The weariness in Eric's bones was a heavy thing as his carriage rumbled down the familiar path to the cabin. The meeting with his grandmother had been a success, a monumental shift in the family's power dynamic, yet he felt no triumph. Only a deep, soul-crushing exhaustion. As the carriage cleared the last bend, his gaze fell upon the cabin, and his heart stopped.
There, sitting on the top step as if she belonged there, was Delia. A large basket sat beside her, this one containing not just food, but thick, warm-looking blankets which were peeking out of the basket. She had come back. It's been days since her last visit but she came back.
The weariness lifted from his shoulders like a heavy weight being cast off. A smile so genuine and bright it seemed to light up the encroaching dusk spread across his face. He was out of the carriage before it had even come to a complete stop.
