The widow glanced toward the door. "Trust is a difficult thing when one has been trained to expect a price."
Matilda looked at her. "You make everything sound simple."
"Nothing is simple. That is why one should recognize the rare simple truth when it appears."
Matilda did not ask what truth she meant; she was not sure she wanted the answer.
Robert returned three hours later. Dusk had begun to gather beyond the windows. Mrs. Albright ordered lamps lit and remained in the room when he was announced. He carried a single folded receipt. Nothing else. The sealed packet was gone.
Matilda stood before she realized she had done so. Robert crossed the room and handed her the paper.
"Mr. Harby has the score. He recorded the date, time, seal condition, and my name as the person delivering it. He has also confirmed in writing that the packet remained unopened."
Matilda read the receipt carefully; every detail was there. She looked up. "You did not open it."
Robert's brows lifted. "That appears to be the central achievement of my afternoon."
"You could have."
"Yes."
"No one would have known."
"You would have."
"Not necessarily."
"I would have." The certainty in his voice silenced her. Robert stepped back, giving her space. "And I would have known."
Matilda folded the receipt. Something inside her shifted: it was small, fragile—not forgiveness, not yet, but trust had returned by one narrow degree. "Thank you," she said.
"I have done less than you deserved."
"No." Robert looked at her. Matilda held the receipt between both hands. "This time, you did exactly what I asked."
He went still. The words seemed to matter more to him than praise would have. "Then I am learning."
"Slowly."
"Cruel. Accurate." His smile returned, faint but real.
Mrs. Albright rose and announced that tea would be served; the tension eased enough for Matilda to breathe. Robert stayed only twenty minutes. He asked no questions about the final variation; he made no suggestion about what came next. When he left, Matilda realized she had wanted him to stay longer. That frightened her almost as much as trusting him had.