At Godfrey’s crowded engagement reception, Serilda forced dark lipstick across housemaid Avelise’s mouth and mocked that Godfrey still preferred his dead wife.
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Chapter 15 / 17
Chapter 15
Evangeline returned slowly.
Invitation by invitation.
Not automatic.
First Mother’s birthday.
Then a Sunday lunch.
Then Christmas.
She learned to enter without rearranging flowers.
Progress.
Once she looked at Lenora’s portrait in the library and said:
“She would hate that frame.”
I stared.
Evangeline caught herself.
Then laughed.
“Sorry.”
Good.
No one needed to police memory perfectly.
Only stop using it as command.
She and Avelise eventually became civil.
Not close.
That would have been artificial.
One day Evangeline asked:
“Do people still say you resemble her?”
Avelise answered:
“Only people who want something.”
May you like
I nearly choked on coffee.
Excellent.
