"Sir," he began carefully, "there are circumstances that—"
"Then explain them to me."
Terrius fell silent.
He couldn't.
Not without revealing things that weren't his to disclose. Not without dragging the Beaumont family into matters they could neither understand nor help resolve. Jade's mission was not his secret to share, and the consequences of their failure were not something he could casually discuss over a cup of tea.
The grandfather seemed to recognize his reluctance.
"You're bound by something you can't tell me about, aren't you?"
Terrius's eyes lifted.
The old man gave a small, knowing sigh. "You needn't answer that. I've lived long enough to recognize when someone is carrying a burden he doesn't know how to put down."
For a moment, Terrius wondered how much the old man had actually guessed.
"But whatever that burden may be, I doubt it will disappear simply because you refuse to think about what you want."
Terrius said nothing.
