Gloria POV
I burned the note without reading past the first line, refusing to give Julian the satisfaction of a response, but Martha warned me he wasn't the kind of man who accepted silence as an answer. The crimson wax seal melted into dark sticky goo as the parchment caught fire inside the iron hearth, turning to black ash in seconds.
I dropped the brass tongs onto the stone floor, watching the final spark die out, while Martha set down a tray of fresh tea on the table near the window. Her sharp eyes followed every tiny movement I made, her hand resting habitually on the leather belt where her daggers hung.
"You should have let me show that parchment to Lord William," Martha said, her rough voice breaking the silence as she poured boiling water into a ceramic cup. "He needs to know th
