As they walked back up the narrow staircase, Margaret felt a sense of relief wash over her. The weight of the past still lingered, but there was a glimmer of hope, a possibility of moving forward. She slipped her arm around George's as they reached the top, her voice breaking the silence that had settled between them.
"George," she began softly, "Emily went to see William today."
George's eyes shifted to her, the mention of their daughter drawing him out of his thoughts. "What was the outcome?" he asked, his tone cautious, as though bracing for something he wasn't sure he wanted to hear.
Margaret smiled, a small, reassuring curve of her lips. "I heard from William... Emily wasn't very open at first. She's been so withdrawn lately, but William is patient. He said that after a while, she started to feel a little better, started to talk more."
