"I have been well," Rosalind said. She was cutting her porkchop into precise pieces. Small talk wasn't her favorite way to pass time but she was willing to try to prompt the children to fill the silence. "What of you? Is your little business doing well? Terry, how is your paper coming along?"
Terry hid a wince at the faintly dismissive tone in his mother's voice when she mentioned Susan's detective agency. "My paper has been put on hold for a while. I've a different research project in progress at the moment." He smiled softly at Susan.