"You didn't come downstairs to the garden, so I came up."

"I was going to in a minute. I was just washing and dressing."

She took his hand. They'd sometimes taken breakfast on the table in the garden. They'd once done other things too. The remembrance made her heart lurch.

She wanted to offer him more than her hand, but speaking of coming up, she'd vomited. The taste and smell would be on her breath. She edged her tongue forth. On her lips too.

"Dressing?" ...