Isolde arrived on the fourth day.
Not the second week as originally planned, three days early, which William learned from his mother's morning message before anyone else was awake, the note brief and without elaboration beyond the essential facts.
'Isolde's meeting with her mother concluded yesterday evening rather than this morning. She's asked if the invitation still stands for an earlier arrival. I've told her yes. She'll reach the estate by midday.'
William read this in the corridor outside his room, the household not yet fully awake, the estate in its specific early morning state of warmth and quiet.
He thought about what concluded yesterday evening rather than this morning meant, which was that the supervised meeting with Lady Varen had not run its allotted time. Which meant either it had gone very well and ended naturally, or it had not gone well at all and had ended for a different reason.
