SHE DISAPPEARS AS SOON AS THE WHISPERS BEGIN . gods forbid that the former lady royce be allowed to smile in public , for it certainly must mean something sinister . katherynne is strong enough to face them , to look a group of gossiping hens in the eye as they size her up , but she does not want to give them the satisfaction of their assumptions . not when every breath gives them opportunity .
footfalls are swift , as fingers work to haphazardly secure a cloak around her slender frame . she leaves the cacophony of the great hall , working her way out of doors where the night air is more forgiving . it is too MUCH , to watch her sister and her children , her brother & his wife , all living their lives as she seems to remain frozen , plagued by her past & unable to press on . it stifles her , the mask of contentedness that sits so delicately on her face .
katherynne presses a bare palm to frigid stone , attempting to ground herself for a moment , and she convinces herself that it is only a moment . she only needs a moment , and all will be well . breath comes shakily , heart thrumming insistently in her ears . another moment , before her hand becomes a fist , the side of it pounding weakly against the stone . the movement jolts her , prompting her eyes to open - prompting the realization that she is NOT alone .
her heart stops , then races . it is only natural that he should see her like this . it is only natural that a lump should rise in her throat at the mere sight of him . ❛ forgive me - i . . . ❜ she tries to find the words , but they are lost to her . a pause , before she speaks again , more insistently . she rests her hands against the gold threads of her bodice , eyes seeking out his own . ❛ i am so sorry for your loss . i know you loved him . ❜
