I had wondered, Mr. Gray, but given how recently scarce our Mr. Matthews has become, I imagined a certain return had something to do with informing his absence.

[ she offers the words lightly, almost teasingly — she knows, perhaps almost more than anyone here, how his disappearance had left toby. it's the same impact grayson's vanishing has left on her, although she does her best not to dwell on it most days for fear she'll simply never leave her house again.

but invitations like this are a balm in and of themselves, and she finds herself nodding even before the words inevitably follow. ]

Of course. You're more than welcome to call on me at home, or I can find my way to wherever you're staying. I assume you also recall the Crucible by now.