Rosamund
The door closed behind me, and I stood in the centre of my chamber, still wearing the white dress, with the weight of Nevan's ring on my finger and the ghost of his cold breath against my ear.
I'll be in your room tonight.
I pressed my back against the wall and slid down until I was sitting on the floor. My chest was tight and my throat raw from unshed tears. For a long moment, I let myself feel everything. The sting of humiliation from not being kissed on my wedding day and the message it conveyed, the silence of the household, and Fanny's averted gaze.
I could feel myself spiralling. I had never felt more alone in my life than I did in that moment. But before the grief could swallow me whole, a memory surfaced from years ago, when I was only thirteen, and the Matron at Hadley Cross decided I was too much trouble and nearly turned me out.
