Chaim came to mind again. It was as though he had been sent some fellow’s daughter with trust, though he knew that trust was unlikely to be the case.

It was nice to dream, nonetheless.

The food was already on the table before they arrived – their approach visible from the window view, no doubt.

There was no fish.

Zechariah cleared his throat and gestured to the dining room.

“I will be right with you,” he said. “You can start without me.”

With that, he retreated like a vampire from the sun into the study on the same floor.