LENORA'S POV
When I left Lord Ashford's quarters, I walked straight to the kitchens, the scent of bread and broth filling the air before I crossed the doorway.
I set my bucket aside near the wall and joined the other maids at the long wooden table.
I began to eat quickly, because there's still a lot that needed to be done today.
I needed the food to keep myself sane here. I still had another task assigned before dusk, and I could not afford to move slowly.
Yet my mind refused to quiet.
I kept seeing the way Silas had looked at me. I kept hearing the threat in his voice and feeling the heat of his breath near my ear.
I forced myself to focus on the bowl in front of me.
Across the table, a cluster of maids leaned closer together, whispering in low voices that carried just enough to reach me.
"I heard Lord Nightfall has not shared a chamber with his wife in months," one of them murmured, tearing her bread into pieces.
