For a long, claustrophobic four days, Jeanne was confined to the house by increasingly desperate pleas from her mother, contrived chores, and vague warnings. She left for school, of course, but was cautioned to come straight home—Saturday passed, and Sunday as well, during which she was allowed to go to church but not to linger afterwards. The priest took a long moment to offer her Communion, moving his lips as he raised a hand above her forehead. This benediction he offered no one else.
On Monday, she welcomed the time at Cotillion—anything to keep her moving and not thinking about anything at all. Too much time at home meant time with her own thoughts, which felt stifling to her.
Charles, as always, walked with her to Armand’s room. Oddly Paris did not, instead giving her a strange, f
