As obliged, Gwendolyn took a sip of her soup when Cameron did, comforted even by just sharing a meal with him. She supposed she had always known how affected she had been by his absence. One minute, they had been attached at the hip, and the next, separated across the kingdom. It was a separation she had felt acutely. But having him in front of her made her truly realize just how much she had missed him— a deep longing simply to see his face and to know that he was well.<br/><br/>“What were your doings before I had interrupted your life again? Have you settled down, possibly wed a bride of your own?” She grinned down into her bowl of stew. “Lady Henrietta had been awfully heartbroken that her affections went spurned.”