Quoted By:
<span class="mu-s">You are Lady Gwynfryd Duntreow</span>
You don’t want to believe Eileen has passed, but you have that too-familiar ache. There is a logic to it. Vaaro was not lying. He had nothing to gain from lying to you in that moment. <span class="mu-i">You heard her scream</span>. It is simply that it is hard to come to terms with. You returned to Hallowgrove out of love for your niece. She was your lady-in-waiting before word of her new duties reached her. You cried together over the death of her brother and your own. She comforted you again when your husband turned up upon the banks of the Trident. Now she is gone.
You <span class="mu-i">are</span> the heir to Hallowgrove. It is just that the men of the keep would rather you not be. You can understand your father. He never spared you much thought. He was too preoccupied with his tales of glory and living through your brothers. You weren’t his choice for this. You didn’t want to be. You were content as a lady of Wensington. If need be, your lady mother would have reached out to your cousins of Meadows to see the ransom paid. You cannot believe your father to be so prideful as to deny her. Does he see you as sullied now? Did he even spare you a thought?
The more you think, the more you feel betrayed. Betrayed by your father. Betrayed by your uncle. You know he has free reign of the house. He is the keeper of the house’s books and coffers. His children lead in the field now, enjoying all of the privileges your brothers had. Did he even tell your father of the ransom offer or did he simply toss it into the hearth fire? Too many unanswered questions, but you <span class="mu-i">will</span> have answers. You are a survivor. You have survived before, and you will do so again. For Eileen, for yourself and your birthright.
But first you need to get out of here. Absent the ability to swim across the sea, you need help. You need Vaaro on your side. There is no other. A plan begins to form…
