Elladora had fully expected to spend the evening in much the same way she had spent the day and dinner: namely in silent solitude. Phineas’ somewhat less than loquacious manners had rubbed off on her anew over the summer – during the brief instances he had left his study – and Ella would have been content to spend the evening deliberately ignoring the fact that she was being quite conspicuously avoided.
Footsteps above her made her ears prick up, though Ella expected the other woman to make a beeline for the kitchen – or possibly wherever it was that Ursula thought the kitchen was – before retreating to her room once more. She didn’t anticipate the door opening and her sister-in-law standing mutely for an unnervingly long pause.
Ursula did not look like herself.
The thought occurred before Ella knew entirely where it had come from but it was unquestionably true. There was something wrong.
“Is anything amiss with the child?”
She put her book aside and cast her eyes to the floor, half-expecting a trail of blood to be following Ursula in her wake, but there was nothing and her sister-in-law seemed far too calm, almost resigned.
“Tell me Ursula, I promise to do what I can to help.”
fabulous set by Lady <3