Subtlety had never been her forte in life and Ustinya was unsurprised that her meaning had been rumbled with relative ease. Rose was so clever after all, and she was similarly nonplussed that her lodger had taken a direct approach: she knew full well she didn’t have such boldness in herself so she was grateful for the opening.

“I have not been visited in some time,” she admitted with a terrible blush and downcast eyes. “I…I think I might be doing something wrong.”