It almost seemed strange that a week was too long to spend without talking to her, or seeing her every day. Almost. Certainly it was a change from the norm, the acuteness of it.

He smiled, though, thinking about it. Hid the smile behind the bouquet. Flowers were never not in vogue, he thought. He'd taken up an hour and a half of some poor flower seller's time, inquiring about the courtship languages and significance of one flower over the other, just to create the right effect.

And even with all that, he still fidgeted as he waited to be announced, or whatever it was that more normal servants did.