*Kiona*

I have always loved the theater, and since last June, I have become a regular fixture in Brinsley's box. Attending plays is one of the few things we do with any regularity,

Although sitting beside him now, with my maid serving as chaperone and settled in a chair behind me, I wonder if he brings me here because it removes the need for much conversation. I always become so absorbed in the performances that I easily maintain the quietness he claims to prefer. On the rare occasion when I do glance over at him, it is to see a man who appears distant, distracted, as though he is busily...