Re: lakeside mansion; hugh c./dietre a.
Dietre nodded his thanks for Sieglinde being welcome whenever he visited. This area was the perfect place to bring a dog, there was room to run, and the view of the woods and lake was beautiful. But all was tainted by the knowledge that Liam’s body was somewhere in the water, and Dietre could not shake the feeling that the man’s ghost could appear at any moment. He did not know how he would handle it if it happened. Would he even be able to pretend he couldn’t see him? Would he have to try to explain to Hugh what was going on, and risk being seen as a madman? Thinking about it made him tense, and eager suddenly to get back inside.
Sieglinde came trotting back with her stick, and Dietre was proud of how she displayed her good training by giving up her toy without a fight. She would probably be quiet that evening after all her zooming around with Heart. She needed the exercise, Dietre knew he wasn’t as active as she needed him to be at her young age.
“Yes, I moved here when I was young…” His family was indeed a touchy subject. He did not say ‘we moved here’, and that was a deliberate decision. It didn’t seem right to talk about his family because he never felt as though he actually had one. Families were supposed to be connected, but it hadn’t been that way for him. Connections did not seem to exist between the three of them, though... he and his mother did finally develop a closeness before her death.
“But, you know, life over there is not much different than over here. ...At least, it wasn’t for me.” He lifted his shoulder in a small shrug, then made an effort to shift the focus to Hugh to avoid having to say more, “Where are you from? You don’t seem like you’re from Repose.”