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Livvy didn’t speak as Mellie silently packed her valise with her new clothes, nor did she speak when her books were packed in a trunk. Words simply wouldn’t come. It felt more like a funeral than a farewell she was experiencing.
When it came time to leave, Mellie made no effort to hide her tears. As Livvy walked down the stairs and accepted her cloak from a waiting footman, she whispered a thank-you to him. His face was downcast as he said goodbye, clearly upset. She understood how he felt. In the last few weeks she’d come to view this townhouse as her home and her life with Martin as her future. When she got to the coach waiting for her outside, she pulled her hood up to hide her face.
I will not cry, I will not.
To her credit, she kept her vow, not even as the coach pulled up in f
