It was a surprisingly quiet walk back to the room given how chatty they had been (much to Everett's surprise) during supper. Everett chalked it up to Verity's tiredness - and, well, his own. It had been a long day for both of them after all and the meal had been heavy and the wine good. He supposed he couldn't blame either of them for being quiet.

Slowly they made their way up the stairs and down the hall to Verity's door. Everett stopped and looked down at his wife. His wife whom he was rather unsure he would ever be able to call wife in the true sense of the word.

Had Everett not been the one to rescue Verity. Had he had seen the stains and her own fear himself, things might have been different. But he hadn't married her for anything other than her own sake, he would not unfairly force her into anything she did not wish (except perhaps a marriage to save her reputation). So he waited for her to let go of his arm then turned and bowed, "Good night Mrs. Swann."