Mason looked up from the platform as the two appeared. Although he was over twelve, Edward was no taller than his eight-and-a-half-year-old cousin, and they made a rather pathetic picture, their startled faces unnaturally solemn in the gloom, as they hung for a moment at the top of the steps looking at the woman who was clearly a stranger to them.
Mason lifted the younger boy down and beckoned to the other and they all stood for a moment beside the girl, who was smiling encouragingly at the children.
The young man cleared his throat awkwardly, as anxious as the boys. “Look, Ferris,” he said very gently. “This is Miss. . .?”
“Lewis,” she supplied quickly. “From the hospital.”
“Yes, yes, I see.” He tried to silence her. “But you told me it was not serious?”
“No, it’s not, but she would
