A Marvellous Light

He could breathe into the knots in the back of his neck. And he could feel out the edges of the aching, yearning space in his life that no amount of quiet and no number of words had yet been able to fill.
Edwin had no idea what he ached for, no real sense of the shape of his ideal future. He only knew that if every day he made himself a little bit better—if he worked harder, if he learned more, more than anyone else—he might find it.

He came here as other men went to gaming-rooms or brothels, orchestral performances or opium dens. Everyone had their own vice of relaxation. Edwin’s was just considered duller than most.

“Tell me the truth,” Robin said. “Is my fork going to take it upon itself to deliver my peas to my mouth?”

“Only if Belinda’s still feeling playful,” said Edwin. He led the way down the corridor, his own guidelight bobbing along with him, before Robin could decide if he was joking.