Chapter 228: What the table holds
The fire had been burning steadily for most of the evening, keeping the sitting room pleasantly warm despite the cold weather outside.
William sat comfortably in his chair, occasionally glancing toward Isolde, who had finally managed to eat a proper meal after what he suspected had been several difficult days.
She hadn’t mentioned neglecting her meals, but he’d noticed how readily she’d accepted the food when it was brought in.
At first, she’d barely spoken, concentrating on eating while Seraphina kept the conversation light. Now that she’d finished, some of the exhaustion she’d carried into the room seemed to have eased.
Isolde leaned back in her chair with a cup of tea held between her hands, watching the flames flicker inside the fireplace.
She looked considerably more relaxed than when she’d arrived, although William doubted she’d completely stopped thinking about her mother.
"She’ll try again," Isolde said eventually, breaking the comfortable silence.
William turned toward her. "I know."
"She won’t approach me directly next time. She’ll probably send someone I trust, or at least someone she thinks I still trust." Isolde sighed and slowly turned the cup between her fingers. "That’s how she handles things. If one approach doesn’t work, she finds another. She can be remarkably patient when she wants something."
"We’ve already considered that possibility," Seraphina replied, setting her cup aside. "Sera has been looking into your family’s connections since the inquiry began. We have a fairly good idea of who your mother might approach, and we’re keeping an eye on them."
Isolde raised an eyebrow. "I’m not sure whether I should find that reassuring or concerning."
"A little of both, perhaps." Seraphina smiled. "Although I’d prefer you focused on the reassuring part."
That earned a quiet laugh from Isolde, who shook her head before taking another sip of tea.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course," Seraphina answered.
"When did all of this become so organized?" Isolde glanced around the room before looking between William and Seraphina. "I mean, I knew you were working together, but I didn’t realize things had developed this far. Everyone seems to know what they’re doing, and somehow you’ve already prepared for problems I hadn’t even considered."
William considered her question for a moment, resting one arm against the chair.
"It happened gradually, I suppose. Although things moved much faster than any of us expected toward the end."
"The competition had a lot to do with it," Seraphina added. "We’d been preparing for several possibilities for months, but once everything started happening, we had to make decisions rather quickly. Some people took on responsibilities they hadn’t originally expected, and others became much more involved."
"I can imagine."
Isolde looked thoughtful for a moment, then glanced between them again.
"And what about you two?"
William turned his head slightly. "What about us?"
"Oh, don’t give me that look." Isolde’s lips curved into a small smile. "I’m not interrogating you. I’m simply curious."
Seraphina reached for her tea, although the faint amusement in her expression suggested she understood exactly what Isolde was asking.
"Curious about what?" William asked.
"About whatever is going on between you." Isolde gave him a pointed look before turning toward Seraphina. "You two have become awfully comfortable around each other."
Neither answered immediately, which only seemed to amuse her further.
"Relax. I’m not asking either of you to make some grand declaration." Isolde chuckled softly. "I’ve just spent the better part of several weeks dealing with my family’s nonsense, so forgive me if I’m a little behind on everyone else’s affairs."
"There’s nothing you need to catch up on," William replied.
"Of course there isn’t."
Seraphina laughed quietly at his response, and William gave her a brief look that only made her smile wider.
Isolde watched their exchange with growing amusement. Whatever the two of them wanted to call their relationship, she doubted they were fooling anyone who spent enough time around them.
"Well, whatever the case, I’m glad you have each other," she said. "You’ve both done more for me than I know how to repay, and I don’t think either of you realizes how much that means."
Seraphina’s smile softened.
"You don’t owe us anything, Isolde."
"I know that’s what you’ll say." Isolde lowered her gaze to her cup. "But I still wanted you to know."
William nodded, accepting her gratitude without making a fuss over it.
"Then you’re welcome."
Liam arrived about twenty minutes later, apparently having heard from Marcus that there was food in the smaller sitting room.
Considering how much he’d been eating since the competition ended, William wasn’t particularly surprised to see him.
The door opened, and Liam stepped inside with an expectant expression that changed slightly when he noticed Isolde sitting with them.
"Oh, you’re here!" he greeted her cheerfully. "Good to see you."
"Hello, Liam."
He glanced toward the table, where several dishes still remained.
"Please tell me you haven’t finished everything."
William shook his head. "There’s plenty left."
"Excellent. I knew coming here was a good idea."
Liam wasted little time making himself comfortable, pulling out a chair and helping himself to a generous serving of food. He’d apparently missed dinner earlier, judging by how eagerly he began eating.
For a few minutes, he seemed perfectly content to concentrate on his meal while the others continued their conversation.
Then he looked across the table at Isolde.
"So, how bad was it?"
Isolde blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question.
"Sorry?"
"Your meeting with your mother." Liam swallowed his food before continuing. "I heard a little about what happened. Was it as unpleasant as everyone expected?"
Isolde hesitated, clearly unsure how to respond to such a direct question.
William sighed. "Liam."
"What?" Liam looked at him innocently.
"You could at least give her a moment before bringing that up."
"I’m just asking." Liam shrugged before turning back to Isolde. "You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. I figured it would be better to ask than sit here pretending I don’t know something happened."
Isolde stared at him for another moment before a small smile appeared on her face.
"No, it’s alright. I suppose there’s no point pretending it didn’t happen."
She placed her cup on the table and considered how best to explain the meeting.
"It was difficult, although probably not in the way you’re imagining. My mother didn’t shout at me or make any threats. She was perfectly calm throughout the entire conversation, which somehow made everything worse."
Liam nodded slowly. "Let me guess. She told you how disappointed she was."
Isolde looked surprised. "How did you know?"
"Experience." He gave a short laugh. "People like that don’t always need to shout. They just make you feel like you’ve done something terrible and wait for you to start apologizing."
"That’s exactly what she did."
"And did you apologize?"
"No."
"Good."
Liam seemed genuinely pleased with her answer. He reached for the teapot, refilled his cup, and pushed it toward her.
"Then I’d say you handled it pretty well."
Isolde let out a quiet sigh. "I wish it were that simple."
"Never said it was." Liam took another bite before continuing. "Your mother will probably find something else to complain about tomorrow, but there’s not much you can do about that tonight, is there?"
"Not particularly."
"Then you might as well enjoy yourself while you can." He gestured toward the remaining dishes. "And eat something else. You look like you’ve barely touched food in days."
"I’ve already eaten."
"There’s always room for a little more."
William shook his head. "Not everyone has your appetite, Liam."
"That’s unfortunate for them."
Seraphina laughed, and even Isolde couldn’t help smiling at the exchange.
After a moment, she reached for another small portion of food, earning an approving nod from Liam.
William caught Seraphina watching him from across the table. She gave him a knowing smile, clearly amused by how easily Liam had managed to lighten the atmosphere.
He returned the smile before taking another sip of his drink.