whisper Beneath the silk

-

n: The Threa

hissed ba

threads curled like worms across the wood, some still warm to the touch. H

longer fel

mething other, so

cross the floorboards, brushing over the final j

more left to

ntil the words no longer seemed

for every voice that had gone unsung-and

s still Ev

n't

legs and approache

cks th

e mimicking a de

t h

eyes loo

hol

d her ribs, a differ

o the locket and clasped

bur

-

f dishware, no filtered morning light from the conservatory. Rain ha

something dark. His eyes, rimmed

wn," he said, wi

he threshold. "

lied. "You w

d her more than s

," she said. "You kn

dry. "But no one forces Silken

him. "Then tell me

ly met h

you bled truth into silk. And because

swallow

't any

owly. "You're more Evelyn

ed to be

al lace still clung to her

ave," she sai

gaze didn

u c

Hope fl

not

s-always th

s the

it want?" she as

hallway-the west wing, st

ts its

-

ked tha

o flee, but because she ne

who she'd been before Silkenmoo

haun

stayed arou

tucked beneat

urn to th

ha

one final story that had been left unwritten. Perhaps

stairwell at midnig

onger groaned

wat

hift of air, the ech

d of the west w

stood w

new I'

hop

ed again int

e, something

elf had

t, a boo

forward, hea

om what felt like the same silk of the brida

behind her.

it with trem

d met the cover, t

e air

ai

-

a bed that

through delicat

trilled

n of pale green, her hair un

lavender and some

ded trim, soft rugs, a wr

as not S

it

nor, yes-but no

and walked t

Lusher. There was no

her reflection

s Lil

o

ers-but

rtbreak. B

every

ed from beyo

tailor's here to

fr

ha

kn

miss. The weddin

art po

sn't a

was m

not

g the do

r seen stood ther

arried," Evelyn sa

rse you are. To Lord Thor

stumble

she wh

orld did

se did

story alr

y way out-w

-

she lived some

perhaps some

s arr

s fi

agne

e called

on

ss Lilian

e-to

second morning. Ivory si

t per

found herself alone

shifte

ight

t the end of the ha

an. Not

Eve

roached

ror shi

as the

ai

e-she chose

ised h

it to th

red, "No m

rror c

from the fract

lyn rem

-

ream-state like drow

r before she hit

r than anyone el

ing, but did

ted me to

e said. "That's how

remem

u d

the book stil

blan

it wasn

page had i

ry and said: I am not your bride

ced a hand

how we

-

kled in the s

cross from

k betwe

eter now. As if i

eeded an endin

nod

lways

the book in

d not

at f

lk smo

ink

th

wail swept th

n the manor cr

in the foyer dr

ilian in the fron

hing-some

ned back,

er," he

lyn was

t

-

she stood in

stress's

sses we

odstain

dal gow

mirror r

oken

ea

oked i

ime, her reflection

dela

haun

...

asped th

the fi

d it

o the floorboard b

ow," sh

he h

Lil

her

-

the fog r

stirred

e first time in a hund

sile

st

it

to t

o rel

-