The Sin estate had a rhythm, and Evelyn learned it the way you learn a new language, not from a book but from immersion, from watching and listening and making small quiet mistakes and correcting them. She learned that Alaric was at his desk by five every morning and that the sound of his study door closing was the household's unofficial alarm clock.
She learned that Genevieve called home every day at exactly one in the afternoon from whatever naval base or government building she was operating from, and that Frau Schreiber always had the phone ready and a cup of tea waiting for nobody in particular but really for himself, because the calls comforted him too.
She learnt that George slept until noon everyday when he was home, which was not often. and each time he was home, he filled the house with noise and light and an easy warmth that made everything feel slightly less formal.
