Felix doesn't look up at the sound of footsteps. He has a brief thought of flinging himself over the balcony edge like Lord Stephen has once half-jokingly said he might, in order to escape this conversation before it can start, but that won't help anyone in the long run.

He waits until he feels Gideon's familiar dark-eyed gaze to look up, and for the second time that day, it's as if there were two mute people in the room.