Was she upset? Elladora searched her heart for something that was comparable to the feelings she assumed most people felt upon the death of their mother, but she found herself mostly perturbed by the thought that she would have to go abroad again this year. (The possibility that Phineas might perform these pragmatic last rites for their mother never entered her mind – he was quite capable, of course, but it ought to be her this time.)
Truthfully, Ella Max was not a woman that had inspired too much affection. She had done her duty admirably, retired gracefully and was, altogether, a woman to be admired. But loved? Even by her own daughter? Elladora sniffed and carefully put away the letter, keeping it neatly folded and precisely where she could find it again at a moment’s notice: there were others to tell, after all, and a prop was so useful when one was unsure.
“There was no suffering,” she said by way of an answer. “Or so her maid says. It was she who wrote, by the way.” Ella added, gaze not quite meeting Ursula’s. “There was no one else with her.”
fabulous set by Lady <3