Re: lakeside mansion; hugh c./theodore c.
It was a relief to know nothing had happened with Elaine to prompt this at least. Hugh didn't know the young woman well, but he didn't have to. He did know how very much Theodore cared for her, and so he nodded, breathing slightly easier at realizing it wasn't because of something having happened with her, although that knowledge didn't do much to clarify why.
However, there was the letter.
Hugh took it, glancing up at Theodore before reading silently. He read it through twice before he trusted himself to find the words to speak, but of course, and this explained why it was unanticipated. Hugh swallowed.
He didn't really know that much about Lindmarch, or the world Theodore inhabited. He'd only begun to get a full picture of the man in front of him, and it was one, admittedly, he'd hoped to fill out in detail, but the letter didn't require that much knowledge of the world. Hugh had already gathered enough details about the reputation of the school, and it was clear that it was Theodore's own professional reputation that had led to this request, and Hugh understood ambition and knew Theodore well enough to know he'd been trying to figure out what next - of course it was clear what his answer to a request like this would be.
He pulled in a breath, and glanced at the letter once more before he pulled his gaze back up to Theodore's face. "This is an incredible opportunity," he told him quietly, and Hugh managed to find a genuine smile as he focused in on what that opportunity would mean for his friend. "Congratulations, Theodore."