She turned around, and in the soft light, her face was a landscape of emotions. Surprise at his interruption, curiosity about his solemn tone, and something else, perhaps a flicker of intuitive understanding that what he was about to say was no small matter.
“Of course,” she said, her voice as soft as the light around them. “But let me catch my breath first; today has been overwhelming.” Her laughter was uneasy, a subtle acknowledgment that the room was charged with an unspoken intensity.