Rena sighed once again, trying to wrap her mind around the futility of the entire situation. Part of her wanted to laugh at how ridiculous it seemed, the two women each suffering in her own way, walking on eggshells while watching each other warily, the balancing act of trying to decide what was best for them all. Except, there really wasn't a 'right answer' and there certainly wasn't any sort of obvious solution. In fact, there didn't even seem to be a worthy compromise that they could live with. Rena felt stuck.
"Stalemate," she muttered softly, the situation reminiscent of the game she had played from time to time with her tutors at home. She had never been much good at chess because she tended to play impulsively rather than strategically. She imagined some strategy would do her some good but she couldn't really come up with anything. "Thomas, I am grateful for you and Bridget and I promise I won't abandon you if you need me. I couldn't do that," she swore, though in her mind she added another silent thought: not again. Verity had only been a few years older than Bridget when she abandoned her and, Blythe, well, she'd been close to Bridget's age. No, not again, she vowed silently. But the problem remained, hanging between them still: what could she do?