AT LEAST SHE WAS HERE NOW. Not wrecking heads across the castle. Cassandra flummoxed onto the bed & her mournful, baleful tears were glinting in her eyes like knifes. The soft humming of her flies was steady and arrhythmic against the Countess, who adored her daughter, if not her daughter’s dramatics. BUT LOSING A LOVER WAS HARD , INCREDIBLY HARD . ( What did you expect ? One might ask. One would receive a purse-lipped response from the Countess, whether asking about her affairs or her daughters’ : THE IMPOSSIBLE ! LOVE FOR A MONSTER . )
“ What kind of mistake, daughter ? ” Oh, she knew the kind. It was common. The only reason to ask was to know what sort of expense & time would be needed for the clean up. Alcina felt terse, but her words were, once more, simply very even. A gloved hand scooped the child closer to her, snuggling her small little thing against her side, into her long nightgown. The fire crackled thunderously, the room hot to accommodate her darlings. The Countess decided, there and then, that she ought put the book down. Her large brimmed hat was hung up in its correct place, and she nuzzled her forehead to Cassandra’s, a low groan of sympathy rumbling in the mother’s chest.
“ IS SHE DEAD ? ” She asked, gentle as sweet & delicious poison. The relationship & heartbreak, she will hear about either way. The state of play now was the differentiating factor.
Cassandra’s frown DEEPENED AT THE QUERY, her tears welling up even more as the crushing reality was presented to her yet again. She nodded slowly, her bottom lip trembling as she DESPERATELY SEARCHED for the correct thing to say. She was a Dimitrescu, she was meant to be refined and restrained. But her emotions ALWAYS got the better of her. Mother Miranda may have been right in CASTING HER ASIDE. But even the best this village had to offer couldn’t right her.
“ I I didn’t want to, mother I... ” Was else was there to say ??? She had hurt someone she ACTUALLY CARED ABOUT and made more work for her mother in turn. She looked down abashedly and muttered out another apology.