Everyone nodded in agreement and approval of the story. Victor Rothschild, the youngest of the crew, spoke up when the murmurs of appreciation died down.
“But Miss Julia Kiln – don't you mean Julia Milne?” he asked innocently enough. A shudder of awkwardness ran through the group as Baxter Clap smiled, a little painfully, and responded.
“She married Arthur a month later, it's true. As it turns out, she prefers the toymaker type over the rugged outdoorsy kind.”
Another moment of still silence passed before Tack cleared his throat and pointed ahead. “We're off this way, ladies and gentlemen.”
Zepp was glad of two things in this moment. First, he was glad it was Victor who asked the question, for he too was confused but couldn't dare let on. Those were strange times in the colony, and he never kept up well with the latest affairs of love and mishap. Second, he was glad it was Tack who broke the silence with his directions to keep them on the move. Both of these voices should have been his, he admitted to himself, but he was still getting used to this business of leadership and it was nice to have others picking up his slack for the time-being.