Beware the Frozen Hearts

[Last Time on There Sleeps a Living Flower: Hilde found out Anna has been spending Sunday afternoons with the princess, and told Hans. Hans has spread rumours about Anna trying to ingratiate herself with the princess, and the other servants, the maids especially, are ostracizing her. The only one who doesn't seem to care is Kristoff, so Anna spends a lot of time with him and Sven in the stables to escape the whispers and sideways looks. But that is not enough: Anna knows that she cannot keep visiting the princess: it is not her place to associate with the royal family. So, reluctantly, she has asked Elsa to stop the lessons. However, Elsa is not happy at having her plans foiled…]

That night, Anna was sitting in bed thinking, her book propped up on her knees, unread. There was no doubt that rumours had been spread about what she and the princess were doing: Hans had made that quite clear. But who had started the rumours? Who had been the first to find out? That, at least, would not have been Hans: she spent little enough time around the footman. It had to have been someone who would know when she was not—oh, of course, Anna realized, her lips curling in disgust. Hilde. Hilde, who shared her room, and knew she spent Sunday afternoons elsewhere. Hilde, who had asked her pointedly about what she did just the other week. Hilde, who had been calling her "princess" and "highness" out of, it was now clear, pure spite. It was all Hilde….

She heard the other girl coming along the passageway, and quickly blew out her candle and rolled over, burying herself under the coarse woollen blankets. She was in no mood to confront her roommate, and felt near tears. For the first time, she wondered if she had made the right choice in working in the castle. Whatever else had been wrong with her old life, at least she had never been ostracised, never been betrayed by those she thought were her friends. Should she just leave? She dismissed the thought the moment it crossed her mind. No, no, she told herself. She couldn't go back to that. Whatever happened here, she could not bear being out on the streets again.

Shaking with sadness and anger, Anna decided that if the other maids weren't going to talk to her, she sure wasn't going to talk to them. And Hilde least of all. She would just bear the hatred, conceal her own opinions, not allow herself to feel anything. Put a wall of ice around her heart….

"What is it, Elsa?" the queen asked at breakfast the next morning.

"Nothing," Elsa said, poking at her fish absent-mindedly.

"It is not nothing, darling," her mother said. "You seem even more distracted than usual."

"I was… thinking, Mamma. That's all." Elsa glanced briefly at the butler, standing solemnly at the side of the room. "Kaisson?"

"Highness?"

"When you first started out in service, what rank were you?"

Kaisson's left eyebrow gave a brief flicker of surprise. "Uh, I was, er, a boot boy, Highness."

"Elsa, why in the world are you asking Kaisson about that? Don't embarrass the poor man!" the king said, looking up from his paper.

"I assure you, Your Majesty," the butler said smoothly, "I am not ashamed of what I was. I am merely grateful to Your Majesties for allowing me to opportunity to rise, like the finest cream, to the top of my profession."

"I should note, Elsa," the queen said pointedly, "that Kaisson was not promoted directly from boot boy to butler. He rose up through the ranks like anyone should."

"I always knew my place, Majesty," he said somewhat stiffly.

"Of course you did," the queen told him. "Elsa, stop worrying about things that ought not to concern you. There is an order to our world, and it is our duty to preserve that order for the sake of all."

"For the sake of all?" Elsa asked, her voice dripping with scepticism. "I wonder if those at the bottom would agree…."

"Yes, they would. You may think you're doing someone a favour by promoting them quickly, but you're not."

"But if she—if this person knows how to do the work? Shouldn't that be all that matters?"

"I'm afraid not, my dear," the queen said. "There are other issues at stake. It will create resentment among… this person's peers. They will resent this person, make her life miserable. This is what happens when you try to be better than what you are. Isn't that so, Kaisson?"

"Precisely, Majesty," the butler purred. "I could not, ah, recommend it."

"You see? We each have our roles to play. Your father is the king, I am his wife and queen, you are our heir…."

"Unless you and Pappa have a son," Elsa added with a pout.

"That is in the hands of God," the queen said primly. "And should that happen, you would still be a princess of Arendelle."

"But never queen," Elsa said, her lips thin.

"That is the order of things, Elsa," the queen said firmly. "What happens, happens. None of us can change our fates. And we'll have no more talk of idle dreams. Now finish up your breakfast. Your lefse is getting cold."

"Look, I see there's been a nasty battle in the United States," the king said, looking at his morning paper. "No, wait. Not the States; something called the Republic of Texas. At some place called Ala… Alamo. Seems like nearly two hundred people died."

"Oh, how nasty," the queen said, turning her attention away from Elsa, who ate the rest of her meal in silence, glad of the temporary freedom from judgement. She had not the slightest intention of following her mother's orders, but this time, she would be more circumspect. She would not let them know; she would keep it concealed. After all, that was the lesson her parents had taught her. And now she would show them just how well….

"Elsa, darling, could you come into my chambers for a moment?" the queen asked after the meal was over.

"Yes, mother." Elsa dutifully followed her mother into the queen's bedchamber, smoothing her gloves nervously as she entered the room.

"Sit down, my dear," the queen said, gesturing to the bench seat under the window.

Elsa did so. "Is… is this about Anna? My ideas for my maid?" she asked.

Her mother shook her head. "No, I believe we have already covered that matter, and do not need to speak of it again."

"Then what is it?"

The queen paused, and studied her elegantly manicured fingernails briefly. "Elsa, my child, I was wondering if there was anything… that… you might not have told me."

Elsa's heart skipped a beat, but she kept her face calm. "What sort of things, mother?"

"About your bed, the other day…."

"Oh. That." Elsa cast her eyes down. "I had a slight… accident. I'm sorry."

"What sort of accident?" her mother asked carefully.

"Nothing much," Elsa said. "I was just thinking about something and… it happened. I couldn't stop it."

The queen pursed her lips. "I see. It appears that your power is growing stronger as you become a young woman. I thought this would happen."

"You knew this would happen?" Elsa asked, staring at her mother.

"No, no…. That is, I was afraid it would. Because you are changing—your body is starting to change. That is to say, uh… develop…. You might, er, have… noticed it already."

Elsa went pink, and remained silent.

"Yes, well, we won't discuss that just yet," the queen said, looking rather uncomfortable. "But, er, your power, this ismakt, is changing with you, growing stronger as you become a woman. It's becoming more dangerous than ever."

"I try to control it, Mamma," Elsa said. "I really do. It… it scares me, sometimes. You keep telling me if I make one wrong move, everyone will know. But I try to control it. I do."

"I know you do, Elsa," the queen said. "Which is why this little slip is so surprising. It's not the only one you've had this year, either. There was the little matter with Astrid, for example."

"Oh. You heard about that. I'm… sorry, mother," Elsa said, looking down at the patterns woven into the silk carpet. As a young child she had loved to lie on the floor of her mother's room and trace the intricate curves of the traditional rosemaling designs, until one day she accidentally damaged it when she decided to build a snowman indoors. That section was now discreetly covered with another rug, but Elsa had never been allowed to play in her mother's room again.

The young princess looked down at the carpet, then at her gloved hands, and sighed. "I used to like my power," she said slowly. "When I can make pretty patterns, make the snow dance, I suppose I still do. It's fun, and it doesn't hurt anyone. I can control it."

"I'm not talking about making it do what you want," the queen told her. "I'm talking about not letting it get out when it shouldn't."

"When it shouldn't? You mean all the time," Elsa muttered, not looking at her mother.

"Elsa, look at me," the queen ordered, gazing directly at her child's pale face. "Have you been having problems keeping your emotions in check again?"

Elsa shook her head, trying not to meet her mother's penetrating gaze. "I… I don't think so. No. Maybe…. I'm not sure."

"Remember what you were told, Elsa. Fear is the enemy. If people discover you are a—that you have this power, they will fear you. They will hunt you. They may try to kill you. You must control it, conceal it. I know it can be hard to control, which is why you must not let your emotions run away with you."

"I control them," Elsa told her. When would her mother start to accept that she could? It was very frustrating for the young princess to always be accused of recklessness, of not thinking. She always thought. She always planned. She was never reckless or impulsive. Or almost never….

"I know you do. It's just that ever since you rescued that poor beggar girl, you've been acting strangely. You've saved her life, but that doesn't give you a special connection. It's commendable to want to help her, to improve her sorry lot in life. But there are limits. You've done all anyone could. Don't try and change her fate."

"I thought we weren't going to talk about that," Elsa said quietly, glancing quickly at her mother.

"We aren't. We are talking about you. About your emotions." The queen smiled warmly back at her daughter. "Elsa, your powers are connected with your emotions. Just remember what your father always says. Don't let the bad emotions, the fear in—don't feel it."

Elsa nodded. "Don't let them in," she whispered. "Don't feel them…." She took a deep breath, drawing in the warm air, feeling it chill deep inside her lungs, then slowly let it out in a quiet sigh. "Don't feel..."

The queen smiled. "That's my girl. Do you feel better now?"

Elsa looked up, forcing her lips into a relaxed smile, and gazed at her mother from cold ice-blue eyes. "Yes, Mamma. Thank you. Don't worry—I'll be the good girl you want me to be…."

Anna had seldom seen the princess since she had asked to be let out of her lessons, and even when she lit the morning fires, Elsa would usually be asleep. Once or twice the young princess had woken, and tried to start a conversation, but Anna would be terrified of having too much to do with her betters, and always do her best to cut the interactions short. She was afraid of any rumours, no matter how minor, getting back. No, it was best not to take any chances at all. She would be the good girl she had to be….

"Hey!" Hilde said, collaring Anna in a basement passageway. "What's with you the last few days?"

"Nothing," Anna said. "I have work to do. Kindly do not talk to me."

She pushed past the older girl, her face set in a blank mask, leaving Hilde standing alone.

"Hey, stop!" Hilde called. "Anna! Wait!"

Anna found her arm grabbed by the older girl. "Let me go! Let me go!" she cried.

"No! Stop avoiding me!"

"What do you want?" Anna asked sullenly.

"Look, girl, just what's got into you lately?" Hilde called after her. "You've been sullen and angry for days! Weeks!"

"You don't know?" she spat, her face furious. "You stand there and dare tell me you don't know?"

Hilde shrugged. "So tell me."

"You told them! You told everyone!"

"Told everyone what?"

Anna took a deep breath. "What I was doing on Sundays. You must have followed me! And you told everyone, and now they all hate me, so I hate you! I don't want to talk to you ever again!"

"Oh. That. Yeah, well, I was curious. But I didn't tell everyone, only Hans."

"Hans? So why'd you tell him?"

"He's… I… never mind why I told him," Hilde said.

"Well, he told everyone, then! Everyone's been going on about me and the princess! It wasn't my idea! She ordered me! You think I could say no? Well?"

Taken aback by the vehemence in Anna's voice, Hilde took a step back, her face pink. Then she recovered. "You could at least have told me!" she countered. "Then I wouldn't have had to be so suspicious! What were you two doing in there, anyway?"

"None of your beeswax!" Anna said. "Elsa told me not to tell anyone!"

"It's Elsa now is it?" Hilde asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean the princess!"

Anna pushed past Hilde, hurrying away before the older girl saw her tears.

"Look, I didn't know Hans was going to tell everyone, all right?" Hilde called after her. "I only did it because I thought you were trying to be sneaky, to get in good with the princess, so you could lord it over the rest of us."

"I would never!" Anna shot back. "I know my place! Everyone thinks I don't, but I do! I don't need anything better!"

"Anything better?" Hilde asked, raising her eyebrows. "Anything better than being a scullery maid?"

"Well, compared to what it was like outside, selling matches on the streets, in the cold, no shoes, little food, no! That's all the past! I don't want it! I'm never going back—the past is in the past!" Anna cried in defiance. She took a deep breath, and tried to compose herself, to remain as icily calm as she imagined the princess would when faced with rudeness. "So I would appreciate it, Miss Hilde, if you did not spread false rumours about me," she added, imitating the way that Elsa would hold herself when giving orders.

Hilde stared at her, then laughed as Anna turned away, slamming the door to the scullery. Then she headed along to the kitchens, her own chores to complete.

"Hilde? Can I see you in my room?"

"Uh, of course, Mrs Gerdason," the young maid replied nervously, looking around and seeing the housekeeper standing in the passageway. She swallowed hard, and followed the housekeeper into her private office, where she took the seat offered.

"You're Anna's room-mate, I believe," Gerdason said.

Hilde nodded. "Are… are you giving me my own room?"

Gerdason laughed. "My, you are getting above yourself. Certainly not. No, I wanted to ask you if you knew any reason why our new scullery maid has been so... unlike herself these days."

"I… I don't follow you," Hilde said, carefully examining the grain on the housekeeper's desk.

"She was always so bright and bubbly," Gerdason said. "Polite, humble, but happy and cheerful at her work, and talkative with the other servants. But now… now she's, well, she's still polite, but she's cold, distant, withdrawn."

"What's that got to do with me?" Hilde asked.

"You're her room-mate. You presumably know her best. Has she… mentioned any problems? I know she doesn't have any family, so… are there any problems with the other servants?"

"Per… perhaps," she admitted.

"Which would be?"

Hilde tried to avoid the housekeeper's gimlet eyes, but failed. "Some people think… think that she's trying to, uh, put on airs and graces. Be what she isn't."

"Go on…."

"The thing is… Anna is… well, she's spending time with the princess, trying to get above herself. Be something she isn't. Ma'am," Hilde added, examining her fingers carefully rather than look at the strict face of the housekeeper.

"I am aware that Her Highness has taken an interest in Anna," Gerdason said. "What Her Highness chooses to do with her servants is entirely her business."

"Yes, but—"

"There is no 'but'. You are in no position to question Princess Elsa's wishes. If anyone is getting above their position, it is you."

"But…. It's not fair! She's the newest, the youngest! She should know her place!"

Gerdason's face softened. "Hilde, do you honestly think Anna has the power to get the princess to do anything she doesn't want to? Isn't it obvious that Her Highness would never allow this if she didn't want it in the first place?"

Hilde shrugged. "Maybe. Perhaps. I suppose."

Gerdason sat back, a slight smile on her face. "I sense another 'but' coming on…. What is it?"

"Well, even if she didn't ask for the princess to take to her, she's certainly been lording it up," Hilde muttered. "Telling people they're not pouring the tea properly—at the servants' breakfast, no less."

The housekeeper snorted. "Don't be silly. You may not have realized it, but I have been observing Anna, as well as you and the other maids, like Karin. It's my job to keep an eye on my maids. And I can tell you that Anna hasn't done a thing any one of you hasn't. Do you happen to remember what you were like the first few months you were here, young Hilde? I seem to recall some distinct putting on of airs and graces when you suddenly found yourself working in the royal castle."

"That was… that was different," Hilde said under her breath.

"No, I don't think it was," Gerdason told her. "And you know it wasn't. So quash these rumours. I will not have my maids ostracising each other. Remember, I can still promote—or demote—any of you. Is that understood?"

Hilde blanched. "Yes, Mrs Gerdason."

"Good. You may leave."

Hilde stood and headed out, wondering if they had taken things too far. Perhaps she had been a bit jealous. Perhaps it was time to let it go….

That evening, Anna was lying in bed reading when she heard Hilde coming along the corridor. She quickly put her book down, snuffed out the candle and rolled over, facing the wall with the blanket pulled over her head. She expected that Hilde would quietly ignore her as she prepared for bed, as she had for the past several days, but this time was different.

"Anna, I know you're not really asleep," Hilde said. "I want to talk to you."

"Well, I don't want to talk to you," Anna retorted, not coming out from the covers.

"Then just listen, please. Look, I didn't mean to… I didn't want everyone to turn on you. I just wanted to know what you were so secretive about each Sunday."

Anna poked her head out and glared at the other girl. "So why did you have to tell everyone? I know why—you thought I was trying to be something I'm not. You figured I was trying to suck up to the princess. Well I wasn't! She asked me! It was her idea! So don't blame me for your jealousy that she likes me better!"

Hilde's eyes narrowed. "She does not like you. I don't know why she's adopted you as her little pet, but it's not because she likes you. She is incapable of liking anyone."

Anna shook her head. "You're so wrong. You're so wrong and you don't even know it. Why do you hate her so much?"

"I don't hate her," Hilde said quietly.

"Liar," Anna retorted. "So why'd you keep saying all those nasty things about her then?"

"To protect you!" Hilde shot back. "You think you're the first pet she's had?"

"I'm not a pet!" Anna cried. "I'm her fr—" She broke off quickly, her face reddening.

"What, her friend?" Hilde gave a bitter laugh. "Don't delude yourself!"

"No, not her friend, of course not," Anna said quickly. "I didn't say that. Of course not! I'm, uh, I'm… a… fresh face, is what I was going to say. Honest!" She quickly buried her head beneath the blanket again before Hilde could see her burning cheeks and the tears of humiliation.

Hilde snorted. "Yeah, right." There was a short silence, then Anna heard Hilde sigh. "Look, Anna, I'm sorry about all the rumours, what people are saying. I'll stop them from saying you're trying to be what you ain't. But you gotta listen to me—the Ice Princess isn't what she seems; don't trust her."

Anna carefully wiped her eyes under the blanket, then looked at Hilde again. "Why do you say that? Tell me!"

"I'm trying to keep you safe, you silly girl," Hilde said.

"Safe? What do you mean? What has she done to you?"

Hilde went pale. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

Anna looked at the older girl suspiciously. "Really?"

"Go to sleep, Anna," Hilde said. "I'll talk to the other maids in the morning. Tell them I was wrong," she added after a short pause.

"Please do," Anna said. "Because I'm not trying to be something I'm not!"

"But in return… I don't care what the princess makes you do. She's a princess, she's not like us. She can do what she likes. But don't let her deceive you. Don't ever think you can trust her. She's dangerous, and if you're not careful, one day she'll hurt you. Beware the frozen heart…."

"Fine," Anna shot back, rolling her eyes at the hyperbole. "Now let me get to sleep."

The young scullery maid buried herself under her blankets again, but nevertheless found herself wondering why Hilde was so adamant that Elsa was dangerous and untrustworthy and cold. What had Hilde done to anger the princess? Or… had Elsa done something to hurt Hilde?

On Sunday, after the chapel service and after she had served the servants' lunch, Anna walked into the Servants' Hall, ignoring the whispered comments among the maids, and took her seat for her own meal. She ate in silence, doing her best to pretend she was entirely alone. As far as she was concerned, she was.

"Hello, Anna. Haven't seen you here for a while," came Hans's voice. "Not going anywhere this afternoon?"

Anna shrugged without looking at him, and just kept on eating. She had no energy to try and deal with what he, or anyone else, might say.

"Oh dear, that is a pity," he said gently. "I thought you enjoyed your Sunday afternoons off. Playing with your little friend…."

"She is not my friend!" Anna spat, then stopped, her face red, as everyone looked at her.

"Oh? Who is not your friend?" Hans asked, his lips smiling as his eyes remained cold and fixed on her.

"Nobody," Anna said sullenly. "Nobody's my friend. Leave me alone."

"That's no way to talk to a footman," Hilde told her. "It's not your place to tell him not to talk to you!"

"Forgive me, Hans," Anna muttered sullenly, not looking up.

"Don't mention it, little one," Hans said gallantly, and patted her on the head.

Anna flinched, shuddering at his touch. She quickly finished her meal and took her empty bowl back to the scullery, where she started washing it, along with the rest of the dishes from the servants' lunch. Her face remained impassive, but a single tear escaped from her eye and dripped down into the water. Once she was finally done with the dishes, she stood for a while, wondering what to do with the rest of her half-holiday. Should she go to the stables? Spend time with Kristoff, who never seemed to care about rumours or about what anyone thought of him? Even when he shared carrots with Sven by letting the reindeer have first bite, which had disgusted Anna the first time, but also made her laugh. But today she didn't feel like laughing. No, she decided. She wasn't feeling sociable at all. She just wanted to find a place where no one would come, where she didn't have to let anyone in, or let them see her.

Sighing, Anna looked around the small, familiar scullery. This was her domain, at least: few others ever ventured into the dark, smelly, room, its stone-flagged floor always wet with drainwater. Boards were placed to walk on, though they tended to rot through fast, and more than once Anna had gone right through a mouldy plank and ended up with a shoefull of scummy water at best, or a facefull if she actually lost her balance.

But it was quiet, and private, a little chamber of isolation, and after so long in it, the smell didn't bother her any more. So she just found a dark corner, drew up a battered old stool, and sat down. She wanted to think, to try and decide what to do. And, more than anything, she wanted somewhere she could cry in peace. It wasn't her fault; she had never asked for the princess to save her in the first place. And perhaps, Anna wondered, she would now be happier if she hadn't. Perhaps she would now be in Heaven, with her grandmother. Her grandmother would be holding her close, keeping her warm and safe, protecting her from a world that didn't care. Because it really didn't care. For a time, she had dared to dream that it did, but that wasn't for her—it wasn't her place. Her place was here, in the cold, dark depths….

"Hey, Anna."

The redheaded girl turned and saw the blond stable-boy standing in the doorway. "Oh. Hello, Kristoff," she said, giving him a shy smile, her mood already improving. "What are you doing indoors?"

"Uh, it's your half-holiday, right?"

Anna shrugged. "I suppose."

"Well, why not come out to the stables? I know Sven would like to see you."

"Maybe next time," Anna told him in a dull voice..

"Oh, you really should. He wants to see you."

"Sorry, Kristoff. I'm… I'm not really in the mood today," Anna said.

"But… uh, er…. You left… I mean, Mr Kaisson wanted me to order you to, uh, um, take some carrots to Sven."

"Wait, what?" Anna moaned. "Why can't you?"

"I'm sorry, but orders is orders," Kristoff said, looking very embarrassed.

Anna sighed. What did her afternoon off matter anyway? What was she going to do with it now? Read her book for the fiftieth time? Spend hours moping on her bed, staring at the sky through the window? At least if she was hard at work, she wouldn't have the time or energy to worry about why the other maids were so cold. True, there had been some improvement, especially with Hilde, but Karin and her clique were as bad as ever.

She followed Kristoff out to the stables, barely even registering how on edge he seemed. He opened the door to the long, low building, tucked against one of the outer curtain walls of the castle, and glanced around.

"It's safe," he said. "Right, down the end, where Sven is. Hurry!"

"Safe? Hurry?" Anna gasped as Kristoff gave her a light shove on her back, sending her stumbling down past the stalls. "What on earth is going on with him? Everyone's gone crazy. This whole place is full of crazy people."

"I hope you don't think I'm crazy, Anna," came a soft voice.

Anna turned and saw another maid, wearing a wide-brimmed hat several sizes too large, hiding her face. "Uh, hello," she said. "Are… are you new here? How do you know my name? What's yours? Have we met?"

"Elsa," the other maid said, looking up at her with ice-blue eyes and removing her hat to reveal long silver-blonde hair in a neat bun. She smiled. "And yes, we have."

.

NOTES:

Sorry for the massive delay. This was a hard chapter to wrap my head around, as it deals with carefully ramping up and exploring various emotions in a series of vignettes rather than one or two plot-driven scenes. I swapped sections around so many times, trying to work out the best order, and ended up combing several disjointed bits to try and make them a bit more, uh, jointed…. Hopefully it's not too much of a mess. The next chapter will be happier, don't worry. I wasn't originally going to get into such detail with Anna's trials and tribulations, but then it seems she has to earn her happy ending. Not that this is the end of her troubles, not by a long shot. But the next ones will come from a quite unexpected direction….

The title being plural is not a typo. There's more than one frozen heart in this story….

The scullery description is based on this from Wikipedia: "Since sculleries were used for washing and great quantities of water had to be carried inside, they were made with solid floors of brick, stone, terracotta tiles, or concrete. Although a drain, known as a soil pipe, would carry the dirty water outside of the house, the floors were likely to stay wet. The scullery maid would stand on slatted wood mats near the sinks. The floor itself was often dug 6 inches or so (150mm) below the main house floor in case of leaks or flooding." I have also been helped and inspired by period illustrations and paintings.

Lefse is a traditional soft, Norwegian flatbread. Apparently often eaten at breakfast. The more I research stuff for this story the more I want to visit—the movie itself doesn't really inspire me to battle the hordes of Frozen fans who are descending on the fjords, but oddly enough the background stuff I'm learning does.

I just added the mention of the Alamo as a way to reinforce the period (and to distract Elsa's parents from bothering with her). The Battle of the Alamo was from February 23 – March 6, 1836, so that gives us a fairly definite time period for the story. At the time, too, it was in the short-lived Republic of Texas. For what it's worth, I have decided that Frozen is set in 1845, the year The Snow Queen was published (and this date is basically canon), so that means Elsa (who turned 21 in 1845) was born in 1824 and Anna in 1827. This makes Elsa a little younger than Queen Victoria.(I've also come up with death dates, but these don't need mentioning as they won't feature in this story.) [EDIT: Taking the birthdates specified by Lee as canon means that Elsa was actually born in 1823, in December. I'm not happy with this, as noted later, but am using it for this story as it's not a major issue.]

PS: Thanks as ever to my reliable editor, Lori, for catching a couple of slip-ups. Just shows how much word-mangling went into this chapter as I shuffled things around and changed phrases and tried to get it make some kind of sense...

PPS: If anyone's reading this and wondering why I haven't updated, well, there is a slight delay before the next chapter, sorry. I had it all ready to post, and was reading through it one more time, when I realised it wasn't working: I had got too caught up in the details and missed the larger picture. Anna's emotional journey wasn't making much sense, and the emotional payoff wasn't properly earned. So I am going to rewrite large chunks of it, changing the emotional beats and hopefully making it seem more warranted. "It" being what you'll find out in a few days...

[Edited 30 March 2015]