Paisley had squeezed his hand and given him a little smile that said, Go. It's okay. He knew what that smile meant because she'd given it to him multiple times before. It made him feel a strange mixture of relief and guilt, comfort and self-loathing. He was so grateful that she understood and was okay with his issues, but so ashamed that he had those issues in the first place.
Oh well. When it came down to it, he would rather take the shame of hiding away in his study than the shame of having a panic attack in front of all those clio. He sighed and rested his forehead against the closed door of his study, wondering why he had to be this way, before opening the door and going inside.
After closing the door behind him, he turned and saw that he was not alone. Sitting in the corner of the study with a book in his lap was Nils and Paisley's son, little Henri. He looked terrified, as if he'd just been caught doing something heinous like setting the curtains on fire. He was supposed to be at the party, but then again, so was Nils.
"What are you doing in here?" Nils asked, offering his young son a small smile so that he wouldn't think he was in trouble. He figured he already knew the answer.