The dining table in the stone headquarters had long since ceased to be a place for meals. Now, it was a discussion table. Piles of parchment were pinned down by heavy iron inkwells and the air was thick with the scent of dried herbs from Evelina's afternoon collection, mingling with the sharp, metallic tang of the river samples.
Everyone was present: the Duke, looking like a mountain of stone; the Duchess, radiating a quiet, sharp elegance; Lucius and Cedric, the twin pillars of the Valerius and Conrad. The young newly appointed secretory of Evelina, sat at the very edge of his chair, his eyes bloodshot from a night of wrestling with Evelina's math, yet he looked more alive than he ever had in his uncle's shop.
