Perhaps nostalgia was tugging at her too much. Or perhaps she was too tired after that business meeting. She couldn’t get a good read on Mrs. Bythesea; and when that usually happened, Vera deigned to leave well enough alone and be on her way. But there was something about the way her former friend - current acquaintance? - was positioned, as if waiting for someone to come across her, that compelled Vera to remain where she was.

“Would…you like to talk about it?” She asked hesitatingly, taking a fraction of a step closer. “I was just thinking I might take a walk myself.” It was a lie, but not a harmful one; she had to take a walk in order to go home, didn’t she?