Celia said any proposals could be sent in writing.

Garrett tried to catch Iris’s eyes across the corridor.

She turned away.

As Lena drove her back, Iris stared through the window at the traffic moving along the causeway.

She had expected to feel triumphant.

Instead she felt tired, sore, and terribly sad about the years that had led to this morning.

“You don’t look happy,” Lena observed.

“I am relieved,” Iris replied.