October 1863
The fireplace blazed away as Cordia sat in the straight-backed chair in her bedroom, her mother brushing out her long plaits of hair, just as she had done when she was a small child. The dressing mannequin across the room was an ominous presence, dressed as it was in the now nearly finished wedding dress. It had been almost two months since she had sent word to Will asking him for his consent to let her disclose their relationship so that she could terminate her engagement to Carey, and yet she had heard nothing. Every day, she stopped by the post office, hopeful that Mr. Wheeler would have some news for her, but each time, he shrugged, reluctantly. Cordia was curious to know whether or not Julia had heard from her brother, but she had been so ill recently, Cordia had scarcel
