"Hopefully your friend is as patient as I remember. You're doing quite well." She smiled at him, kind and reassuring. She couldn't imagine how it must feel to be thrown into this family, this social circle. "Lucien's doing alright... isn't he?"

She couldn't help but worry; the war had changed him, and even if no one else wanted to see it she noticed. His decision to leave had not been a surprise to her, though it still ached. Genevieve worried that too many memories would come clamoring with guests eager to rub elbows with a war hero.