"Give it time," Anne sighed. "There will come a time where things are not so simple."
"You may wait as long as you like," Eleanor said. "You will find nothing so entertaining here."
"That is a bold claim," Beatrice replied.
"It is true. Lord Harrowby and I do not have disagreements."
They did not, because they did not spend enough time with one another, nor discuss matters openly enough, to even risk it happening. Anne glanced at her, but said nothing this time.
The conversation drifted on, turning to smaller things, to familiar stories and shared memories that required no careful thought. It was easy in a way Eleanor had not realized she had missed.
And yet, beneath it, something remained just out of reach.
They returned in the late afternoon. The walk back was quieter than the journey out had been, the energy of earlier conversation easing into something more settled as the house came into view again. Eleanor felt it before she saw it properly, the familiar outline of the estate rising against the softened light. It truly did feel like somewhere that could be her home.
Beatrice slowed slightly as they approached the steps.
"I had almost forgotten how far we had gone."
"That is because you were talking," Anne said.
"That is usually the reason I forget things."
Eleanor smiled faintly but said nothing, her attention already shifting ahead.
Lily was waiting near the lower steps. She did not approach immediately. Instead, she stood still for a moment, watching them arrive as if assessing the situation before deciding how to enter it. When she did move, it was with purpose, though not urgency.
"You went out without me," she said as they reached her.
There was no accusation in it, only certainty. Beatrice looked down at her, clearly surprised to see a little girl there.
"We did not intend to exclude you."
"You still did," Lily replied.
Anne crouched slightly to her level.
"We thought you were occupied with your governess."
"I was not."
Eleanor stepped closer then, her tone softening.
"Then that is our mistake. Our apologies, Lily."
Lily considered this for a moment, then nodded once as though accepting the correction.
"Where did you go?" she asked.
"Only walking," Beatrice said.
"That is not interesting," Lily replied at once.
"It was to us," Anne said. "Perhaps it is just as well that you stayed home?"
Lily looked unconvinced. Eleanor shifted slightly.
"We can go again tomorrow, if you would like," she offered.