Well, she'd quite done it this time, hadn't she? Had to go and stick her foot in her mouth. Louisa stared down at the bottom of her drink. Had she been drinking tea, the dregs of the leaves would be stuck to the bottom. But seeing as she'd just downed liquor, the bottom of the cup was almost bare; almost dry, like the feeling that had suddenly started scratching at her throat. It most certainly was not fine. But before she could open her mouth to apologize again, he'd stood up and the sound of the piano bench scraping against the floor seemed as loud as the pounding of her heart in her chest.

Mercifully, he kept on talking which she hoped would drown out whatever inner conflicts had suddenly arisen in her head. The light in room dimmed significantly, leaving the light on the side table the only other source besides the slowly dying fire in the fireplace. The sudden heaviness of the night seemed to seep from the darker corners of the sitting room, and Louisa sat in it, staring at the empty glass in her hands.

"Good night."

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