When Richard did not take Stefan up on his offer to leave, seemed almost too distracted to have heard it, in fact, Stefan moved to sit in one of the chairs provided, watching his host pace and gesticulate as he spoke. His manner remained agitated but it looked as though the purpose of inviting Stefan had been to have this conversation and it felt like the least he should do to at least stay and listen.
Taking the drink when it was handed to him, he murmured something appreciative and sipped politely. The vintage was good and he was never one to turn down a Gelerian red when offered it. While he assumed the invitation to have this talk had been due to the letter he'd sent, Stefan did not really know why he was there or what the matter was. But, in his experience, it was often better to just let someone talk rather than interrupt them asking for explanations. If he was still in confusion by the time Richard finished he would ask his questions then.
The first bits of information were confirmation of the general knowledge or gossip he had heard concerning Tobias, mixed in with new things he hadn't yet heard. Keeping his mouth closed, except when he sipped at his wine, he settled in to learn as much as he could. He knew that orphanages existed, of course, but hadn't ever been to one, or even asked about one. Sometimes society women would organize events in support of this cause or that and orphanages were included in the list, but that was about as close to knowing about them personally as Stefan got.
There was a moment of consternation as Richard appeared to be about to undress. It turned to intrigue as the true purpose of the removal of his cufflink came to be understood. Sitting forward Stefan began to look over the papers being shown him, reading through them as quickly as he couldn't trying to put together the puzzle of information they contained. A frown creased both mouth and brow as it, aided by Richard's continued tale, began to come to light.
"She just abandoned her child? But why? If her husband was dead she could have named his heir and lived on his business wealth comfortably." The action made no sense, clearly there was more to the tale, perhaps more than Richard had been able to discover. He simply nodded at the question of remembering his own wedding, accepting that Richard was in a heightened state of agitation and that it would be better not to cut in while he spoke.
The narrative began to turn around on itself a bit, and it took his mind a little while not to think Richard had disowned Tobias On the day of Stefan's wedding, to realize he'd only just gotten him Back at that time.
The revelation of the young man joining a coven was sickening, horrific. Stefan knew, of course, that the vile witches attempted to draw young people into their clutches whenever they could. That they would go after a youth who must still have been trying to recover from his traumatic childhood turned the consternation to anger in Stefan's heart. How dare they? His first clenched along with his jaw. Tobias was not to blame, how could someone so young and vulnerable be held accountable for being lured into an awful life? Of course, he'd come out of it broken and damaged, who could spend any time in a coven and not be thus?
At the same time, he couldn't blame Richard for his extreme reaction, not after what had transpired with his eldest son, with his wife. It was also understandable when Richard broke down, and then outburst his repressed emotions. Stefan had not the first idea what to do about it. Sitting and continuing to drink his wine seemed callous, but standing up and offering physical comfort felt near to impossible. So he sat still, tried to think of what Delia might do. Eventually, he said,
"My dear fellow, of course, you reacted as you did. Considering the circumstances, I think any man would have. Of course, you want what's best. You took him back in, claimed him as your son, even after all that. You're a better man than I would likely be." Would Stefan be able to forgive a child of his own if they forsook the State and betrayed all? He did not know, and the lack of certainty, more than either outcome, bothered him.
Anger, at least, Stefan knew how to deal with. He stood, setting his glass aside, and moved to stand across from Richard.
"You have done your best, the best anyone could expect in the circumstances. Take a breath, ease your mind some. We will sit together and speak of what can be done. I..." He hesitated, not because what he was about to say was untrue, but because he was only just realizing it was true, "I want to help, I will help."
