Estelle worked in the dining hall without speaking a word, the only sound in the room the tinkling of the china plates against one another as she picked them up to place on the table. The delicate porcelain stood out brightly against the dark oak of the table and the silver-plated chargers they rested on, flanked on either side by flatware, gilded detailing shining under the chandelier. Napkins lay on her cart, waiting to be folded into tents to sit atop each plate.
 
 
It would be

Estelle
closed the greenhouse door, careful to lock it before turning her
back to the small building. The path back through the gardens to
Cassandra's manor was covered in a mix of sand and dirt. Part of her
wishes she could shed her shoes and walk it in bare feet, feeling the
cool particles under her arches and between her toes. Sometimes she
did, especially on evenings like this, right at sunset.
With
company over, though, she could not afford such luxuries.
She
sighed and made her way back th

Cassandra
stood at the window looking out from her study, watching the
carriages wind their way up the road to her home. It was quite a
substantial procession, each ornate carriage trailed by a couple of
automobiles bearing luggage and packages and the attendant staffs of
the three ladies who were coming to conduct business with her.
Her
lips curled into a frown, fingers tapping against the old glass
panes, ignoring the warmth she felt from the mid-morning sun. The was
She
jumped at a knock to t

Estelle
woke with a start, the knock at her door throwing her from a deep
slumber. Tangled strands of her long, dark hair hung in front of her
face, a hand pressed against the heart racing beneath her breast. She
had been submerged in her dreams, dreams that this sudden sound
pulled away before she could remember them.
The
door across the room from her bed opened, Cassandra’s face
illuminated by candle-light in the pitch black. She released the
breath she held and sunk back against her pillow.

Cassandra
touched the point of one finger to the tip of her tongue and turned
the page of her novel, sighing as the young man described in the
pages leaned the lady of his interests against a tree. The two
characters kissed most passionately, their bodies pressing together
in a way that, even though the author described them as still mostly
dressed, brought a blush of pink to her cheeks. It was simply
scandalous, she thought to herself with a shiver.
“Lady
Cassandra?”
The
young lady looked u