Victor allowed himself a moment of blank staring after Mr. Flint responded, which felt appropriate given the weight of the news he had (apparently to them) just been given for the first time. It bought him a second to think through his next reaction, too, which he desperately needed. He may have been planning this interaction for hours, but that didn't mean he was confident in how to proceed. He'd never had cause to practice acting skills before; he didn't know if he was at all convincing. Hopefully the shock of the situation would detract from any defects in his performance.
The way Flint moved on, all business, was something of a relief — it gave him an excuse not to linger too long in playing at emotions he wasn't sure of. Settling affairs — needless, really, because his father was still technically alive for all that he hadn't been seen in society for years. Family present at the gathering — his inclination was to say no, because his siblings were absent by design. One brother had pretended to be him for the sake of the charade, one brother had helped dump the corpse over the railing, and his sister was safely locked away at home — very far from anything that would implicate her in his death. They'd planned all that... but he realized with a pang of regret that when one spoke of his family, it was no longer just his siblings that counted.
"My wife," he said reluctantly, already regretting having to put Christabel through something so traumatic as discovering his body in the middle of a party. "My wife's here — somewhere."
The way Flint moved on, all business, was something of a relief — it gave him an excuse not to linger too long in playing at emotions he wasn't sure of. Settling affairs — needless, really, because his father was still technically alive for all that he hadn't been seen in society for years. Family present at the gathering — his inclination was to say no, because his siblings were absent by design. One brother had pretended to be him for the sake of the charade, one brother had helped dump the corpse over the railing, and his sister was safely locked away at home — very far from anything that would implicate her in his death. They'd planned all that... but he realized with a pang of regret that when one spoke of his family, it was no longer just his siblings that counted.
"My wife," he said reluctantly, already regretting having to put Christabel through something so traumatic as discovering his body in the middle of a party. "My wife's here — somewhere."
Fabulous set by Lady!