Franz didn't say much on the ride home, one hand loose on the wheel, his jaw set the entire way. Arianne let him keep the silence, watching the estate come into view instead of pushing him to explain what she already suspected.
The moment the front door opened, Lexx's babbling carried down the hall before either of them had taken off their coats, Aunt Estella's laugh following a beat behind it. He caught sight of Arianne first, both arms shooting up from where Aunt Estella held him on her hip, a frustrated whine building the second his own arms couldn't close the distance fast enough on their own.
"Somebody's happy you're both home early," Aunt Estella said, handing him over without being asked. "He's been fussing at the window for the last twenty minutes like he could hear the car before it turned in."
