Archie
I didn't call Fiona the day after the café, or the day after that. I understood, sitting alone in my study turning over everything she'd said, that pressing forward too quickly would only confirm every fear she'd voiced about rushing something that needed careful rebuilding instead. If I wanted her trust back, genuinely, not just her forgiveness offered out of exhaustion or hope, I needed to prove myself through action rather than words alone.
I started with Margaret.
I found her in the estate office late one afternoon, and she looked up with obvious surprise when I closed the door behind me, something in my expression apparently signaling this wasn't a routine conversation about household management.
"Margaret," I said, sitting down across from her desk, "I owe you an apology.
