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For a moment, neither of us says anything.

Then I turn the question back on him.

“What about you?”

Ross raises an eyebrow. “What about me?”

“You’ve said you always knew what was expected of you. I understand that part.” I close the book.

“But was there ever anything you wanted that had nothing to do with Kensington?”

He looks toward the windows.

“I don’t think I separated the two very well when I was younger,” he says.

His tone is thoughtful rather than bitter.

“I had choices,” he continues.

“Good schools. Travel. Opportunities most people don’t get. I knew that even then.”

“But?”

Ross turns the glass slowly between his fingers.

“But when everything is already open to you, people assume that means nothing is being asked in return.”

I stay quiet.

He looks at me. “There was always something being asked.”

The way he says it is simple enough that it lands harder.

“Responsibility?” I ask.

“Yes,” he says.

“Not punishment. Not sacrifice. Just expectation. If you inherit something substantial, you’re supposed to leave it stronger than you found it.”

I study him for a moment.

“That sounds like something your father taught you.”

Ross’s mouth shifts slightly. “He did.”

I nod and look back down at the book in my hands. For the first time, the weight he carries makes sense to me without making him seem trapped by it. That distinction matters more than I expect.

By the time I finish the last of my whisky, the rain has settled into a steady roar against the windows, filling the library with a low, constant sound that makes the rest of the house feel even farther away.

Ross has taken off his jacket completely, and at some point he rolled his shirtsleeves back far enough to expose his forearms. I notice the movement every time he lifts his glass or turns a page. The tendons in his wrist flex when he reaches toward the table, and I become distracted enough that I lose track of what he is saying.

Ross catches me.

“You stopped listening,” he says.

“I did not,” I reply.

He gives me a look that makes it clear he doesn’t believe me.