Almost as the weather felt her disposition, it became cloudy again the next day and it continued so for a while, bringing light rain on some days. There wouldn't be much left before winter was due, as well as Lord Walter's departure. The preparations for the journey started the next day when the news was delivered and everyone hurried to do their jobs. Everyone except the lady of the castle.
Iris continued to take care of the estate and all the calls from either the servants, merchants or even the townspeople who needed approval for building a new butchery. But her effectiveness went down by a considerable bit. Her mind was often preoccupied by the unforeseen leave of her husband as well as with different ideas of how to seize more moments together for their time together was reduced even more. In the end, she decided to just wait patiently and hope that her actions would be rewarded.
