Chapter 59
Morning's Gossip
The morning sun was pale, one of those weak hesitant dawns that never quite warms the skin. I stepped outside to water the flowers, hoping the quiet routine would soften the edges of my thoughts.
I had barely lifted the watering can when a voice, thin and cutting, slithered out from a shaded doorway.
"Look. She comes out."
Then they emerged one by one from doorways, verandas, windows.
Like insects drawn to movement.
"Poor thing. Heard she didn't end up marrying the Halton heir."
"Of course not. Who would want someone like her? A girl like that can't dream of entering a respectable family."
"And now she's marrying the Haltons' illegitimate son instead. Tsk. Life falls fast."
"Her mother was so proud before. Now? Embarrassing."
Their laughter wasn't loud.
It was worse.
Soft. Precise. The kind meant to slip under your skin and sit there like a splinter.
My composure cracked, a barely there fissure, but I felt it.
Just one second.
