Aeliana
I had lunch in my room, unwilling to be in the same room as Carlotta so soon after our argument. Instead, I spent the afternoon focusing on resting and regaining my strength. I took a bath and washed the last traces of smoke from my hair, once again scrubbing the areas where Max had touched me. Then I sat in a chair by the open window, letting the sweet summer air fill the room while I started embroidering a new handkerchief.
While I stitched, I thought about what I wanted to say to Derek when he came by this evening. I had been feeling lately like he just wasn't understanding me, but the way he came to accept my moving down to the guest floor made me think this time might be different. Either way, I planned to tell him about everything that happened between his mother and me. In
