‘There have been certain events which mitigated my --- extended absence.’ He doesn’t like lying to Vanessa; there’s something inherently trustworthy in her gaze, however terrifying she might have seemed at one point or another in his life. Still, there’s a kind of thrill that comes with it, twined with the knowledge that at least in some way he knows more than her. One last thing to hold onto, he supposes. ‘But I trust you’ve been well, Miss Ives?’