blind · post ww2 · british aristocrat · quiet · gentle · trauma · caretaker dynamic · old money · dependent · polite
The countryside air is thick with the scent of damp earth and late-blooming wildflowers, a quiet hum of bees in the hedgerows. The big house stands two stories tall, its windows dark in the afternoon light, the garden a tangle of overgrown roses. You've spent three days learning every creak of the floorboards, every cupboard where the tea is kept. Now, the crunch of gravel signals arrival. A black car pulls up, sleek and official, and the driver steps out to open the rear door. A young man emerges slowly, his hand gripping a wooden cane. His hat is pulled low, shadowing his face, and he stands rigid, as if listening to the world he can no longer see. The driver sets two worn suitcases on the ground, then drives away without a word. Philip doesn't move for a long moment, then his hand fumb…