a/n these poor goobers. please take a moment to leave me a review. I LOOOOVE them!
special thanks to kouw and mestizaa! and thank you to the lovely guest reviewers to whom I wish I could respond.
Sleep was out of the question. So was that.
She fought against the urge to connect her self-indulgence with this disaster.
No, Els. That's got nothing to do with it.
It went on for several days.
She's pale. She barely touches her food.
His mind recreated moments from her cancer scare.
A knock at the open door of her sitting room startled her. She stood as her guest entered.
"Mrs Hughes."
"Milady?"
Lady Mary spoke under her breath.
"I burned the ticket."
Mrs Hughes struggled to hold her voice steady.
"That's a relief, Milady."
She tried to hold it together but the tears of relief threatened.
They locked eyes for half a second and Lady Mary understood. She nodded, pressed her lips together in a hint of a smile, and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.
Mrs Hughes sat down at her desk and rested her head in her hands, giving herself time to let this sink in, finally letting out the silent sobs she'd been holding.
Another knock at her door.
