Before his marriage, Leon had rarely found reason to circle the lake before noon. The grounds were pleasant enough, but they had been pleasant for years, and familiarity had made the view from his study perfectly sufficient. If Leon wanted fresh air, he preferred to have Blaze saddled and go considerably farther than the lake.

However, as Leon knew all too well, riding before noon was inconvenient. There were letters to answer, repairs to oversee, and people who appeared at the house at hours which made leaving the estate for half the morning impractical. A walk around the grounds required considerably less trouble.

René walked in the mornings as well.

At first, Leon had been content to watch him through the tall panes behind his desk. There was something pleasing in seeing René make use of Langrer. He had arrived so reserved that Leon had wondered whether the house would ever cease to feel borrowed to him. Now he crossed the lawns as though he knew where he was going, disappeared beneath the trees with his sketchbook, and returned with grass on his trousers often enough that Ms. Veller had apparently given up objecting to it.

Leon had wanted René to be comfortable at Langrer. It pleased him to see that, increasingly, he was. The walks had merely given Leon occasion to see it more closely.

“And the bill from the carpenter, sir.” Odette handed Leon the paper.

Leon sighed and rested his head in his hand. It was not boredom, should the question arise. There was enough work before him to occupy the entire morning and afternoon, but Leon glanced out of the window over his shoulder once more and saw René heading for the lake. The decision was immediate. He stood, straightened his cuffs, and put on his waistcoat.

“Sir?” Odette’s eyes widened, and she nearly knocked the inkpot onto the papers when Leon stood.

“I need a break,” Leon murmured as he headed for the door.

His steps grew faster the farther he went, but descending the stairs while buttoning his waistcoat proved more difficult than Leon had expected. He managed to look presentable enough by the time he stepped out into the yard. He called out to René, who was walking slowly ahead of him.

“Mr. Meren?”

But René did not respond. Leon clenched his fists at his sides, then rubbed his hands together before calling out again. René had gotten considerably farther by then.

“René?”

René stopped and turned his head just enough to glance back. When their eyes met, René turned and waited. His lips parted as though to speak, but then Leon moved, closing the distance.

The ravens had been following René so closely that when René stopped, they did too. As Leon approached, they took noisily to the air and circled overhead, leaving the ground to the two of them.

As Leon approached, he saw René’s gaze travel briefly down him. Beneath his lowered lids, his eyes appeared almost gray, and Leon’s steps nearly faltered. 

“I was wondering if I could accompany you on your walk again,” Leon said, smiling as he approached more slowly than before.

“Mr. Meren…” René looked past him, towards his study window. “Yes, of course. I wouldn’t mind.” 

Leon stepped to his side, and they started to walk. The ravens had not completely disappeared from the sky, and some had even returned to the ground on René’s side, hopping along beside him.

“I have noticed that you have taken to drawing,” Leon said. “Are the supplies in the drawing room sufficient?”

“Yes,” René said, his voice steady. “I have enough. I’ll let Odette know if that changes.”

Leon stole a glance at him as René looked toward the water. His eyes mirrored the turquoise of the lake, and somehow the gray had dissipated. Leon kept his gaze forward as much as he could, but he wanted to hear René speak once more.

“What were you drawing last night?”

“Nothing of consequence,” René answered almost immediately. “I was trying to draw a raven from memory. I did not succeed.” He chuckled.

René’s attention drifted from him when two of the ravens settled a short distance ahead. They approached one another through the grass, and one gently touched its beak to the other’s. René smiled at the sight.

Leon followed his gaze. The birds touched beaks again, but Leon found himself looking back at René instead. His smile had deepened, his eyes fixed on them with quiet delight.

“You take good care of them.” Leon glanced at René, who was looking at the birds.

“I cannot disagree,” René said. But almost immediately, his smile disappeared. “But… one of them has an injured foot,” he added quietly.

Leon looked toward the birds gathered farther along the grass. “Which one?”

“The smaller one with the uneven tail feathers. He has been hopping for several days. There is wire tangled around his foot, and he has lost a toe, too.” René’s voice softened. “But he doesn’t let me come close. It pains me to see him like that…”

Leon glanced toward the raven René had indicated and, after watching it struggle through several uneven hops, gave a quiet nod.

“Do you always walk so early?” Leon asked.

“When the weather permits. I like having the grounds to myself.”

“I hope I have not spoiled that.”

“No.” René smiled faintly. “Do you enjoy being alone, Mr. Meren?”

“I suppose I must. I spend a great deal of time in my study. What about you?” he asked. “Do you never grow tired of your own company?”

“Occasionally. But I am generally quite agreeable to myself. I like being able to decide what to do with my day,” René continued. “If I wish to draw, I draw. If I wish to sit beneath a tree for an hour, I do that instead. Nobody minds if I say very little.”

“I hope nobody here has given you reason to think you must say very little.”

“Oh, no. Quite the opposite.” René looked toward the lake. “I simply find it pleasant not to be expected anywhere for a little while.”

Leon nodded. He could understand that, though he suspected he would have lasted perhaps half an hour beneath a tree before remembering something that needed doing.

“Then I am especially grateful you allowed me to interrupt you.”

René glanced at him, amused. “Of course. You have been pleasant company. You have not complained about the weather even once.”

“Would that have disqualified me?”

“Immediately.”

“Then I shall be very careful,” Leon mumbled, raising his eyebrows.