Chapter 85: Strict criteria
As always, the locket resting upon the nightstand was her priority. Little groans escaped her when she sat up before moving through the room, the dull muscle ache that lived in her rang as the secondary aftermath of the previous, busy night.
The primary one being the memories that still flashed behind her eyes every now and then as Arabella performed her morning routine.
It wasn’t long before the usual grinding of the trolly against the floor arose from afar, drawing nearer by the second then completely halting in front of her door.
"It is I, Miss. I’ve come with breakfast," Ada’s voice followed the knock.
"Come in,"
Facing the mirror, Arabella stood making her last adjustments to the dress she’d picked for the day.
"How was your sleep, Miss?" the maid had asked sheepishly while pushing the tray inside, towards the table.
Besides the wincing of the wheel tray, one could hear a pin drop in that room as both women seemed to note the invisible strain around their throats, making it extremely difficult to utter the words they wished to free.
"Oh... It was alright," just as quietly as Ada, Arabella had replied, "I’ve seen you during the gathering,"