Amandine was so busy admiring the house she almost missed Lysander's invitation of welcome. With a brief smile to him she followed him to the library, also taking in the look of the maids; there was hardly an unattractive one passing by and she laughed. "My - your maids are very pretty to look at, you must have a very strict rule when hiring them..."
Her humour was not long-lived when Lysander pressed her into the subject of her husband as she sat down, her face falling as she leant into the cushions. Pausing in thought she only replied when she thought she had the right words. "I love him dearly. And he seems to love me. The time we spend together is ten times more than what we used to in Paris and he is truly a different man - but it does not necessarily mean that we are connecting better than usual. He has his off days; his pride is easy to dent recently and he is stubborn as a mule when he need not be. I feel that I am the one holding up this relationship, this marriage - while he takes days on end to sit and sulk I keep to my job and try and make the best of it. I feel..." Amandine paused, trying to blink away tears though her voice was still easy and conversational, "I feel that he believes it is my fault."