Cedric came downstairs after cleaning up after Noel.
He got to the third floor. The door to the sitting room was open, and the lamp was on inside. As he reached it, he could see both of them there... Arthur on one side of the chessboard, Bennett on the other, pieces mid-game, the specific tableau of two people who had been waiting and had found something to do with their hands while they waited.
They both looked up when he stepped in.
They looked at each other.
Cedric walked to Arthur and stopped in front of him.
"I'm done," he said. "Give me the key."
Arthur looked at him.
He tilted his head slightly, the way he did when he was deciding whether to take something at face value.
"Done?" he said.
"Yes."
"You slept with Noel."
"Yes."
