Zelda listened to Caroline for a beat, then nodded. "Yeah," she said; that was close enough to her problem that it worked. She still didn't know what she was going to say to Alfred — anything to make him look less miserable than he had when he walked out. "I think we just need a minute?" she said. She was grateful that Caroline would give them space, because surely her family would not have — although most of them would have fought with her about this, too.

She stepped outside of the room and, once in the hallway, wasn't sure where to turn — she didn't know enough about this house yet. Zelda let the door to the nursery close behind her and said, "Alfred?"

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