she remained within sight, before it shifted back. For a few steps, they walked without speaking, but Julian felt an urge to explain himself.
"She was not always like this."
"No?" she asked.
"She was quieter," he continued. "More contained. It was necessary at the time."
"And what about now?"
"It remains necessary, but she is no longer quiet."
"That is not a failing."
"I did not say that it was."
"But you suggest it."
They walked a few steps further, the path narrowing slightly beneath the trees.
"She matters to me," Julian said. "I may not know how to show it, but she does."
"I know," she said.
"After my father’s death," he continued, "everything changed. My mother did not recover from it, not in any way that allowed her to continue as she had before."
He did not know why he was saying all of this, but it made sense all the same. He wanted her to know everything, even if he knew it would only open him up to being hurt.
"And so," Julian said, "there was no one else to care for her but me. The house did not change, and the responsibilities did not lessen. If anything, they increased, and I took them all on. There was no alternative."
Eleanor considered that.
"You were a little young for that, were you not?"
"I became what was needed, and that could not change because of my age."
"I suppose the same happened to Lily," Eleanor said. "It would explain why she is wise beyond her years."