They sat for another few minutes.
Then William told her about his mother's study — the venue motion, the threat against Sera, Isolde's delayed arrival, all of it.
He'd decided last night, lying awake, that not telling her immediately was a kind of distance he was done maintaining, the version of protection that was actually deprivation.
She listened with full attention.
When he finished, she was quiet for a moment.
"Sera," she said first.
"Yes."
"She won't accept more security than she's already arranged."
"No."
"Then the security she has needs to actually be sufficient, which means someone needs to assess it without her knowing it's being assessed." Seraphina looked at the garden. "Kai."
"He's already thinking about it," William said. "I suspect he'll find a reason to be in the capital early in the new year."
